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Eating turds

poptart

poptart

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There's no delicate way to put this. I've raised three pups and this is the first time I've seen one eating turds. o_O

Anyone else have a turd muncher in the family?
 
Jasper used to eat dog poo, but now he restricts himself to horse & cow poo. And even then it has to be nice and fresh. OH reckons J stopped eating dog poo around the time we changed him to a raw diet, but he might simply have grown out of it.

Of course, if people would pick up their dogs' poo in the first place it wouldn't be such a problem:mad:
 
I believe there are various theories why this happens. It can be attention seeking (even a row is attention) or diet related - either looking for something missing from their diet; or being able to get something nutritious from the poo, for example where the dog that did it has had a rich diet. Many dogs just outgrow it, I believe females are worse because they are hard wired to clean up after pups. @gypsysmum2 who used to be a regular poster of great advice says low fat natural live yoghurt helps.
 
My first dog was very fond of horse dung. But I've never seen a dog eat its own, or another dog's. It seems to do him no harm, which is the main thing, but it's kinda eeewww just the same. :eek:

I try and keep the back lawn clear to avoid temptation, but sometimes my older dog does one when he's out there alone and if Tiree gets to it first there's not much we can do. I try not to make too much fuss and turn it into a game which would only encourage it. Hope he does grow out of it.

Thanks for the suggestion, Joanne. Should I put the yogurt directly on the turd, or just in his food? :D
 
No just into his diet.my dog likes to share some of mine so they often find it quite palatable. What weight is he?
 
have read somewhere that it is highly likely to be diet related, and that eating a raw diet can correct the problem with good quality nutrients.
 
What, some of your poo Joanne!! Oh Timber !:eek:
 
He's 10kg and 5 months old. I'll give the yogurt a try. He eats anything and everything so I'm sure he'll be happy to try it.
 
Try a dessert spoonful a day. I should add some people also say pineapple but that's very acidic.
 
I took a Shiddy in, he had been fed on kibble. When he came he used to eat any dog poo he came accross. Now two things, first I did discourage it and I changed him over to RAW. Over a bit of time he stopped doing it and never returned to doing it, now it could be him listnening to me or his new diet or a combination.
 
Oliver our youngest eats Marleys poo, like you i make sure my garden is poo free but sometimes Marley lays one right in front of Oliver Yuck! Marley use to do it when he was young so i bought him a muzzle ( the basket one they can pant in etc) have been wondering about getting one for Oliver.
Nothing worse than Marley having a poo on a walk and you bend down to pick it up and in leaps Oliver! Think i might try the yoghurt as well.
 
Whippylove said:
Nothing worse than Marley having a poo on a walk and you bend down to pick it up and in leaps Oliver!
Click to expand...

Oh yes there is - being goosed by a dog who's just been eating poo through a muzzle! Did it stop Marley from eating dog poo? Jasper will quite happily eat cow poo with his muzzle on, then I have to find a pond or deep puddle to wash it in:confused:
 
poptart said:
There's no delicate way to put this. I've raised three pups and this is the first time I've seen one eating turds. o_O

Anyone else have a turd muncher in the family?
Click to expand...

Yep, our lad used to eat our other dog's poo occasionally. I've heard putting pineapple into the other dog's food prevents this sometimes (didn't work for us but in case it helps).
We once had a boxer with a penchant to cow poo - his first time in a field of cows involved him running flat out and without breaking stride scooped up a mouthful of a lovely fresh cow pat (have you seen the size of a boxer's mouth?!). Mixed with the slobber that was a lovely sight .
But I think you'll find it's quite common (I've certainly heard about it lots).
 
I hope this helps;

If dogs don’t get enough of certain nutrients will resort to eating poo. A lack of vitamin B is often said to be a cause of Coprophagia. Nutritional deficiency is commonly believed to be one of the main reasons for poop eating. What food do you feed her dry or wet or both? She could have medical issues, especially in older dogs (I know she’s only young but I’m also informing people with older dogs that do this.) Such as intestinal problems. This could stimulate Coprophagia. Even overfeeding especially food with a high fat content can sometimes spark this behaviour (puppy food has a high fat content.)

Eating faeces could aid food digestion if the dog hasn’t got good digestion. Dogs may eat poop to get attention, because the owners will shout or scold at the dog has eaten poop, which to the dog is a good thing. 'NaturVet Coprophagia Deterrent Time Release Tablets' These are slow release tablets given to a dog with its food. It is supposed to make the faeces distasteful. I cannot state that this works as I have never used it. This would be for dogs that were eating their own faeces. Some people put mustard on the faeces in the hope that it will deter the dog. One of the best treatments is to pick up the faeces when they do a poo. If you are worried take her to the vet, and see if they can do blood tests.

The definitions: Autocoprophagia means eating its own faeces. Intraspecific Coprophagia means eating faeces from within its own species ie another dog. Interspecific Coprophagia means eating faeces from another species example: Cat, Rabbit or Horse. Message me if you need any more information.
 
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I think a dog's idea of what constitutes food is way wider than ours! Every spaniel I've ever owned loved horse poo and one thought cow pats were Camembert. Can't say it bothered me. BUT I managed to cure a hound I used to walk for a friend who was pretty liberal in her taste with the aid of a squeezy lemon full of malt vinegar. When she spotted a dog deposit (she was always on the lead) as we came level I squirted the dog poo! (Yeah this only works in the country- even then you get looks!). I didn't scold her or anything- she didn't think it was wrong- but she did learn that these poos gave off a vinegar smell. (She wasn't a fast learner so it took maybe three months- and every so often I'd take the lemon out as a reminder.) Her owner said she stopped scoffing them in the garden as well. Worth a try.
 
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