Why do dogs eat stools?

July 7, 2023

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Why do dogs eat stools?

We’re not sure why dogs develop this habit. Mother dogs routinely eat their puppies’ feces until they are about three weeks old; this practice keeps the “den” clean and odor-free. So puppies may be copying behavior they have noticed in their mothers. More likely, they are just going through an oral phase in which they eat anything that has an interesting smell or texture. Most dogs grow out of this habit, but a few do not. In fact, devouring feces is considered normal (but highly undesirable from our viewpoint). There is probably still some nutritional value left in the stuff, and dogs are by nature scavengers. Some dogs even practice coprophagia to get attention from their owners. It works.

Almost all dogs will eat cat poop if given the slightest chance, but with some it can become compulsive. Cat feces carry Toxoplasma gondii, a nasty organism that causes nerve and muscle damage. Put the litter box up high where the cat can jump up onto it but Fido can’t. An alternative solution is to place the litter box in the bathroom and secure the door with a hook and eye arrangement that offers enough play for the cat to slither through but that stymies the dog. Clean the litter box as often as you can.

In a few cases, there’s a medical excuse for coprophagia. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, pancreatitis, certain malabsorption syndromes, infections, and overfeeding a high-fat diet have all been blamed.

How to Manage Coprophagia

Unfortunately, once dogs acquire this unsavory habit, it can be difficult to stop. You need to approach the problem systematically.

Accompany your dog to the yard for his bathroom breaks and clean up the dog poopimmediately, which helps to teach your dog to eliminate in one specific area.
Buy products that discourage dogs from eating their own feces, such as Healthy Promise^™Potty Mouth Coprophagia Supplements, a chewable tablet specially formulated to keep dogs from eating their own feces. Other products are designed to be sprinkled on your dog’s food.
Teach your dog the leave it command to prevent his grabbing a snack while you’re out walking. And keep him on a leash. Dogs can be pretty quick, though, so you might consider using a basket muzzle while out walking with him.
Try feeding your dog more frequent (but smaller) meals so that he won’t feel so hungry and ready to gobble anything. And feed him the very best food you can to make sure that he’s getting all the nutrients he needs.

What is Coprophagia?

If your dog is eating feces, it is a good idea to have him seen by a veterinarian. The veterinarian will help determine if there are any medical conditions causing the dog to be excessively hungry. If coprophagia is a behavioral issue, the veterinarian may also make recommendations which may help stop your dog from eating feces.

Coprophagia is the scientific term for eating feces. Although coprophagia is upsetting and revolting to us; it is a common problem in dogs and puppies. There are physical, medical and behavioral reasons why dogs eat feces.

Symptoms of Coprophagia in Dogs

You see your dog eating feces in the backyard
Dog is found eating cat feces from the litter box
Dog eats poop he finds during his dog walks
Dog vomits feces
Dog eats her puppies’ feces

Causes of Coprophagia in Dogs

Medical and physical reasons for coprophagia in dogs:

Intestinal parasites – The parasites are feeding on the dog’s nutrients
Endocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) – This is a disorder where the pancreas is not producing digestive enzymes; the food being ingested is not broken down nor are the nutrients being absorbed (the dog is starving)
Underfed – Not feeding the dog the right amount of food
Poor quality diet – Malnourished
Taste – Cat feces may taste good to a dog
Dogs will eat their puppies’ poop to clean the den; this is a normal behavior in dogs
Prescription medications can make a dog very hungry

Behavioral reasons for coprophagia in dogs:

An abused dog that was not being fed (got used to eating his own feces)
Puppy mill puppies that were neglected and overcrowded causing anxiety issues
Puppy wants to seek the pet parent’s attention
Boredom (no activities or playtime)
Kenneled/isolated for an extended amount of time

Diagnosis of Coprophagia in Dogs

The veterinarian will go over the patient’s medical history with you. Let him know your concerns regarding your dog eating feces. The veterinarian may want to discuss what your dog’s current diet is and how often is he fed. He may also want to know the dog’s daily activities and his regular schedule (playtime, walks, whether he is crated or socialized).

