Home Audience 3 A dog eats feces: why and how to stop it? Why does a dog eat feces? A dog eats cat feces; what to do?

A dog eats feces: why and how to stop it? Why does a dog eat feces? A dog eats cat feces; what to do?

The habit of eating excrement is called coprophagia. According to statistics, about 15% of dogs do this regularly, and about 80% only from time to time. Moreover, this behavior is most often characteristic of females and castrated males. It is very rare that only representatives of one breed engage in such activities - miniature poodle. Why do dogs eat cat excrement or their own?

For for a long time After observing dogs, dog handlers were unable to establish the exact causes of canine coprophagia. But they found that the development of this addiction may be due to the following factors:

Imitation. In the first month of life, a mother dog eats the excrement of her puppies, but approximately after the introduction of complementary foods, she practically stops doing this, sometimes eating “heaps”. Seeing this, puppies may imitate the behavior of their mother, so this behavior must be stopped to avoid its manifestation in adulthood.
Imbalance intestinal microflora, caused by an incorrect diet (feeding mainly cereals or, conversely, meat, bones, cheap feed, salted and fatty foods etc.). To improve digestion, wild dogs eat manure in nature, which contains bacteria and enzymes to break down heavy food and speed up digestion. But in urban environments, pets act instinctively and try to find some kind of alternative to manure.
Diseases associated with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. They may not be noticeable at the first stage, but only appear when the pet’s health has suffered significantly. Stressful situations, hunger or overfeeding can cause problems with bowel movements, flatulence and other discomfort in the pet, and by eating excrement the pet is simply trying to alleviate its condition.

Hunger. If an animal is very hungry, it will try to fill its stomach with everything that comes in its way and can be eaten.
An attempt to attract the owner's attention. Sometimes, by eating its own or a cat's excrement, a dog tries to provoke a reaction from its owner, and it perceives the subsequent punishment as additional attention. Another option is that the dog excitedly grabs the feces and runs away from the owner, who rushes after him and swears. As a result, the pet considers this behavior a fun game.
Natural instincts. Since the ancestors of the canine family included animals that ate carrion, some dogs still have an instinctive desire for slightly spoiled food with a characteristic odor, which can include someone’s feces.
Jealousy. Animals perceive excrement as a way of marking territory, so if a dog lives in a house with other pets (for example, cats), it may eat cat excrement. Thus, she “frees” her territory from the marks and smell of her competitor.

Note: according to veterinarians, another reason for eating cat feces is that they, like cat food contain large number protein, while dog food contains virtually no protein. This is due to the fact that an excess of protein is dangerous for the dog’s body: it can provoke kidney disease.

Fear of punishment. The dog can eat not only cat excrement, but also its own excrement. This behavior can occur in pets who have previously received severe punishment for being left in in the wrong places"heaps". To avoid punishment next time, the dog tries to immediately “cover his tracks” by eating his own feces.

Some dogs can not only eat, but also roll in excrement. Usually they try to change their smell in this way, which is due to the manifestation of the hunting instinct, or the influence of stress and fear when they try to camouflage themselves from the source of danger.

What to do

Since there is no clearly defined reason for such a negative habit, there is no specific algorithm for what the owner should do to stop the dog from eating excrement. The most effective in such a situation will be an integrated approach.

Find and eliminate the cause

To do this you need:

review your dog's diet;
give your pet enough attention (take him for walks more often, play actively);
engage in education and training;
consult a veterinarian about the dog’s nutrition and health, and check for the presence of helminths in the body;
If necessary, undergo treatment prescribed by a veterinarian.

Refuse punishment

To get rid of such an unpleasant habit, you should not resort to violent methods. If you notice that during a walk your dog is about to eat another portion of feces, you should:

attract the dog's attention and call him to you;
reward with a treat when he approaches;
switch attention to another activity (jogging, playing with a ball or stick, etc.).

When going for a walk, you should not forget about your pet’s favorite toys and treats, and while on the street you should not leave your pet to its own devices, but give it maximum attention, train it daily and teach it to follow commands. The main thing for a dog is to see attention and love from its owner. Positive emotions and reinforcing obedience with treats and games will work much more effectively than shouting and strict punishments.

What is ugly for a person is not always disgusting for us for a pet. So, many could observe that a dog eats its own feces, and this immediately scares the owner away from his pet. Well, nature is a strange thing and has instilled in dogs such a bad habit that must be completely eradicated. In this article we will try to explain why this happens and what to do to solve this problem.

Reasons for eating feces

Dogs, like people, experience a lot of emotions throughout their lives. They feel attached, angry, bored. Thus, it has been found that a dog that receives very little attention from its owner is more likely to eat feces.

