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DeniseMarie
<3
Member since 8/07 10682 total posts
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Advice on eating poop
So most of the research I have done suggests that boredom is the reason a dog will eat his poop (most of the time) But yesterday we had just gotten home from a brisk 45 min walk and he went right into the backyard and ate his poop 
This is really gross to me b/c he is always picking up katies toys so I have to keep washing everything.
we just changed his dog food to a vegetarian one, and I noticed that he doesnt finish his food anymore. There is always food left so maybe he doesnt like the food?
He even tried to eat frozen poop, that was frozen to the grass. 
i also wanted to add that I was thinking maybe bc I give him a lot of sweet potatoes and carrots that the poop just smells appealing to him but that cant completely be it bc he tried to eat the frozen poop.
For now I have been picking it up as soon as I see him poop, but sometimes its tough depending on DD.
Advice?
Message edited 12/12/2009 8:52:22 AM.
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Posted 12/12/09 8:44 AM  |
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Megs4
LIF Adult
Member since 11/08 1619 total posts
Name:
Megan
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Re: Advice on eating poop
We have battled with this too. We checked with the vet and we don't think she is nutrient deficient, so it is more likely a behavioral thing (we adopted our dog when she was about 2 and a half, so we have no idea what her life was like before).
A trainer told us to use Adolph's meat tenderizer in her food - make sure it has papain extract in it; the vet said MSG or any meat tenderizer and that it would make it taste and smell bad.
That didn't seem to make a difference.
We do supplement her food with a product that has kelp and other vitamins and minerals in it and that MAY have helped with both her itchy skin and this - but it could be a coincidence.
Short of always picking up the poop in the yard, we have found that the most effective thing was to NOT break her routine - make sure she was getting enough exercise, and make sure she was eating and having snacks regularly (she also gets the empty tummy problem where she throws up if she hasn't eaten in a while).
During the week that's pretty easy, but it seems the weekends are when she is more likely to seek out poop in the yard, and that is also when we break from the routine some.
It's not bad for dogs, just gross. Being diligent about cleaning the yard and trying to keep her life as regimented as possible seems to have worked fairly well for our dog though. Good luck!
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| Posted 12/12/09 11:18 AM |
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karabara
LIF Adult
Member since 8/07 1153 total posts
Name:
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Re: Advice on eating poop
I have heard that putting a little pineapple in their food will make the poop come out tasting really unpleasant to the dog. I never tried it on my dog so I can't vouch for it, but it seems worth trying.
Another thing I've heard is that if a dog tends to woof his food down it won't always get digested properly and come out the other end in food form, which could be appetizing to a dog. If your dog does this, you can try feeding from a kong or getting one of those bowls with the nubs in them that help them eat more slowly.
my boy used to eat his poo as a pup but luckily outgrew it. Good luck, it's such a hard thing to break them of.
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| Posted 12/12/09 3:40 PM |
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mikeandjess
LIF Adult
Member since 10/07 2278 total posts
Name:
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Re: Advice on eating poop
there is an enzyme you can sprinkle on their food to make their poop less appealing. I also heard of feeding them some pineapple after they eat, it also makes their poop less appealing.
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| Posted 12/12/09 6:08 PM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: Advice on eating poop
OMG now Diesel is doing this?
Here is a question from my vet's office website...
How can I stop my dog from eating it's poop?
There are a few options to help the dog stay away from ingesting its feces. Most effective is to clean up the feces immediately! This way, the pet does not have the chance to go near it and ingest it. Otherwise, it is suggested to add cayenne pepper to the feces (on the ground before the dog eats it) so that the dog doesn't like the taste when he goes to eat it. There is a product called Forbid available through your veterinarian that can be put into the food of the pet, which gives the feces a foul taste the deter them from eating it.
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| Posted 12/12/09 9:39 PM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: Advice on eating poop
Posted by Megs4
A trainer told us to use Adolph's meat tenderizer in her food - make sure it has papain extract in it; the vet said MSG or any meat tenderizer and that it would make it taste and smell bad.
I have to say this doesn't sound safe at all. The vet said this was ok? Doesn't meat tenderizer have sodium in it? I would imagine that could effect their kidneys...
Anyway, as for Diesel, with all his allergies....I would be afraid to add anything to his food. I would say you really just have to pick it up as soon as he goes.
