[EdinburghLab]

Hello,

I re-homed a wonderful 5 and a half year old black Labrador 3 months ago and I am fairly horrified to find that she likes to eat her own poo on walks. Sometimes she tries to eat it straight after doing it which is disgusting. It is something I'd really like to stop and would love some advice on. She is fed harringtons dried food and gets fed the upper limit of the recommended portion for a dog of her weight and so I really don't believe she is hungry. She was previously fed the same food so it is not that her diet has been changed, although her previous owner did warn me about this. She is altogether a very happy dog and is not stressed. She does get an upset stomach fairly easily and suffers from loose/mushy stools if I don't give her probiotics - these seem to make a huge difference.

Any ideas how I can stop this behaviour?

Thanks in anticipation,

Gordon

 

[Tarimoor]

Google canine coprophragia, it will give you lots of ideas. Unfortunately, although it can be something initially triggered by a deficiency in their diet, it can develop into a habit which is difficult to break. My girls are raw fed, and the only one who does sometimes eat poop is my rescue foxhound, who was straying for some time on her own before she was caught and went into rescue. I think she must have just been eating anything she found that was edible to her. Don't forget, although they have a better sense of smell than us, their sense of taste is not as good.

 

[EdinburghLab]

Thanks Tarrimor.

I have googled the issue but couldn't find anything very helpful apart from diet. I do always pick up after her and I am not willing to keep her on the lead or muzzle her as some of the tips read!

I was wondering if she had some sort of intolerance and perhaps isnt absorbing the nutrients from her food which meant that her stools were still tasty.

Thanks

 

[Tarimoor]

Thanks Tarrimor.

I have googled the issue but couldn't find anything very helpful apart from diet. I do always pick up after her and I am not willing to keep her on the lead or muzzle her as some of the tips read!

I was wondering if she had some sort of intolerance and perhaps isnt absorbing the nutrients from her food which meant that her stools were still tasty.

Thanks

It could be that she started off that way, ie that she can smell something still undigested, and is trying to get the nutrients out, but as I said above, it can also be a habit they get into, and it's not easy to stop them. I raw feed my dogs, and my rescue foxhound will still have a nibble every now and then, only generally from the rest of my dogs, but sometimes other dog poop that obviously smells nutritious somehow. Some people suggest putting pineapple in their food, or giving it as a treat (mine love fresh pineapple). It might be worth a try to see if that puts her off xx

 

[JohnW]

Apart from diet, the most usual reason is that it's learned in the nest. Bitches often clean the nest by poo eating. The reason in the wild was to get rid of any smell which was likely to draw in predators. Although they are no longer in the wild many bitches still clear up after their pups, and the pups, seeing their mum doing it start doing it themselves. I've had two who do this, and the bad news is that I've never found an answer. Sorry.