Eating faeces
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Malaika unfortunately likes to eat Cow/horse muck, which is yukky enough but what realy bothers us is she will attempt to eat her own faeces.
She eats Royal Canin and pedigree puppy food (which we are reviewing as we have been told it's not the best ) Recently we have introduced raw chicken wings a couple of times a week.
Malaika has a very healthy appitite and is a pleasure to feed, she is up to date with worming.
We tell her to leave when she attempts to eat faeces but i'm wondering if we should ignore the behaviour and just discretely clean it up.
She's 21 weeks old.
Any ideas please ? -
Not an uncommon problem, however the best way to stop her from eating her own is to be there to immediately pick it up, or walk her and pick it up….
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I've heard adding pineapple or pumpkin to your dog's food might work - makes the poop taste yucky (you mean it doesn't already, lol). Sometimes it can be because they are lacking certain nutrients in their diet. It can also become a habit. But like Pat says, the only 100% way to make it not happen is pick it up immediately.
Mine don't normally eat each other's poop (although I pick it up quickly) - and I do have one that likes to bat poop around like a ball, lol, but any random animal poop on our walks is considered an extra treat by all of them - gross!
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Mine don't normally eat each other's poop (although I pick it up quickly) - and I do have one that likes to bat poop around like a ball, lol, but any random animal poop on our walks is considered an extra treat by all of them - gross!
Your B plays poop soccer?:D
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Your B plays poop soccer?:D
LOL, yes she does - but is it poop soccer or handball (front paws)?! :D:D Every time Brando poops, Liyah acts like he just made her a new toy for her, lol. :rolleyes: Ruby acts quite disgusted by Liyah's behaviour and many times tries to chase her away from it. Needless to say poop usually gets picked up quick at my house.
Oh, and Liyah doesn't do it with Ruby's poop (she would probably lose her head - goes no where near Ruby when Ruby is pooping), only Brando. Poor Butter…:o
I was going to have people guess which one of my basenjis was the one that did this nutty behaviour - lol.
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I've only had 1 B that ate poop (his own) and I think because he had a digestive disorder. I had to follow him and pick up other wise he'd go right for it. We believed it was malobsorption. He was always hungry and had to have pancrezyme added to his food otherwise he would have the runs and lose weight. When I got him at 2 years old in 1994 his ribs were showing (19lbs) and his coat looked terrible. From his paperwork that came with him it looked like they over vaccinated him too.
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Thanks for your advice, i do have to say we pick up her poop immediately that she's done it. From when she was tiny she would turn around to see what was coming.
Even though we are quick she sometimes manages a quick bite.
Today she found a piece in the rockery that i'd missed, it's possible it was the Cats. I was grossed out and instead of thinking to swop something with her, i chased her. She led me a merry dance around the garden.
Needless to say the Cats are wormed regularly as well.
She always appears hungry and relishes her food, but don't think she has a problem with absorption as she is developing well. -
This si not so unusual. It may mean that she is lacking in some nutrient. Does she eat vegetables and fruit? In my opinion this can be a defisit in Calcuium but don't give a calcium supplement - just foods rich in it. Has she shown a special interest in some food?
Don't be grossed out - dogs are not people (I know some that think they are!!) and don't look at it in the way we do.
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My 12 year old has started eating the hard dries stuff people don't pick up at the dog park, yech!
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My boxer will occasionally go threw a phase will he will want to do this and I will put Solid Gold's S.E.P. (Stop Eating Poop) on his food. http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/index.php?product=44&code=670 it is a holistic supplement that keeps them from eating there poop.
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Hi Shelley - i have heard that some pineapple thru their dinner can discourage them eating it again from the other end. Tilly still cleans up after the pups if we arent quick enough to pick up, but doesnt touch her own. Mine are also fed Royal Canin supplimented with sardines in oil, or tuna in oil. And sometimes fresh beef or rabbit.
Re the stuff from the rockery possibly being the cats - all of my dogs have always regarded the cats poop as a delicacy - have to hide their litter tray up stairs and behind a gate otherwise they are right in there!
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catpoo, goosepoo and horsepoo is favourite among all my dogs, fortunately they do not have a lot of chances to eat catpoo but with the nice weather coming people are horsebackriding everywhere in the forests here, and when the dogs are off leash they will not skip a chance to eat the Big Horse Mac…. I do not allow it but they do not give a rats ass when they are off leash as they are quicker then me hahaha
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I would change her food to a better quality one, and see if that makes a difference.
Might help…. -
When we fed Royal Canin, all of the pups began eating their poop. It could be something in the formula or it could be that it's not as digestible as some other foods. That particular litter pretty much stopped after we changed foods - but I have 3 now that will eat 'leavings' unless I pick it up immediately, and one that I literally can't allow near anyone else going as she tries to catch it before it hits the ground! From my research, it's primarily a habit behavior rather than an actual deficiency. Gross as it is, as long as the dogs are healthy it's apparently not dangerous to them.
Terry
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Hi Shelley – Poppy did the same when she was a puppy with her own and the other dogs offerings but she has grown out of it now with the exception of rabbit droppings and as Scott says cat droppings which most dogs seem to find irresistible!.
We have been feeding Royal Canin with no problems, so it may not be down to that.
It may be a family trait!
Steve.