My female dog would do this if she had the chance. When DD was 4 mths old my girl dog ate some random poop in my yard, I think it was a stray cat's feces. I flipped....got very very grossed out! So now we are always careful after dealing with their food or water bowls, with washingy our hands, etc. Just last week she rubbed her whole face in... goose poop. DH got it on his hands too b/c he thought she had mud on her face...it was so much it was nasty. We had to wipe her down with baby wipes, with gloves on...then wash her with gloves on...then wash her again the next day to be SURE it was out of her beard.
I would also suggest that you consider putting him on a monthly dewormer like Interceptor (if he is allowed medicallly to have that and it won't interact with his meds). In case he has feces remnants in his mouth, at least you can be sure he doesn't have worms. I was told fresh feces isn't reallly a major risk to a child from a worm standpoint...it's when it sits and germinates for a week to 2 weeks.....that the worm larva can mature. But bacteria wise, yes, that is an issue that you need to nip this in the bud asap, esp if its simply picking up after him asap!
Message edited 12/12/2009 11:27:54 PM.
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| Posted 12/12/09 9:40 PM |
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rkoenke
my little piggys
Member since 3/08 4315 total posts
Name:
rachel
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Re: Advice on eating poop
Posted by DeniseMarie
So most of the research I have done suggests that boredom is the reason a dog will eat his poop (most of the time) But yesterday we had just gotten home from a brisk 45 min walk and he went right into the backyard and ate his poop
This is really gross to me b/c he is always picking up katies toys so I have to keep washing everything.
we just changed his dog food to a vegetarian one, and I noticed that he doesnt finish his food anymore. There is always food left so maybe he doesnt like the food?
He even tried to eat frozen poop, that was frozen to the grass.
i also wanted to add that I was thinking maybe bc I give him a lot of sweet potatoes and carrots that the poop just smells appealing to him but that cant completely be it bc he tried to eat the frozen poop.
For now I have been picking it up as soon as I see him poop, but sometimes its tough depending on DD.
Advice?
Listen to Warren Eckstein on 710AM on saturday afternoons. i believe that i heard him say that they do it b/c they are missing something in their diet... call it crazy, but i am pretty sure i heard this.
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| Posted 12/12/09 10:33 PM |
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DeniseMarie
<3
Member since 8/07 10682 total posts
Name:
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Re: Advice on eating poop
Posted by rkoenke
Posted by DeniseMarie
So most of the research I have done suggests that boredom is the reason a dog will eat his poop (most of the time) But yesterday we had just gotten home from a brisk 45 min walk and he went right into the backyard and ate his poop
This is really gross to me b/c he is always picking up katies toys so I have to keep washing everything.
we just changed his dog food to a vegetarian one, and I noticed that he doesnt finish his food anymore. There is always food left so maybe he doesnt like the food?
He even tried to eat frozen poop, that was frozen to the grass.
i also wanted to add that I was thinking maybe bc I give him a lot of sweet potatoes and carrots that the poop just smells appealing to him but that cant completely be it bc he tried to eat the frozen poop.
For now I have been picking it up as soon as I see him poop, but sometimes its tough depending on DD.
Advice?
Listen to Warren Eckstein on 710AM on saturday afternoons. i believe that i heard him say that they do it b/c they are missing something in their diet... call it crazy, but i am pretty sure i heard this.
i have heard this too. And we did recently switch his food b.c of allergies but he is on Natural Balance Vegetarian. Its $60 a bag so I am sure it has whatever nutrients he needs. Its too much of a hassle to switch his food again b/c of the allergy situation. I am going to bring this up to the vet next time we go.
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| Posted 12/13/09 8:28 AM |
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DeniseMarie
<3
Member since 8/07 10682 total posts
Name:
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Re: Advice on eating poop
Posted by Goobster
Posted by Megs4
A trainer told us to use Adolph's meat tenderizer in her food - make sure it has papain extract in it; the vet said MSG or any meat tenderizer and that it would make it taste and smell bad.
I have to say this doesn't sound safe at all. The vet said this was ok? Doesn't meat tenderizer have sodium in it? I would imagine that could effect their kidneys...
Anyway, as for Diesel, with all his allergies....I would be afraid to add anything to his food. I would say you really just have to pick it up as soon as he goes.
