Dog Coprophagia

According to ASPCA, the act of dogs consuming their own or other animals’ feces is known as coprophagia. Although it’s not known exactly why it occurs, coprophagia is a normal behavior in many species, including dogs. Ingesting one’s own or other dogs’ feces is particularly prevalent in puppies. Fortunately, many grow out of this behavior as they mature. Coprophagia is also normal in nursing mothers. Because pups are not able to eliminate on their own until they’re about three weeks old, a mother dog will lick her very young puppies to activate the defecation reflex. Ingestion of the puppies’ feces also keeps the nest clean. Feces left in the nest would cause poor hygiene and attract predators to an outside nest.

Early intervention can help reduce the possibility that the behavior will become a long-term habit. The owner that uses the outmoded, inhumane and useless training technique of "sticking the dog's nose" in its stool when it has soiled the home, may be further encouraging coprophagia.

Any medical problem that leads to a decrease in absorption of nutrients, causes gastrointestinal upset or causes an increase in the appeal of the dog's stool, could lead to coprophagia. In addition to a complete physical examination, the puppy's diet and its stool frequency and consistency should be evaluated. Stool testing for parasites would be the minimum level of testing. If the stool is unusually soft or appears to be poorly digested, additional stool or blood tests may be warranted. Feeding a poorly digestible diet, underfeeding, and dog diseases that decrease absorption such as digestive enzyme deficiencies or parasites, could lead to malnutrition or vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and therefore an increased appetite and possibly stool eating. In addition, if the stools contain large amounts of undigested food material, there is an increased likelihood that the puppy would eat the stools.

When adult dogs begin to eat stools, it may also be due to malabsorption of nutrients or to dietary nutritional deficiencies. In addition, any condition that might cause an increase in appetite or an unusual appetite, such as diabetes in dogs, Cushing's disease, thyroid disease, or treatment with certain drugs such as steroids may lead to an increase in stool eating.

Coprophagia can best be corrected by preventing access to stools, by thorough cleaning of the pet's property, and by constant supervision when the pet is outdoors.

Dogs with medical problems should be treated to try and correct the underlying cause. A change in diet to one that is more digestible, or one with different protein sources may be useful. Dogs on restricted calorie diets may do better on a high bulk or high fiber formula. Some dogs may be improved by adding probiotics for dogs to improve nutrient digestion or absorption. Specifically, these probiotics may help increase protein digestion, resulting in a less palatable stool. Otc probiotics such as OmNutra Pet Probiotics help reduce and eliminate various pet health issues, including coprophagia.

Since most dogs seem to prefer a well-formed stool, adding sufficient quantities of stool softeners or bulk laxatives will usually deter most dogs.

Source: http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/coprophagia-in-dogs-behavior/154