But still, the main reason why dogs eat their excrement is an incorrect diet. Wild dogs To improve their digestion, they eat manure. It contains microorganisms that promote faster digestion complex food. This has developed historically, so the addiction was passed on to pets. Since there is no manure in urban environments, a puppy or adult is content with what it has. And in our case, it’s yours or cat feces.

Most often, dogs eat their own feces if:

The owner feeds only cereals, which, when consumed in large quantities, greatly burden the dog’s gastrointestinal tract.
If on the contrary, the owner gives the pet only one meat.
When there are too many bones in the diet.
If your pet eats cheap and low-quality food.
If you are constantly overeating.
If there is an excess of treats that negatively affect the functioning of the dog’s stomach.

There are many reasons why a dog eats its own droppings. It is also worth mentioning a lack of vitamins, attracting attention, gastrointestinal diseases, etc.

Negative consequences

Also, more dangerous diseases infections such as hepatitis or parvovirus are also transmitted through feces.

In general, it is clear that it is necessary to wean your pet from eating its own excrement, since this is not only aesthetic defect, but also harms the body.

How to break your pet's habit

In order for an animal to stop eating its own excrement, it takes a lot of time and effort. Ideally, this is to teach the dog the “Fu” command. As soon as you notice that your pet is trying to put something nasty in its mouth, immediately say “Ugh.” Over time, the pet should wean itself from the addiction.

But it happens that, while still a puppy, the animal did not have a bad habit. But after he grew up, the problem of eating feces arose. In this case, you need to think about the reason for its occurrence. First of all, you need to evaluate the amount of attention given to your pet. After all, as mentioned above, eating feces is one of the signs of boredom or attracting attention.

Also, you need to pay attention to your diet. It is necessary that vitamins, meat and carbohydrates are always present. You cannot feed only one “heavy” food or feed.

Here are some tips on how to stop your dog from eating litter:

First of all, you need to independently exclude the possibility of eating processed products. To do this, it is necessary to keep the apartment clean, promptly clean the tray, diaper or floor (if this happens).
If your pet is often left alone at home due to your busy schedule, then you need to make sure that it doesn’t get bored. To do this, leave him some treats and a lot of toys so that he can occupy himself while you are away.
Try not to punish your pet for puddles and piles on the floor. This can provoke a feeling of guilt, and if the pet involuntarily defecates on the floor, the pet will try to hide its “crime.” And since he has no hands, he will hide the feces by simply eating it.
If all else fails and during walks your pet simply throws itself into piles, then you need to buy it a muzzle.
Praise your dog after he has obeyed the “Ew” command, after he simply obeyed and did not eat the poop. Dogs love praise very much, so in the future the pet will try to please the owner and will not eat feces.

Is your puppy interested in piles?
Find out how to wean him off

Puppies Eat Poop More Often Than You Think

The phrase “eating heartily” doesn’t always apply to food when it comes to a dog. This phrase begins to play with new colors, smells and consequences if the puppy has tasted excrement. Let's define the terminology accepted in the scientific community.

Coprophagia is a dog eating rabbit, sheep, horse, bird, cat, and sometimes its own manure.

Many puppy owners are faced with the problem of their pet’s annoying desire for coprophagia. If you think that this situation could only happen to your dog, you are mistaken. Millions of four-legged animals all over the planet happily eat excrement. Especially if they contain partially digested food.

"Coprophagia is not a disease, but simply an extremely unpleasant phenomenon that can be combated

Coprophagia is not a disease, but simply an extremely unpleasant phenomenon that you can fight: determine the cause, outline an action plan, follow it and achieve desired result. First, let's find out why your puppy eats his own or other people's excrement?

Why does a puppy eat his own or other people's excrement?

There are several reasons for this behavior in puppies. Let's analyze them together.

Intestinal formation

In puppies, fecal eating is often associated with development gastrointestinal tract. The excrement contains large amounts beneficial bacteria and enzymes that help digest food and improve intestinal motility. This need arises in babies up to three months of age. Gradually, the puppy’s digestion improves and the need for coprophagia disappears by itself. However, sometimes it develops into bad habit, which is much more difficult to get rid of.

Imitating an adult dog or owner

Coprophagia is normal behavior for a nursing bitch. In this way she tries to keep her lair clean. A puppy, watching its mother, sometimes adopts her habit. It is necessary to stop such behavior in time, otherwise it will be imitation adult dog becomes the reason why the puppy continues to eat its own feces when it grows up.

