[cece]

Tom, my 8-month old beagle is eating his own poop. Although we clean up quickly but we're not as quick as he is.

Aside from being gross I'm afraid he's getting worms from his stool. And we had just wormed him.

Any suggestions on how to stop Tom from eating his stool?

 

[oceangypsy]

Can't remember what it is called, but there is a food additive that can be used that will discourage this. Try a google search for it.

 

[Davey]

I used McCormiks meat tenderizer and my dog who was notorious when it comes to eating poo now just sniffs it and walks away.

 

[oceangypsy]

I have not heard of that before Davey, but it sounds like a cost effective and simple way to fix this issue. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Snoopy]

try putting cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce on top of the poop. If that will not stop him I don't know what will except rigid obedience training, perhaps.

 

[ms.daisy]

I heard that coprophagy is also a way to show you that your dog lacks some important vitamins and minerals and he eats his stool to acquire these insufficient nutrients.

 

[BigBys]

I read that stool eating in dogs is also an acquired habit since mama dogs eat the stools of their puppies during the first few weeks after whelping.

 

[cece]

such wonderful ideas. have tried the Tabasco sauce and so far Tom dislikes the odor so we're doing fine.....

 

[MuzzlesMom]

Some Ewwww Facts on Dog Coprophagia:

dogs can become hungry when you feed him once a day and may scavenge around for food and poo may become appealing due to hunger

dogs may be overfed. Overfeeding usually leads to indigestion. Its poo will therefore still smell and taste like dinner

some medications and antibiotics have been observed to develop Coprophagia in dogs

a change in diet --from a low fat diet to a high fat diet--may also promote Coprophagia

 

[Kellykid8]

Eating their own poop!

Hello, We too have a Beagle, Lucy who loves to eat her own poop. She is new to us, we adopted her from an agency and after almost 4 months we have returned her to good health. She came to us with so many health problems it was scary that a so-called Pet Rescue could let an animals health deteriorate so greatly. We thought she was eating her stool as a result of not having enough food, but soon learned that Beagles will eat, anything and everything they can sink their teeth into. On the advice of a friend we used Accent, simple, inexpensive and worked like a charm, with a few tricks. Accent has MSG and most dogs could smell it as they got close to the bowl, a Beagle however can smell it a mile away and unless you cover the scent, we used a gravy sauce that can be found at most any pet store, or as I did a people version of brown gravy. I added 2 tsp to cover the Accent and she sniffs at her stool, but no longer eats it. All that being said, you have to use the Accent pretty much forever. I did it for 2 months, thinking I could stop adding the Accent, that she'd learned to no longer eat her stools, wrong. As soon as the offensive scent was gone, she returned right back to eating it. Vicious cycle...

 

[oldhounddog]

If you have only the one dog to deal with this is fairly straight forward.



I Have never had any luck with putting anything on the dog's stool. Instead of this while you are there just get it up as it takes no more time.

To the poster that puts Accent on the food or poo , this is a common mistake as the correct ingredient used in many Anti-Coprophagia aids is the powdered naturally derived enzyme powder in meat tenderizer. Please don't give you dog Accent as it may be harmful to your dog..............

With only one dog your best bet is strong training (Leave it command ) on basic obedience will help. And yes you can be faster than the dog bc you know this
behavior is coming right after the poop....................

The next thing is from MuzzlesMom's post and it is so very correct :
>dogs can become hungry when you feed him once a day and may scavenge around for food and poo may become appealing due to hunger
dogs may be overfed.<

>Overfeeding usually leads to indigestion. Its poo will therefore still smell and taste like dinner<

>some medications and antibiotics have been observed to develop Coprophagia in dogs<

>a change in diet --from a low fat diet to a high fat diet--may also promote Coprophagia<

This is from Snoopy's post: and it is very very important :
>If that will not stop him I don't know what will except rigid obedience training, perhaps.<

If you can put a break in this habit with any means at hand , it is more likely that it can be a permanent fix as more time goes bye. This can be a tuff problem
to fix , however , time is on your side. Be persistent with training to "Leave it" and reward correct behavior.

Never ever punish for this behavior other than saying no in a strong tone ( read: not yelling ), just use reward based training for correct behavior.

As for the worm (parasite) , just treat with the correct wormer until you rid your pet of the parasite and clean up waste .

You can win this one , it just takes time and patience.

Good Luck , oldhounddog



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[Kellykid8]

Thank you for the heads up on the Accent

Thank you for letting us know about the Accent. Though it did seems to work, we were worried about her stools. As always, we appreciate the advice.

 

[deltadawn758]

If MSG isn't good for people, it sure isn't good for our canine companions....and yes, I have a puppy that aquired this habit from her moma but she is growing out of the habit.

 

[oldhounddog]

deltadawn758 ,

You are very correct about MSG and Health concerns, this first came out in the middle 1960's and an a study that confirmed health risks in approx1967/ 1968 if memorey serves.
>If MSG isn't good for people, it sure isn't good for our canine companions..<
This is the thing that gets me, my Vet told me that they have some anti-coprophagia pill that may help or I could try Accent or Accent meat tenderizer. This is how this stuff gets started bc people just remember "Accent". And we all know that even a well intended Vet is just guessing here from "hearsay" as having heard this for years and it is just plain wrong.

Anti-coprophagia supplements come in many formulations , and , for many , one of the main active ingredients is the powdered naturally derived enzyme powder in meat tenderizer and not "Accent"....................................................

You are very correct about this being just a habit from moma dog , however , if you just have the one dog and can be vigilant with training ans supervision even problem dogs can shake this problem. Glad to hear yours is growing out of this habit....

Best , oldhounddog



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[sr41056]

The commercial product that you can use is from 8 and 1 and is called Deter. You can get it at most pet stores and it is also available on Amazon. I used it and it worked well.

 

[HollysMom]

All 3 of my dogs eat poop. I clean up the yard as soon as they go and if I am not quick enough I use "leave-it!" they all know what thatmeans so it gives me enough time to pick it up even if all 3 are going at once. I have heard that you can give them pineapple, but rinse it under water first to get out some of the acid from the juice. I have not tried this, so I am not sure if it works.

 

[kutyuska]

All things mentioned above only work if you have one dog or more . Nothing helps on the street because other dogs don't eat pineapple or Accent, at least not all I think
It gets better with time but still sometimes he is just faster. He never ate his, never does it at the dog park. Actually I think mostly he eats rabbit and cat poop.
My vet says: they do it because they can.

 

[BiggelBeagle]

I suggest you get his stool examined to determine if there are worms. Dogs eating poop can be a cause of behavioral disorder or the food that the dog is eating.

 

[kutyuska]

I do the stool sample in every two months , he didn't have any, plus in every three months he gets the dewormer.
Still eats poop occasionally , never eats dog poop at the dogpark, only when we walk.