Eating Poop!

[LittleLily]

My puppy, 6 months, just recently started doing this.

We go out for a walk she digs up poop and proceeds to eat it. Not her own poop, she stays far away from that.

Its a nasty habit, any advice? pleaseee

[snowballsmom]

ewwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!
do a search on this board, you're not alone.
supervision is key.
#1, dont let her, she's on a leash so you're in charge.
#2, in your own yard, be the pick-up police.
snowball enjoys dining on goose poop and cat poop and it's disgusting. and she's lightning-ninja fast 

[JimmyThy]

It is such a gross habit, isn't it? We've had this problem with our younger female dog, Nuka, ever since we got her. She "taught" our older male dog, Atka, this habit since they always want what the other one has.

I've tried several things, from sprinkling something yucky tasting (Bitter Apple, tabasco sauce, etc.) onto the poop to making sure the yard is always spotless, etc. It doesn't always help 100% of the time. I've complained about it to the vet so many times, his ear has fallen off. He insists it's not a harmful (albeit, bad) habit, and that it's very natural to dogs - just disgusting to us.

It's a good thing she leaves her own alone. The ones she's digging up - are you sure it's dog poop and not some other animal poop (like kitty poop)? I ask because dogs don't usually bury their poop, but kitties do and you mentioned she digs it up. Kitties apparent have very tasty poop according to dogs - there's a reason why - it escapes my mind right now. Anyway, if your dog is on a leash and it's actually digging in order to get to the poop in the first place, I'd try some behavorial modifications to stop her from success in this area. I'm sure you can notice when she's honed in on a spot, ready to dig for buried treasure. Get her away from there quickly so she doesn't have the chance to complete the compulsion so you can go on your merry way.

There may be some medical reasons why she's going for poop - possibly for some trace vitamins and minerals she may not be getting herself from her food. High quality food isn't always the only indicator of whether or not your dog is getting the nuntrients she needs specifically for herself (although it never hurts to feed her high-quality food), since different dogs may absorb nutrients and various types of food differently, just like humans.

Good luck with this - it's something my husband and I have just learned to deal with for now  

And I just noticed you're from LI - what part? We used to do some performances there with Atka.....

[snowballsmom]

Kitties apparent have very tasty poop according to dogs - there's a reason why - it escapes my mind right now.

kitties eat food high in fats. they pass most of the food as opposed to absorbing it. ther poo is very....aromatic and thus, attrative as a treat to dogs.

[kittyangel]

ewwwww

I also think it might be cat or maybe goose poop. Dog poop would not be burried. At least she doesn't eat her own poop so you are not that unfortunate, because if she does it would be much harder to stop it. It might be a natural dog thing but how do you kiss a dog that eats poop. =p I hope you find some solution such as pull the leash away or teach er to drop it.

[Sandy S]

Stop this habit as soon as possible!!!   Besides being gross, it's also dangerous.

Many parasites go into a dormant stage and "come alive" once they are ingested.

Also, several communicable diseases are transmitted through animal feces.

[LittleLily]

thanks. it must be from a cat.

i do pull her away from it, and dont let her dig, but im in a very wooded area with a lot of leaves, its impossible to keep her away from all of it.

JimmyThy- Im in Smithtown, basically middle of the island, where did you perform?

[JimmyThy]

JimmyThy- Im in Smithtown, basically middle of the island, where did you perform?

Lisa - we had performed at Old Westbury Gardens (in Old Westbury) for the gardens' "Dog Days" and also in Bay Shore, at Doggie U K9 Academy for a rescue fundraising event.

I knew some people from Smithtown years and years ago. Haven't kept in touch, so don't know if they're still there. Have you lived there your whole life?

Hope you've been able to get a better handle on the kitty poop munchies!

[LittleLily]

oh okay, i know where all that is.

We lived here for about 12 years, and before that Nassau County.

and im pretty sure she ate all the poop, so she hasnt been able to find anymore hahah

[IslandGEM]

I cut up tomatoes and put about a quarter of one in each bowl, and that usually stops Sadie from eating it.... I don't know why but it works for us.. oh and Cronus does not eat them.. he is so picky....but the rest do....

[snowballsmom]

we dont have apoop eating problem (other then snowall eating cat poop), but to comment on greg's comment- whenever i give them leftover spaghetti sauce, the next day it comes out pretty much unchanged. and once, snoopy trash-dived and we didnt know it, until the next day i could tell he ate the trashed remnants of spaghetti sauce. wonder if that has anything to do with it?

[IslandGEM]

it's the natural red dye you see, the only thing is the skins of tomatoes doesn't digest.... but the reaction of the stomach acids and tomato gives off a scent dogs do not like..... anyway it works for us.... did I spell tomato right????

[snowballsmom]

no, when they have diced tomatoes they come out as diced tomatoes. but your factoid is interesting  

[Cozzy]

I've heard it is dangerous to feed dogs tomatoes.  I think more of the problem is with the leaves, stems and green tomatoes but I believe there is a caution with tomatoes being fed to dogs... I did however read that it causes more of a problem with livestock...

I got this from a site online:

Tomatoes, potatoes and rhubarb contain oxalates, which trigger abnormalities with the nervous system, kidneys and digestive tract. Especially toxic are green tomatoes, green potatoes, potato skins, and tomato leaves and plants, can trigger tremors, seizure and heart arrhythimia, so tomatoes should never be given to dogs.

Read more at Suite101: Toxic Foods for Dogs: Learn What Foods are Poisonous to a Dog http://petcare.suite101.com/article.cfm/toxic_foods_for_dogs#ixzz0mQiiWi00

[LittleLily]

good to know!

lilys favorite snack is carrots, the minute you open the fridge she thinks thats what shes getting, bad habit but funny

[k-state_eskie]

good to know!

lilys favorite snack is carrots, the minute you open the fridge she thinks thats what shes getting, bad habit but funny

Sasha does that with ice cubes. . .if the freezer door opens she is there expecting one

[BamaEskies]

I've had Cheyenne on a diet for awhile, so she thinks she is starving to death. Trust me.......she's not. All my old tricks have failed, and I've tried every product on the market. Anyway, we have to supervise her every single time we let her out. Sometimes I literally follow her with a pooper scooper. It's only her poop she wants to eat, and it must be "fresh from the dispenser."    In the past two months, I started adding pineapple (diced) to her food. It worked at first, but now that doesn't stop her. It might help someone else though.