The puppy can eat its own feces, imitating the owner who cleans it up. The baby instinctively tries to get rid of punishment if the owner has previously poked his nose at them or screamed loudly.

Lack of vitamins and minerals

A similar problem often appears if your pet’s diet lacks vitamins and microelements. The puppy, eating excrement, tries to make up for the deficiency of these substances.

Insufficient calorie intake

A lack of calories in a small pet's diet is another cause of coprophagia. Imbalance in nutrition, lack of protein and carbohydrates encourages the puppy to replenish its menu with the heaps it finds.

How dangerous are helminths for dogs and humans?

Apart from coprophagia, what should a puppy owner be wary of? Signs of helminthiasis

In addition to coprophagia, a puppy with helminthiasis will experience the following symptoms:

Change in appetite;
Lethargy, apathy, exhaustion;
Bloating;
Alternating constipation and diarrhea;
The presence of mucus, blood, worms in the stool;
Vomit;
Itching in the anal area.

Coprophagia – dangerous habit which can cause your pet to become infected various diseases. Some of these diseases can be transmitted to humans. To protect your pet, yourself and your family, you need to stop your puppy from eating excrement. Next we will talk about the most effective ways correction of unwanted animal behavior.

How to stop a puppy from eating feces? 5 effective ways

Method 1. Use special dietary supplements

Most often, coprophagia is a consequence of errors in the preparation of a pet’s diet. If you are sure that your puppy receives all the necessary micro- and macroelements, vitamins and minerals with food, introduce a special dietary supplement into his diet.

Manufacturers veterinary drugs We did not ignore the problem of puppies eating excrement. Pet stores offer dietary supplements designed to help the owner correct the pet’s behavior and speed up the process of weaning it from a bad habit.

Method 2. Provide your puppy with proper nutrition

Coprophagia can be caused by a lack of microelements in the puppy's food. We have already written about the fact that the feces of dogs and other animals contain nutrients, vitamins, minerals.

Analyze your pet’s diet; it must include proteins, fats and carbohydrates in required proportions. Best Products for natural feeding of a puppy - fermented milk, meat, as well as fiber (vegetables).

If the dog eats industrial feed, choose premium and super premium food. The food must be suitable for the puppy’s species (for dogs), age and health status.

Method 3. Use a muzzle while walking

This simple accessory will help you protect your pet from eating feces and other inedible objects. To prevent your pet from picking up anything from the ground, all you need to do is use a light nylon muzzle. During short walks, the puppy will not experience discomfort in it, but will be reliably protected from eating his own or other people’s excrement. Use a leash in conjunction with a muzzle.

Method 4. Teach the “fu” command

Training perfectly corrects your pet’s behavior in combination with the methods listed above. Teaching a puppy the “fu” command is easy. For some puppies, the command “fu!” with a threatening intonation at the moment of committing unwanted actions is already able to stop them. And after they are carried out, such a command turns into a punishment.

If your pet has a stable psyche, more stringent measures will be required: a tug on the leash, a spank. A completely natural way for dogs is to grab him by the scruff of the neck and shake him. A sharp action must be accompanied by a command.

After your pet successfully completes the command, reward him with a treat.

At the beginning of the article, we already told you that a puppy can eat its own or other people’s excrement due to infection with helminths. What to do in this case?

An effective way to rid your pet of unwanted behavior is to treat the puppy for worms using a special anthelmintic drug.

To prevent the problem of perverted appetite in your puppy from returning, give him anthelmintic drug once every 3 months.

Many breeders, kennel owners and dog owners choose the broad-spectrum drug Prazitel to effectively solve the problem of helminth infection in puppies. Why do they choose Prazitel?

Prazitel is trusted by millions of dog owners

The drug is effective against all types of helminths

Prazitel has wide range actions against round (roundworms, toxacara, hookworm, uncinarium) and tapeworms (cucumber tapeworm, mesocestoids, echinococci, broad tapeworms) helminths at all stages of their development (eggs, larvae, adults).

The high effectiveness of the drug against helminths increases your chances in the fight to wean your puppy from eating its own excrement.

Safe for the puppy's body

Prazitel suspension has high degree cleaning. The higher the degree of purification of the drug, the safer its effect for the puppy’s young body. Prazitel is completely eliminated from the body 24 hours after using the drug.

Dog owners shudder with disgust if their pet eats discovered excrement while walking on the street.

This habit is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous for the dog itself and therefore requires correction. Many diseases are transmitted through the urine and feces of a sick animal. viral diseases dogs, for example:

toxoplasmosis,

Why does a dog eat its own or cat feces: the main reasons

All the reasons for this phenomenon, called coprophagia, have not yet been studied. But there is a long time ago known causes, which can be divided into psychological and physiological.

