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A common question I receive from pet owners is, “What can I do about my pet dog who keeps eating their own feces?”
The right term for this behavior is coprophagy, and the answer to this question would depend upon other signs of health problem (i.e diarrhea or weight loss) and/or the age of the pet. lots of young puppies with intestinal parasites will ingest their own feces, but in some cases puppies without parasites may ingest their own feces as well. Some puppies will outgrow this habit, or it will resolve if parasites are treated.
Sometimes poor quality diets can be involved with this behavior, so an all natural diet such as Nature’s variety or Halo can be tried to see if the problem resolves. adding enzymes to the meals like NaturVet Digestive Enzymes may help as well, and there is also For-Bid, which curbs this type of behavior. If an adult pet has chronic diarrhea and/or weight loss accompanying the feces eating, a full workup including testing for chronic digestive or absorptive disorders must be done by your veterinarian.
Coprophagy is not hazardous to a particular pet and in a lot of cases is a lot more of a gross nuisance to clients, rather than a severe medical problem that needs worry or attention. lots of animal guardians will try various home remedies such as tomato juice added to food, however, these remedies are typically only partially effective in my experience at best.
Pet Behavior