My female dog would do this if she had the chance. When DD was 4 mths old my girl dog ate some random poop in my yard, I think it was a stray cat's feces. I flipped....got very very grossed out! So now we are always careful after dealing with their food or water bowls, with washingy our hands, etc. Just last week she rubbed her whole face in... goose poop. DH got it on his hands too b/c he thought she had mud on her face...it was so much it was nasty. We had to wipe her down with baby wipes, with gloves on...then wash her with gloves on...then wash her again the next day to be SURE it was out of her beard.
I would also suggest that you consider putting him on a monthly dewormer like Interceptor (if he is allowed medicallly to have that and it won't interact with his meds). In case he has feces remnants in his mouth, at least you can be sure he doesn't have worms. I was told fresh feces isn't reallly a major risk to a child from a worm standpoint...it's when it sits and germinates for a week to 2 weeks.....that the worm larva can mature. But bacteria wise, yes, that is an issue that you need to nip this in the bud asap, esp if its simply picking up after him asap!
thats really what I am doing, running outside and picking up his poop and Murrays after they go. But I have a big backyard, I dont always see them poop. So sometimes I miss it, or sometimes I might not be able to run out there right away b/c of DD, KWIM?
I was planning on doing that in the summertime anyway b.c I am going to spend a lot of time outside with DD and dont want her stepping in poop!
On a side note, Diesel poops like 4 times a day
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| Posted 12/13/09 8:30 AM |
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Megs4
LIF Adult
Member since 11/08 1619 total posts
Name:
Megan
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Re: Advice on eating poop
Posted by Goobster
Posted by Megs4
A trainer told us to use Adolph's meat tenderizer in her food - make sure it has papain extract in it; the vet said MSG or any meat tenderizer and that it would make it taste and smell bad.
I have to say this doesn't sound safe at all. The vet said this was ok? Doesn't meat tenderizer have sodium in it? I would imagine that could effect their kidneys...
I trust my vet IMPLICITLY so if he says it is safe, I believe him. And then the trainer said the tenderizer with papain extract (papaya) was more effective so the one I got actually had no MSG anyway. And I did roughly 1/2 tsp to every 1.5c of food.
In the end it was not effective so we stopped.
However, as I have stated in previous posts, I absolutely love and trust my vet. I can email him any time of day or night and he always gets back to me - instantly or within a few hours - and answers my questions and offers advice so I don't need to come in for an office visit.
He did tell me first and foremost that (having just seen my dog) this was likely behavioral and not a nutrient deficiency so that is why making it taste bad might help.
I do not think he would EVER recommend something that could be a danger to my dog - or any dog.
If you do a google search on Adolph's meat tenderizer one of the first links that comes up is about using it for this purpose.
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| Posted 12/13/09 11:25 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: Advice on eating poop
Posted by Megs4
Posted by Goobster
I have to say this doesn't sound safe at all. The vet said this was ok? Doesn't meat tenderizer have sodium in it? I would imagine that could effect their kidneys...
I trust my vet IMPLICITLY so if he says it is safe, I believe him. And then the trainer said the tenderizer with papain extract (papaya) was more effective so the one I got actually had no MSG anyway. And I did roughly 1/2 tsp to every 1.5c of food.
In the end it was not effective so we stopped.
However, as I have stated in previous posts, I absolutely love and trust my vet. I can email him any time of day or night and he always gets back to me - instantly or within a few hours - and answers my questions and offers advice so I don't need to come in for an office visit.
He did tell me first and foremost that (having just seen my dog) this was likely behavioral and not a nutrient deficiency so that is why making it taste bad might help.
I do not think he would EVER recommend something that could be a danger to my dog - or any dog.
If you do a google search on Adolph's meat tenderizer one of the first links that comes up is about using it for this purpose.
Ok good to know...I seriously was just questioning b/c I was surprised, thinking it had sodium in it.
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| Posted 12/13/09 12:39 PM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: Advice on eating poop
Posted by DeniseMarie
thats really what I am doing, running outside and picking up his poop and Murrays after they go. But I have a big backyard, I dont always see them poop. So sometimes I miss it, or sometimes I might not be able to run out there right away b/c of DD, KWIM?
I was planning on doing that in the summertime anyway b.c I am going to spend a lot of time outside with DD and dont want her stepping in poop!
On a side note, Diesel poops like 4 times a day
I KWIM...anyway you can limit the area they are allowed to poop in?
4 times a day? OMG
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| Posted 12/13/09 12:40 PM |
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