It is a known fact that dogs have a much sharper sense of smell as compared to humans and so anything that smells or taste good is consumed by the dog. This may even include eating their own poop, bird poop, cat poop or even other dog poop. This tendency of a dog eating poop is scientifically termed as “Coprophagia”.
Most dog owners who have a puppy eating poop need to remember that all the dog’s worming treatments and vaccinations are up to date as otherwise they may be susceptible to various parasites that are transferable via poop. One of the most common causes of Coprophagia is nutritional imbalance in a dog due to the lack of certain digestive enzymes. In such cases the dog eating behavior will be such that it will eat its own poop to conserve these digestive enzymes.
Deficiency of Vitamin B1 is also known to result in Coprophagia. Additionally dogs who are under stress also resort to eating poop. Different situations like new places, new people, visit to the vet and different stresses or anxiety will trigger stool eating in dogs. Another common reason why dogs eat poop is plain boredom. Hence most dogs who are left alone and by themselves at home on account of their owners work timings tend to get bored and end up playing with and eating their own poop. In some cases bitches are known to eat the poop of their puppies to keep the living area clean and to also protect the puppies from possible predators. Similarly if the dog owners suddenly change the diet of the dog to a high fat diet then it is also know to lead to Coprophagia.
There are certain methods dog owners may adopt to stop dog from eating poop. One of them is to feed the dog a balanced and healthy diet which is high in all the required vitamins, minerals and proteins. Similarly if the dog is eating poop out of hunger then it is advisable to feed them twice a day rather than just once a day. Additionally also try and minimize the stress factors for your dog so that he is calm and relaxed and always feels engaged with the owner. Boredom in dogs can be avoided by keeping them as occupied and their minds sharp as far as possible by giving them new toys, teaching them new commands and so on. In most cases dogs eventually grow out of the habit of eating poop on their own.
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