Eating Poo

[Erny]

I caught my pup doing this just this morning... I think he was trying to clean up or hide it because he's just getting the idea that pooing in the house is not good... this little bugger is also vomiting his meals and re-eating them.. anyone have a clue what this is about?

Amongst other possibilities (eg dietary deficiency or boredom, to mention a couple) Copraphagia can be the result of poor house training - generally where owners growl or otherwise punish their dog for soiling inside the house. You are correct, SL, that dogs can then turn to eating their own excrement to be rid of it so that punishment is not received. Note that the dog does NOT associate it with the ACTION of having soiled. The dog sees that Owner + Dog + Excrement = Punishment to the dog. In these circumstances the dog will still soil, but will seek to remove the 3rd part of the equation that seems to be the catalyst for punishment.

If your dog soils inside the house, give yourself a rap on the head for not being in a position to prevent it from happening and missing a further opportunity to train your dog with consistency.

It is very normal for a dog to re-eat regurgitated or vomited meals. If this is occurring with any frequency what you need to work out is WHY is it being regurgitated or vomited. It could be the result of your dog gulping too quickly, eating too soon after aerobic exercise or it could be something else which would do well with a Veterinary check up. I'm not too concerned with re-eating after regurgitation, but I try to prevent dogs re-eating vomited material that has been retched from its stomach.

OMG! This little bugger is now stealing the kitten's poo from the litter tray and doing god know's what with it.. What do I do about that???

Prevent it. Stop your dog from being able to gain access to your cat's litter. Baby gates are a good solution for this, or modify the door so that it remains open only to sufficiently to allow access by the cat and not the dog. If your dog is small and can access the room where the litter is kept even with these solutions, then use the baby gate idea but cover the gaps so the dog can not get through. Your cat should be able to jump over, but not your dog.

Edited March 22, 2008 by Erny

[gsdog2]

Well great news.... :rolleyes:

i have been putting pineapple in her food and no poo munching since so it would seem the pineapple did the trick!!!! unless she just go over the whole poo eating fascination either way im happy!!!!

I haven't had this problem with any of mine *whew*, but I know vet Rob Zammit swears by the pineapple cure too!!!

[Erny]

Well great news.... :rolleyes:

i have been putting pineapple in her food and no poo munching since so it would seem the pineapple did the trick!!!! unless she just go over the whole poo eating fascination either way im happy!!!!

I haven't had this problem with any of mine *whew*, but I know vet Rob Zammit swears by the pineapple cure too!!!

Yes - I have read of a number of cases "cured" by the addition of pineapple to the dog's diet. Many people think that the presence of the pineapple renders the faeces unattractive, therefore deterring the dog from ingesting its stools. In this though, I have my doubts as logic would dictate that it would render the original meal in which the pineapple was included, as being unattractive in the first place.

Apparently "Bromelain", which is an enzyme capable of digesting protein, is found in pineapples. My thoughts are therefore that perhaps ingestion of pineapple has provided the enzyme necessary for a higher absorption of protein. If the dog was eating its faeces in an endeavour to self-supplement for insufficient protein source, the heightened ability to absorb protein from its usual diet because of the addition of pineapple may be the reason why it no longer seeks to self-supplement by ingesting faeces.

If my thinking is on the right track (I'm not a nutritionist) then it goes to follow that the cause for the Copraphagia in this instance WAS dietary deficiency and perhaps an alternate/improved diet could have remedied the situation. This is something I would still give consideration to if it could be seen that the existing diet leaves room for improvement.

I have no idea of what the acid affect from eating pineapple on a regular basis would do to the dog's digestive tract (if it would do anything at all) nor whether there are even any studies conducted to determine the possibility for adverse affects over a long term period.

Edited March 22, 2008 by Erny

[moggy]

My Chihuahua, 8 months old now, was eating her poo. I asked the vet about it and she said there is no cure although FRESH pineapple in the food could help, but you would have to put a lot of it in. We only have the one dog so it was easy to clean up after her. But she still used to sneak it if she could. We got a container of white pepper and everytime she pooed we would sprinkle it liberally with the pepper. When she did the next poo we would sprinkle it with the pepper and clean up the earlier one.

She hasn't eaten it for a couple of months now. I hope we have cured her.

I think it is worth a try.

[Guest dinkumdog]

Ewwww is this normal, I have never seen a puppy eat their own poo.

I think I would vomit

[Whitecherry]

I caught my pup doing this just this morning... I think he was trying to clean up or hide it because he's just getting the idea that pooing in the house is not good... this little bugger is also vomiting his meals and re-eating them.. anyone have a clue what this is about?