The doctor will then perform a physical examination, which may include taking the patient’s weight, temperature, pulse and blood pressure. The veterinarian may want to run blood work such as a complete blood count (CBC) and a serum chemistry panel. The complete blood count can help evaluate platelets, red and white cell count. The CBC can also help determine if the dog is anemic or has a bacterial infection. A serum chemistry panel aids in determining organ function and how well the body’s organs are working. The veterinarian may also recommend a urinalysis, fecal fat test (measures fat in the stool sample), and a fecal exam (checks for parasites). These diagnostic tests can help narrow down the cause and may reveal underlying health issues.

Treatment of Coprophagia in Dogs

Endocrine pancreatic insufficiency is usually treated by replacing digestive enzymes using freeze dried pancreas extracts from pig and cattle. The extracts are sprinkled on the dog’s food usually 30 minutes before feeding. The patient will also be placed on dietary supplements and vitamins.

Parasites are treated with a de-wormer and your dog’s bedding, toys, and bowls will need to be washed in hot water. Flooring should be cleaned and disinfected to help eliminate any remaining eggs.

Dogs diagnosed with deficient diets will need to be fed a better quality commercial food. It is recommended that you read the ingredient label; the first ingredient should be a protein not a “by-product”. Dietary supplements and vitamins may also be prescribed. Patients that are anemic may need B-12 injections.

Dogs with no medical conditions may be eating feces due to behavioral reasons. The veterinarian may suggest more playtime and walks, and less alone time. Dogs that are exercised and played with tend to be more content. If your dog persists in eating feces the veterinarian may recommend a dog behaviorist.

Why do dogs eat stools?

While most cases of coprophagia appear to be purely behavioral, there are indeed numerous medical problems that can cause or contribute to coprophagia. These problems must first be ruled out before a purely behavioral diagnosis can be made.

What are some of the medical causes?

Any medical problem that leads to a decrease in absorption of nutrients, causes gastrointestinal upset or causes an increase in the appeal of the dog’s stool, could lead to coprophagia. In addition to a complete physical examination, the puppy’s diet and its stool frequency and consistency should be evaluated. Stool testing for parasites would be the minimum level of testing. If the stool is unusually soft or appears to be poorly digested, additional stool or blood tests may be warranted. Feeding a poorly digestible diet, underfeeding, and medical conditions that decrease absorption such as digestive enzyme deficiencies or parasites, could lead to malnutrition or vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and therefore an increased appetite and possibly stool eating. In addition, if the stools contain large amounts of undigested food material, there is an increased likelihood that the puppy would eat the stools.

When adult dogs begin to eat stools, it may also be due to malabsorption of nutrients or to dietary nutritional deficiencies. In addition, any condition that might cause an increase in appetite or an unusual appetite, such as diabetes, Cushing’s disease, thyroid disease, or treatment with certain drugs such as steroids may lead to an increase in stool eating. Dogs that are placed on extreme calorie restriction or that are fed poorly balanced diets may also begin to eat their stools. It should also be noted that if a dog develops a taste for a particular dog’s stool, that other dog should be tested for any type of condition that might lead to poor digestion of the food (with the result that excess food nutrients remain in the stool).

What are some of the behavior reasons that a dog might eat its own stools?

Coprophagia is a common problem in some puppies, which usually clears up by adulthood with good nutrition and proper direction and supervision. There have been many explanations suggested for this behavior. When left unsupervised, puppies may simply begin to investigate, play with, and even eat stools as a play, investigative or scavenging behavior. Since coprophagia may attract a great deal of owner attention, the behavior may be further reinforced.

There may also be an observational component, since the bitch cleans and ingests the puppy’s excrement in the nest, and puppies may learn to mimic the behavior of their mother or other playmates that perform this behavior.

In adult dogs the innate behavior of grooming and cleaning newborn puppies and eating their excrement, along with the well documented fact that dogs tend to be attracted to infections or discharges of their pack-mates, which they will sniff and lick, may explain some of the motivation for coprophagia. Early intervention can help reduce the possibility that the behavior will become a long-term habit. The owner that uses the outmoded, inhumane and useless training technique of “sticking the dog’s nose” in its stool when it has soiled the home, may be further encouraging coprophagia.

Why do dogs eat the stools of other animals?