Explicit psychological reason is the dog’s attempt to attract the owner’s attention in this way. It often happens that people get a dog, play with it for a couple of months, and then they get tired of it. And they stop paying attention to the pet, considering walking a burdensome duty.

But the dog needs attention and even punishment is perceived as precisely this attention. And the dog regards the owner’s pursuit of her, who grabbed the feces, as a game of catch-up. So, the owner involuntarily reinforces the dog’s behavior, convincing him that he is doing everything right when he wants to play.

Another psychological reason is the eating of feces by a nursing bitch. This normal phenomenon, since it is the duty of the mother of tiny puppies to keep the “den” clean.

Among physiological reasons The first place is occupied by the lack of microelements in the animal’s diet. This most often occurs in young, growing dogs. Also, the cause of coprophagia may be pancreatic insufficiency or.

The cause of problems with the pancreas may be overfeeding the animal with fatty foods.

What to do, how to stop a dog from eating feces?

If the dog doesn't have enough attention, it needs to be given. Be sure to introduce games with a stick or frisbee during walks, distracting the dog from feces.
Train her and be sure to stop punishing her.
It is better to help a “mother of many children” take care of her babies by cleaning her den in a timely manner.
It is necessary to analyze the dog's diet and natural feeding enter food additives with the necessary ones.
If she eats dry food, then it is possible to switch to a new one.
If there is a suspicion that the cause of coprophagia is infectious diseases or pancreatic insufficiency, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Some dog breeders who like to walk with their pet in a park, alley or dog walking area sometimes notice how their pet begins to eat excrement. Many people are disgusted by this picture, and owners try to drive the dog away from bowel movements. But you just have to turn away - and the animal returns to its occupation. From this article you will learn what reasons push your pet to such actions, and how to wean him from a bad habit.

The phenomenon of coprophagia

The consumption of inedible objects and things is an indicator of a perverted appetite. Such perversions include eating feces, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s your own or someone else’s. This deviation from the norm is called coprophagia in the scientific community.

Studying this behavior of animals, scientists came to the conclusion that this could be caused by a number of various reasons and diseases. One of these reasons is the lack of any micro- or macroelements in the animal’s body.

Eating their own excrement in the animal kingdom may be due to problems with digestion. When passing through the intestines, some high-molecular substances, such as hemicellulose, are also poorly absorbed. This behavior is often found in mice, chinchillas, hares, and even in some young herbivorous mammals during the transition from lactation to natural food.

In dogs, females most often resort to eating excrement. And this is considered normal behavior, especially if the feces of the cubs are eaten. The reason for this behavior of animals may also be low-calorie food with a lack of vitamins B and K in combination with a low protein content.

Did you know? In 2015, the Manure Museum was opened in Italy. It is primarily dedicated to the topic of rational waste recycling.

The harm of eating excrement

Reasons for appearance

Analyzing the behavior of dogs showing a tendency towards coprophagia, scientists and dog experts have identified a number of reasons that can lead to this deviation. All reasons can be divided into three main groups: natural, problems in the animal’s behavior and the need for additional attention from the owner.

Imitation

This behavior is often found in puppies, as they try to imitate their mother. In the first month after the birth of the offspring, the female often eats the feces of her cubs. This behavior is due natural factors, because the smell of baby feces can attract predators. At the end of the feeding period, the problem usually goes away on its own.

Puppies strive to imitate their mother in everything and believe that such behavior is the norm. However, if this is not stopped in a timely manner, then eating excrement will become a habit, from which it will be difficult to wean the animal.

Curiosity

This trait is more often inherent in young dogs and puppies, because due to their curiosity they want to explore the world. And they do this, like all children, “by the tooth,” so to speak, so it is necessary to ensure that knowledge of the world around them does not develop into a bad habit.

Did you know? Eco-friendly paper is produced in ThailandPOOPOOPAPERfrom excrement, and feces of elephants, cows, moose, donkeys and horses are used as raw materials. By the way, the products are not cheap - for a standard package of 50 sheets you will have to pay about 16 dollars.

Dietary disorders

Eating feces may be a sign of an animal's poor diet. In this way, the pet tries to get the necessary nutrients that it did not receive with food. The reasons for this behavior may be the following deviations from a balanced menu:

high content of cereals in the diet;
the diet consists only of meat;
mixed feeding with prepared and natural products;
presence of salty and fatty foods in the diet;
feeding with cheap feed;
excessive overfeeding;
incorrectly selected treats or their excess.

