Why does a dog eat feces?

 How to get your dog to stop eating feces

Why does a dog eat feces??

A dog may eat its own feces out of anxiety, attention, fear of punishment, or the result of a valid problem.

But what you may be surprised at is that the behavior of eating feces, known scientifically as coprophagy, is a behavior that may be normal in young puppies.

Although you feel that this act is disgusting, it has several reasons... and if you do not solve the problem in the correct way, it may turn into a bad and recurring habit.

learn with us in this article 14 reasons why your dog eats its own feces and how to overcome this problem.

What are the reasons for eating dog feces??

Imitation of what the mother does....the mother eats the feces of the newborn puppies for two reasons: cleaning the place where the puppies sit.

The second reason is to protect them from enemies - as an instinctive behavior - who may be attracted to the smell.

The mother performs this act from the age of birth until the age of weaning (two months). And since the puppies learn from their mother how to acquire the behavior of dogs, she may imitate them in eating their own or their sisters’ excrement.

• Curiosity...Some young puppies may eat their own feces out of curiosity and discover the environment around them. This behavior stops at the age of 6 months
• Enzyme deficiency... Dogs have become accustomed in the wild to hunting and eating prey, including their intestines and the digestive enzymes they contain.

With the domestication of dogs and the provision of processed food to them, providing them with digestive enzymes has become a difficult thing... Dogs may manufacture them inside their bodies, but not enough.

Digestive enzymes are responsible for digesting food sufficiently so that the dog can absorb nutrients properly, and their absence makes the food come out undigested in the stool.

Which makes the dog eat your stool because he thinks it is a new meal.

One of the most important causes of this problem is also chronic pancreatic enzyme deficiency, which causes weight loss, diarrhea, and the dog eating its own feces.

• Worms ... When your dog has worms, it almost eats everything it feeds on, which makes it constantly feel hungry, which may make it eat its own feces.
• Some diseases that cause an increase in appetite ... such as diabetes and thyroid problems, as well as some medications such as cortisone may cause a permanent feeling of hunger in your dog.
• Lack of nutrients ... such as hydrochloric acid, which is lost due to poor nutrients provided to the dog or age.
• Hydrochloric acid is responsible for the digestion of proteins in the stomach, which makes the dog look for it in the stool.
• As well as the lack of some minerals may be the cause of the same problem.

Poor digestion and absorption...Any disease that may cause this problem may make your dog eat its own feces or another dog or cat inside the house in an attempt to get what it lacks of nutrients.

Lack of food... If you are feeding your dog small amounts of food and your dog has started to lose weight due to the diet that you adopt, be careful, your dog will try to get a source of food from sources that you may not like.

• Scavenging ... Dogs instinctively have this behavior. The smell of feces may be disgusting to you, but it is wonderful for them.
• Boredom...when you leave your dog all day alone at home and he can't find anything to do, why doesn't he amuse himself and take reward from eating feces?
• The desire to attract attention… Dogs love us and always want to attract our attention, and eating feces may find a suitable way to do so.
• Stress and anxiety...Your dog may find this behavior an outlet for stress.
• Dog farms… This is one of the unfortunate facts, as many dog ​​farms put young puppies under harsh conditions due to lack of hygiene and nutrition, which makes them vulnerable to this behavior.
• Punishment… While you are training your dog on a specific place for the bathroom, you may use the method of punishment, so your dog thinks that you do not like to see him doing a bathroom, so he eats feces so that you do not see him.

How do you get your dog to stop eating feces??

•  Rule out medical problems... Go to the vet and do the necessary examination for your dog and to make sure that there are no health problems such as worms or pancreatic problems.
• Offer your puppy 2-3 well-balanced meals a day, reducing the number of meals with age, but be sure to provide a satiating portion.
• Keep your dog occupied with different games such as running after the ball and of course the game of Kong is an excellent solution to such a problem.
• Take your dog for a walk and exercise for at least 20 minutes a day so that he knows the different places and smells and relieves him of boredom.
• Clean the poo as often as possible so that you can cut off the way for your dog to reach and eat the poo.
• You may need to spray the stool with a substance that tastes bitter or hot to help your dog stop this behavior.
• Your dog may need some medication if the issue of eating feces has reached a late stage, but do not do this without consulting the vet.
• Teach your dog to leave it... Grab one handful of a treat or dry food and close your palm over it.

Get down to the level of your dog and make him smell what is in your palm, he will try to reach her in various ways and may lick your hand, do not give it to him.

Be patient until he loses attention and desire for what is in your hand, then point your hand when you want him to leave and tell him to leave it, then give the reward or dry food at that time while patting him.

Repeat this exercise often, be patient and continue, and do not despair, as mistakes will occur.

In this training, your dog will learn that when he leaves something he wants and complies with your order, he will be rewarded and you will play with him.

Important tips when training your dog not to eat feces:

• Keep going and don't make your dog eat poo, you need to break this habit
• Cut pieces of zucchini into a thin strip, boil it, and put it with what you give your dog food.

If your dog does not accept it, mix it with some ground meat..zucchini makes the stool taste unacceptable.

• Give your dog pieces of pineapple, as it also helps to make the stool taste unpleasant.
• Do not give your dog what the people of the house eat, as this makes the stool taste desirable.

Important warnings when training your dog not to eat feces:

• If your dog eats its own feces, it has eaten the feces of other animals, making it vulnerable to viruses and worms.
• Always make sure that your dog follows his vaccination schedule, especially worms... Consult your veterinarian for the appropriate vaccination schedule.