This behavior is akin to scavenging. It is not unusual for dogs to steal food items, raid garbage cans, and chew on, or eat non-food items that most humans would consider unusual or even disgusting. Cat feces and those of some other animals often have enough appealing attributes (odor, texture, and taste), to overcome the fact that they are fecal wastes. Dogs that eat the feces of herbivores may be attracted to the digested vegetation. In fact, stools themselves are seldom unpleasant to dogs. It is one of the odors that they are constantly attracted to when investigating their environment.

How can coprophagia be treated?

Coprophagia can best be corrected by preventing access to stools, by thorough cleaning of the pet’s property, and by constant supervision when the pet is outdoors.

If you make a diary of how often and when your dog has bowel movements, you should be able to accompany him or her outdoors, wait until your dog eliminates (it can be useful to train on command), call your dog to you and have it sit for a reward, and clean up the stool before leaving your dog alone. At the first indication of any stool sniffing or investigation the dog should be interrupted with a firm command or a quick pull on the leash (this is particularly effective for dogs wearing head halters).
If the dog is taught to come to the owners and sit for a special food treat immediately following elimination, the new behavior may become a permanent habit. Remote disruption devices may also be useful in that they can interrupt the dog as it approaches the stool without any direct association with the owner. A remote spray collar may therefore be effective if the owner supervises the dog from a distance (or by watching through a window to the backyard) and immediately and consistently interrupts the dog every time it begins to mouth stools.

Dogs with medical problems should be treated to try and correct the underlying cause. A change in diet to one that is more digestible, or one with different protein sources may be useful. Dogs on restricted calorie diets may do better on a high bulk or high fiber formula. Some dogs may be improved by adding enzyme supplements to improve nutrient digestion or absorption. Specifically, digestive enzymes in the form of meat tenderizers or food additives may help increase protein digestion, resulting in a less palatable stool. When adding some of these items to dry dog food, it may be necessary to moisten the food first and allow the product to sit on the food for 10 – 15 minutes to increase effectiveness. Other solutions that have been published but have never been proven to be effective are to add papaya, yogurt, cottage cheese or Certs® breath mints to the dog’s food; these additives are supposed to impart a less pleasant taste in the stools.

Unpleasant tastes are unlikely to be successful unless the product is suitably noxious as well as odorless (so that the pet cannot detect its presence in the stool). To use a taste aversive deterrent, while the dog is out of sight, open up the stool with a disposable plastic utensil, insert the taste deterrent into the center, then close the stool and replace it for the dog to find. Most dogs however, either develop a tolerance to the taste, or learn to avoid those stools that are pretreated. Experimentally, the only form of taste aversion that is consistently effective is something that becomes associated with nauseousness.

Since most dogs seem to prefer a well-formed stool, adding sufficient quantities of stool softeners or bulk laxatives will usually deter most dogs.

Poop Eating Is Normal for Dogs and Puppies

For some species, such as rabbits, eating poop is a totally normal way of obtaining key nutrients. In fact, if you prevent rabbits from doing this, they will develop health problems, and young rabbits will fail to thrive. Fortunately, dogs do not need to get nutrition this way. Poop eating, however, is a normal, natural canine behavior at some life stages.

Mother dogs will lick their puppies to urge them to eliminate, and clean up their poop by eating it, for about the first three weeks after birth. Puppies will also naturally engage in this behavior, eating their own poop (autocoprophagia), poop from other dogs (allocoprophagia), as well as poop from cats and other animals. Some dogs find horse manure and goose droppings particularly appealing. Eating their own poop is harmless, but consuming poop from other animals may cause health problems if the stool is contaminated with parasites, viruses, or toxins. In most cases, this behavior will fade before the puppy is about nine months old.

Facts About Dogs Who Eat Poop

When it occurs in puppies, coprophagia (aka poop eating) is generally considered part of the process of exploring the world around them. Most puppies will be satisfied with a sniff, but a few will want—like human children—to put everything in their mouths, including poop. One bizarre fact: Dogs will rarely eat soft, poorly formed stools or diarrhea. They appear to be attracted mainly to hard stools. Frozen poop, in particular, is gulped down with relish! (There is a reason why dog owners have coined the term “poopsicle.”) In his study, Hart made some other observations about why dogs eat poop:

Coprophagia was more common in multi-dog households. In single-dog homes, only 20 percent of dogs had the habit of eating poop, while in homes with three dogs, that rose to 33 percent
Poop eaters are no harder to house train than any other dogs
Female dogs are more likely to eat poop, and intact males were least likely
92 percent of poop eaters want fresh stuff, only one to two days old
85 percent of dog poop eaters will not eat their own feces, only poop from other dogs
Greedy eaters—dogs who steal food off tables—tend to poop eaters

FAQ ON WHY DO DOGS EAT POOP ?

Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?

If your adult dog starts to eat poop, you should consult with your vet to rule out health problems like:

Parasites
Diets deficient in nutrients and calories (your vet may suggest supplements)
Malabsorption syndromes
Diabetes, Cu shing’s, thyroid disease, and other conditions that might cause an increase in appetite
Drugs, such as steroids

In many cases, dogs start to eat their own poop because of some kind of environmental stress or behavioral triggers, including:

Isolation: Studies have shown that dogs who are kept alone in kennels or basements are more likely to eat poop than those dogs who live close to their people.
Restrictive confinement: Spending too much time confined in a small space can cause a poop-eating problem. It’s not unusual to see coprophagia in dogs rescued from crowded shelters.
Anxiety: Often a result of a person using punishment or harsh methods during house training. According to this theory, dogs may eliminate and then eat their own poop to get rid of the evidence, but then they are punished more. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Attention-seeking: Dogs eat their own poop to get a reaction from their humans, which they inevitably will. So if you see your dog is eating poop, don’t overreact.
Inappropriate association with real food: Dogs who are fed in proximity to their poop may make a connection between the odors of food and those of feces and will be unable to tell the difference.
Scenting it on their mothers: Lindsay writes that in some cases, puppies will get confused by sniffing fecal odors on their mother’s breath after she has cleaned them. Also, sometimes mothers may regurgitate food that is mixed with puppy fecal matter. He calls this an “appetitive inoculation,” which may set a puppy up to develop this bad habit.
Living with a sick or elderly dog: Sometimes a healthy dog will consume poop from a weaker dog in the household, especially in cases of fecal incontinence. Scientists hypothesize that this may be related to the instinct to protect the pack from predators.

How to Stop a Dog From Eating Poop

Veterinarians and dog owners have seen improvements in dogs who eat poop with a few strategies, including:

Vitamin supplementation: There’s been a long-standing theory that dogs eat poop because they are missing something in their diets, so a dog multivitamin could be helpful. Vitamin-B deficiency, in particular, has been a prime suspect, and studies have backed this up. In 1981, scientists showed fecal microbial activity synthesized thiamine, a B-vitamin. Other research found other missing nutrients.
Enzyme supplementation: The modern canine diet is higher in carbohydrates and lower in meat-based proteins and fats than the canine ancestral diet. Some people have had success with supplements for dogs that contain papain, an enzyme that aids digestion.
Taste-aversion products: The theory is that certain tastes and smells are as disgusting to dogs as the idea of stool eating is to us, so adding a poop-eating deterrent to food or treats will make the poop that’s being produced less appealing. Many of these products contain monosodium glutamate, chamomile, pepper-plant derivatives, yucca, garlic, and parsley. Just remember to treat all the dogs in a multi-dog household if there’s a poop-eating problem! Some owners will also use a bitter-tasting spray to make poop taste worse.

Perhaps the best way to stop the problem is through training and environmental management methods, including:

Have all the right equipment for feeding, training, and walking your dog.
Keep the dog’s living area clean, including the yard, so there will be no piles of poop for him to eat.
Cat owners should keep the litter box clean or out of the dog’s reach.
Supervise your dog on walks, and pick up their poop immediately.
Training. Work hard on the cues “leave it” and “come.” One simple exercise is to teach your dog to come to you for a food treat as soon as he has pooped. That way, the dog will develop a habit of paying attention to you for a tasty tidbit, instead of turning toward the revolting one on the ground.

THE FACTS ABOUT COPROPHAGIA

Coprophagia is not an abnormal behavior for canines in certain situations. Bitches naturally consume their own pup’s feces – presumably, to keep the nest clean. This behavior provides a survival benefit as it prevents unhygienic conditions from developing in the nest; a state of affairs that could lead to disease. The biological drive to eat feces, which is implanted as a survival instinct, compels nursing bitches to ingest their pups’ feces.
In addition, many puppies go through an oral stage in which they explore everything with their mouths, sometimes ingesting a variety of non-food items, including feces.
As time goes by, the majority of pups eventually learn that food tastes better than feces and they swear off the stool-eating habit for the rest of their lives. Some older puppies may continue to eat feces for a few months, but most grow out of the habit after the first year.
Barring nursing bitches, the majority of “normal” adult dogs have absolutely no interest in eating feces.

