The behavior of eating poop among pet dogs is quite a common one. It is referred to as Dog coprophagia. As for yet, there is no obvious reason as to why dogs start eating their own poop however according to some educated guesses, it is likely because they may be getting some nutrition out of it. However, dogs that are well fed do not need nutrition from such secondary nasty sources. While finding the right cause may require patience, you can try to stop this nasty behavior by trying a couple of techniques.
Firstly, you need to consider when it is normal for dogs to eat their own poop. For instance, female dogs often lick their puppies from their rear end. In doing so, small bits of feces might be ingested by the female dog. Apart from that, a female dog might also consume the feces of her puppies in order to keep the area clean from predators who may otherwise track the puppies down via the poop stench. Moreover, puppies also usually end up eating their own poop or that from other dogs. In puppies, however, this behavior is normal and a part of mouth exploration. This behavior usually goes away as the puppies reach about 6 months of age. However, in case an adult dog continues this behavior, then it is deemed to be strictly abnormal.
The first step that you may want to do is to visit a veterinarian doctor in order to figure out if there is an underlying medical cause that is compelling your dog to eat his/her own poop. Most of the times, Dog coprophagia is deemed to be an issue with the behavior and on a medical issue. Although it is also true that some dogs end up being malnourished due to inadequate calories, or due to a condition is known as malabsorption. Dogs that are suffering from malabsorption are unable to absorb the food nutrients in their intestinal tract due to which they remain deprived. You never know if your dog is suffering from such a condition, which has resulted in such behavior as a desperate attempt to get nutrients.
In order to make sure that your dog is not malnourished, feed him/her at least 2 to 3 small meals a day that is well balanced and full of nutrition. Also, consider getting a food chart prepared by an animal nutritionist in order to make sure that your dog is healthy.
Often at times, changing the quality of the food that you are feeding your dog takes the behavior away. So try adding more quality and more variety to your dog’s meals. This is because a number of nutrients are only absorbed in a dog’s body via a higher quality meal. Whereas lower quality nutrients simply pass away through their intestinal tract without getting absorbed on their way.
Another precaution that you can take is to divide your dog’s meals throughout the day. Feeding 2 to 3 meals a day is better than feeding a single large meal in a day. The main purpose would be to prevent the dog from getting hungrier throughout the day. If the behavior still persists, you may want to speed to your animal doctor in order to take a deeper look.
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