Coprophagia In Dogs

In adult dogs the innate behavior of grooming and cleaning newborn puppies and eating their excrement along with the well documented fact that dogs tend to be attracted to infections or discharges of their pack mates which they will sniff and lick may explain some of the motivation for coprophagia.

Coprophagia in dogs.

Only 15 of dogs eat their own feces while 85 of coprophagic dogs eat another dogs poop. Some dogs have even been seen ingesting fecal material their own or from other animals. Coprophagic dogs prefer stool that is less than two days old. It is a common problem in dogs and puppies.

Coprophagia was more common in multi dog households. There is no diagnostic test that will accurately diagnose coprophagia. In single dog homes only 20 percent of dogs had the habit while in homes with three dogs that rose to 33 percent. Although coprophagia is upsetting and revolting to us.

The diagnosis is made more from the symptoms that you notice in your dog. In dogs while coprophagia appears to be purely behavioural there are indeed numerous medical problems that can cause or contribute to coprophagia. A vitamin deficiency has also been ruled out as a reason behind puppies and dogs eating poop although cat poop does seem to be a particularly favourite poop. If there is a deficiency in the dog s diet consult with your veterinarian to find the best diet to suit the digestive needs of your dog.

If the coprophagia seems to be compulsive it may take intensive training to fix the problem. Coprophagia is the scientific term for eating feces. Diagnosis of coprophagia in dogs. Dealing with dogs that eat feces poop coprophagia is the practice of eating stool feces.

Dogs are known for their indiscriminate eating habits and will eat some unusual things. Yes you read right eating one s own poop. Coprophagia is a term which refers to consumption of faeces. In this article we will focus on coprophagia due to deficiencies in digestive enzymes.

Coprophagia is more common in multi dog households. There s nothing more disgusting to a dog owner than seeing their dog eat its own or another dog s stool and then to have the dog saunter up tail wagging looking for a kiss and a few kind words. The medical term for this act is coprophagia and its underlying causes are numerous. There are physical medical and behavioral reasons why dogs eat feces.

Most dogs and puppies that do develop coprophagia are well fed and well cared for so a lack of food or malnourishment is not considered to be a factor in the problem developing.