Problems in the gastrointestinal tract

Diseases digestive system can also cause coprophagia. In this case, it is necessary to schedule an emergency visit to a doctor who can diagnose accurate diagnosis. You may need to give your dog an ultrasound to diagnose the problem.

Important! Gastrointestinal diseases can also be caused by worms, so it is necessary to regularly carry out deworming and vaccination.

Hunger

When a pet feels hungry, it can eat anything, even inedible objects and things, so you need to analyze the nutritional value and balance of its diet and the frequency of feedings. However, it is important to remember that after the first year of life, a dog only needs to eat twice a day.

Lack of attention from the owner

If a dog does not receive enough attention from its owner, it begins to bark frequently, play pranks, and in some cases, while walking, sniffs other people’s feces and eats them. In this way, the animal tries to attract the attention of its owner, because often the owner reacts, noticing this behavior, communicates with the dog, tries to wean the pet, that is, shows at least some attention, which is so necessary for the dog.

Jealousy and Insecurity

If there are other dogs in the house, then the tailed one may become jealous of its brother and thus try to attract the attention of the owner. However, this behavior may be the result of your pet's insecurity. After all, if we consider the behavior of animals in nature, it is worth noting that most often feces are a kind of territory markers.

As a result, the dog, eating waste, removes other people's marks and clears the territory of competitors. In this way, the animal tries to show its superiority and regain confidence..

Why does a dog eat cat poop?

It is important to understand what started this: Perhaps the cat’s litter box was previously located in a different place where it was difficult for the dog to get into, or perhaps the cat previously intimidated the dog, did not allow it near its “property,” and now has become more docile.

Veterinarians recommend having an open tray to clearly monitor the need to replace its contents, and placing it in a place inaccessible to the dog. Alternatively, the toilet can be installed on a raised surface, or, if the dog is large, the door can be fixed in such a position that only the cat can pass through.

Sometimes the tray is covered with two boxes different sizes, they are placed in open parts in opposite directions, creating a kind of mini-labyrinth, which will not be difficult for a cat to pass, although a small and nimble dog is also quite capable of overcoming such an obstacle.

How to stop your pet from eating feces: procedure

Having decided on possible reasons coprophagia, you can take necessary actions to fix this problem.

First, you need to eliminate any possibility of eating your own or other people's excrement. Keep the house or enclosure where the dog is kept clean, regularly remove all waste products.
In your absence, provide your pet with enough toys and food. In this case, the animal will have something to occupy itself with so as not to remember the addiction.

Do not punish an animal for defecating in the wrong place, as this is ineffective. You should not poke the animal into its “heaps”. Such actions can cause loss of smell. In addition, the dog will try to get rid of possible punishment and may begin to eat its feces.
If the animal was caught, so to speak, “in the act,” a loud clap or a loud prohibiting command can be effective, and you can also throw some object towards the animal, but not at it itself. These actions will scare the pet and make it distracted from eating. Now that the dog’s attention has switched to you, you can call him to you and order him to carry out some command. After which, do not forget to praise the animal.

Try to pay more attention to the dog both at home and on walks. Keep it occupied without leaving time or opportunity to switch your attention to feces.
Train your pet different teams, in particular to the “fu” team. Repeat previously learned commands regularly; this will not only keep the animal occupied, but will also make it more obedient.

When you achieve certain successes, do not forget to praise your pet.
Use a muzzle when walking. When purchasing, it is better to give preference to those models that will not allow you to lift any object from the ground.

Don't forget about nutrition. If the animal has in its diet natural food, then it’s worth introducing beef tripe, vitamins or nutritional supplements into your diet. You can also use meat and bone meal. When consuming a dry diet, you should choose premium or super-premium food.

Important! To combat coprophagia, more can be used radical methods, such as using red pepper or a remote controlled aerosol collar. However, such methods are not very humane and can adversely affect the health of the animal.

Prevention

To prevent coprophagia, cynologists recommend introducing feed additives into the diet, for example, 8in1 Excel Deter. This drug in practice, it has proven its effectiveness: in 95-98 cases out of 100, the additive allows you to wean a dog from the habit of eating feces, which means that such a remedy will be able to prevent such unpleasant behavior. Veterinarians recommend using 1 tablet for every 4.5 kg of pet’s weight, the course of treatment is 2 weeks. However, before purchasing the drug, it would be useful to consult a specialist.

If you notice your dog has a habit of eating its own or other people’s feces, pay attention, first of all, to its diet - balanced menu often solves this problem. Also pay enough attention to your pet and its health, and a happy and healthy dog, who feels the love and care of the owner, such troubles will not affect.