WHEN COPROPHAGIA IS A PROBLEM

Slow learners, “oral retentives,” and pups in which habits are easily ingrained may continue to engage in coprophagia well beyond the accepted “norm” and may engage in it to excess. Such hard-core coprophagics continue the behavior long after their peers have developed new interests. Dogs like this, that seem addicted to the habit, may best be described as “compulsive.”
Below is a list of possible contributing factors though more than one may be operating in any one case.
The opportunity to observe the dam eating stool
High protein, low residue, puppy food
Irregular feeding schedule
Feeding inadequate amounts of food
Under-stimulating environment
Constant opportunity to ingest feces
Inadequate attention/supervision

VETERINARY CARE

DIAGNOSIS

Whether by nature, nurture, or a combination of factors, coprophagy rears its ugly head as a persistent and irritating habit that some long-suffering dog owners seem fated to endure. There are several different forms of coprophagy but, whatever form it takes, there are probably similar drives and predilections operating. Variations on the theme include:
Dogs that are partial only to their own stool
Dogs that eat only other dogs’ stool
Dogs that eat stool only in the winter if it is frozen solid (“poopsicles”)
Dogs that eat only the stool of various other species, often cats

THERAPY

There are some “home” remedies that have been practiced, but they rarely work. Here are a few:
Adding Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer® or Forbid®, commercially available preparations of pancreatic enzymes, to the dog’s food
Adding crushed breath mints to the diet
“Doctoring” each stool with Tabasco® in the hopes of discouraging the dog from the habit
The following strategies have met with more success, though it is important to note that results vary:
Picking up all available stools (i.e. denying access)
Escorting the dog into a “picked up” area and walking him back inside the house immediately after he has successfully passed a bowel movement and before he even has a chance to investigate the fruits of his labor
Some dogs try to circumvent their owner’s control by eating the stool as it emerges and for these incorrigible few a muzzle may be necessary
Changing the dog’s diet and feeding schedule so that high fiber rations are fed frequently and perhaps by free choice. Hill’s r/d Prescription Diet®, a diet that contains 10 percent fiber is a good option. It may work by allowing the dog to eat to satiation without gaining weight, or it may alter the texture of the dog’s stool, making it less palatable. Dry food seems more effective than wet food in curtailing coprophagia
Lifestyle enrichment is also helpful. Make sure your dog has plenty of exercise and spends plenty of quality time with you each day. Some dogs respond when a “Get a job program” is implemented. Such a program is designed to encourage the dog to exercise his natural tendencies by means of activities like chasing, fetching, walking, pseudo-hunting, fly ball, agility training, etc.
Teach the LEAVE IT command
Although some of the above measures have occasionally been found effective on their own, it best to apply a whole program of prevention for at least six months to nip the behavior in the bud. If during this time, if the dog gets access to stool and ingests it, some ground will be lost. Hopefully, though, progress will eventually be made, even if it’s one step back for every two forward.
Despite all these modifications in environment and training, some dogs persist in the habit of coprophagia. For these dogs, the compulsive disorder diagnosis may be worth considering. Some obstinate cases respond to the judicious use of human anti-depressants.
Although controversial, the obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis seems to fill the bill, on occasion at least, and it meets a couple of the scientific criteria for diagnosis.
Face validity: The dog appears obsessed with eating stool and compelled to ingest it.
Predictive validity: Extreme, refractory, coprophagy should follow a genetic predilection, occurring more frequently in anxious breeds of dog. The latter appears to be true, as the condition seems to be more common in certain breeds (e.g. retrievers). Also, the condition should, and often does, respond to therapy with anti-obsessional drugs.

HOME CARE

In the majority of cases, coprophagy can be successfully treated at home by means of a combination of management changes (exercise, diet, and supervised outdoor excursions) and environmental measures, but be wary of the occasional medical condition that masquerades the same way (your vet can help rule out such conditions).