Why does my Dog eat Poop?
Chances are, you landed on this website because your dog eats his own or other dogs’ poop. Yikes!
When I first got my dog, he started eating his own poop when he was about 9 months old. It only happened a few times but every time he would, I freaked out and tried to make him stop. Typically puppies outgrow this behavior pretty quickly, but if your adult dog is eating poop there might be another reason for his behavior.
Below you will find reasons why your dog might eat poop and if it is harmful to eat poop.
Reasons Why Your Dog Eats Poop
1.Boredom or Anxiety
Your dog might need more mental and physical stimulation in order to get distracted from this behavior. Especially when your dog is young, they try to explore everything. Eating poop might just be part of that process.
Ever heard of stress eating? Of course you wouldn’t go ahead and eat poop when you re anxious but your dog might just be doing that.
2. Nutrients
Your dog might be missing nutrients.
This might be either caused by a lack of food. Your dog is simply hungry and is trying to “re-eat” his food.
Or the food that you are feeding your dog doesn’t provide sufficient nutrients. In that case you should try to switch to a different brand.
When my dog was a puppy, I noticed that my dog would always try to eat his poop after feeding him wet food. He loves wet food and would try to re-digest his poop since it would still smell and maybe even taste like wet food.
3. Motherly Behavior
Typically the mother of a litter licks the puppies butt to stimulate it in order for the puppy to relieve himself. The mother also eats the poop of her litter to keep the area clean.
Just how the mother keeps the home clean, your dog might be doing the same. When my dog had diarrhea and pooped inside the house by accident, he immediately cleaned up after himself. He almost seemed embarrassed because he pooped in his own “nest”.
4. Sickness
If you suspect that your dog might be sick, talk to your veterinary immediately. Your vet can determine if your dog has a chronic disease or parasites that cause your dog to eat poop. your dog might be sick: exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is when your dog lacks enzymes to digest their food properly. Malabsorption syndrome prevents your dog from absorbing the nutrient he/she needs from his food. Parasite in your dog’s intestines that eat the nutrients that are meant for your dog, leaving our dog feeling hungry.
3. Tick Grabber Tool
This has been my go-to tool when removing ticks from my dog.
You press the tool on the top and grab the tick by releasing pressure. The tool is easy to use and gets a safe grip on the tick. You can rotate the tool with the tick until it comes off. Easy peasy!
How To Stop My Dog From Eating Poop?
While it is not harmful when your dog eats his/her own poop, it gets problematic when your dog starts eating other dogs’ poop. These are some solutions on how to stop your dog from eating poop.
Immediately pick up the poop
Leash your dog, so he/she can’t roam around eating other dogs’ poop.
Provide mental and physical stimulation to prevent anxiety and boredom
Buy high-quality dog food
Train your dog “leave it” and use it when he/she gets close to poop.
I know it can be disturbing when your dog eats poop. Knowing why, and how to prevent eating poop will help solving this behavior. If you are unsure about your dog’s eating behavior, you can contact your veterinary for concerns.
Stay healthy!
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