Amongst other possibilities (eg dietary deficiency or boredom, to mention a couple) Copraphagia can be the result of poor house training - generally where owners growl or otherwise punish their dog for soiling inside the house. You are correct, SL, that dogs can then turn to eating their own excrement to be rid of it so that punishment is not received. Note that the dog does NOT associate it with the ACTION of having soiled. The dog sees that Owner + Dog + Excrement = Punishment to the dog. In these circumstances the dog will still soil, but will seek to remove the 3rd part of the equation that seems to be the catalyst for punishment.

If your dog soils inside the house, give yourself a rap on the head for not being in a position to prevent it from happening and missing a further opportunity to train your dog with consistency.

It is very normal for a dog to re-eat regurgitated or vomited meals. If this is occurring with any frequency what you need to work out is WHY is it being regurgitated or vomited. It could be the result of your dog gulping too quickly, eating too soon after aerobic exercise or it could be something else which would do well with a Veterinary check up. I'm not too concerned with re-eating after regurgitation, but I try to prevent dogs re-eating vomited material that has been retched from its stomach.

OMG! This little bugger is now stealing the kitten's poo from the litter tray and doing god know's what with it.. What do I do about that???

Prevent it. Stop your dog from being able to gain access to your cat's litter. Baby gates are a good solution for this, or modify the door so that it remains open only to sufficiently to allow access by the cat and not the dog. If your dog is small and can access the room where the litter is kept even with these solutions, then use the baby gate idea but cover the gaps so the dog can not get through. Your cat should be able to jump over, but not your dog.

Thanks for the reply... I have NEVER punished the pup for soiling in the house... I know this isn't the correct way to house train a dog. I am home with the pup all day, and can keep a very close eye on him, but he's quick and can plop one out and munch it down in seconds.. Short of standing over him every minute of the day, I'm not sure how else to combat this... As for the kitty littler, with the pup being very small it really isn't possible to allow the cat entry to the litter while keeping the dog out. I figure I'll have to be super vigilent in scooping out kitty poo before puppy can scoff it... (eeekkk ! ) The vomiting/regurgitating seems to be happening on an almost daily basis... it's looking like he brings it up on purpose. Is this possible?

[Erny]

Thanks for the reply... I have NEVER punished the pup for soiling in the house... I know this isn't the correct way to house train a dog. I am home with the pup all day, and can keep a very close eye on him

Sorry SL .... it's just that you said your pup knows that it's wrong to soil inside the house. Given that he does soil inside the house, I wasn't sure what you did or why you think he knows it is wrong. It's also curious as to why he is copraphagic inside the house, but not out.

... but he's quick and can plop one out and munch it down in seconds.. Short of standing over him every minute of the day, I'm not sure how else to combat this...

Make sure he's in the same room with you whenever he is in the house. Some people have even tethered their pups to themselves using a longer lead, so they KNOW they will be able to catch the dog quickly and guide outside. Some pups/dogs can be quite fast I admit, but generally speaking there are some initial 'signs' they are about to go. For this, it is about trying to work out what those signs are, even if they are somewhat subtle.

As for the kitty littler, with the pup being very small it really isn't possible to allow the cat entry to the litter while keeping the dog out. I figure I'll have to be super vigilent in scooping out kitty poo before puppy can scoff it... (eeekkk ! )

Have you thought of a board or a baby gate to which you attach a piece of marine ply (or something solid that will render it unpassable). The cat should be able to jump over. The pup I assume couldn't.

The vomiting/regurgitating seems to be happening on an almost daily basis... it's looking like he brings it up on purpose. Is this possible?

As aforementioned, I'd get him checked by a Vet if this is happening so frequently.

Edited March 23, 2008 by Erny

[Erny]

Borderstaff .... sorry. Just realised this is your thread and my conversation with SL seems to have hijacked it a little. I'm hoping that the discussions here provide you with some useful information.

[Whitecherry]

Yes, I'm sorry I seem to have taken over this thread... ! didn't mean to do that...

Thanks Erny... I do appreciate your adivce. The pup is getting the idea that he needs to go outside so I gathered that he is 'understanding' the idea that that's where he should go, not in the house. He seems to hold his bladder better than his bowels.. wee's have been pretty reliable, and he's having a 50-70% success rate with the poos... I've had him tethered up to me on a leash for that exact reason.. particularly when I know he's about due to need to go. This works apart from him getting upset at being so confined. I think patience & persistence are the key here, it's a slow process! I'll have him checked out at the vet, I have to take the kitten for a vaccination this week so I'll take him along too.

Thanks again!

Shelley Lee