Saturday, August 10, 2013

My dog eats poop

Q: Help! My shih tzu eats dog poop! What can I do to stop her from doing this? 
A: We took this reader's concern to our knowledgeable community of dog treat business owners and came up with terrific suggestions. Please write back and tell us what worked the best for you so we can share it with others who have a similar issue with their dog.

Stop dog from eating poop
Stop dog from eating poop!

Why do dogs eat poop? Some may do it due to a health issue, because their digestive systems aren't functioning properly and they are hungry. Others do it "recreationally."

If you think your dog has a health issue and appears to be starving, please get him or her checked out by a veterinarian as soon as possible. 

Some dog food is not well-digested so when it is excreted, it appears to be available food.

You may have a dog who is eating poop just because it's there, or trying to destroy the evidence if he poops in the house. It is also thought that dogs eat poop as a survival tactic stemming from their wild ancestry - to hide their presence from predators.

The number one suggestion: pick up and remove all dog feces as soon as possible before the dog can get to it. 

If this is not feasible, there are natural ingredients as pictured above that may be helpful to stop a dog from eating poop, otherwise known as "coprophagia":
  • Pineapple 
  • Pumpkin
  • Chili peppers
  • Anise seed
These natural ingredients contain enzymes that work to break down the fecal matter into distasteful and even more foul smelling waste. 

Pineapple: Juice, canned or fresh fruit 
Pumpkin: Canned or fresh
Chili peppers: "season" the food with hot sauce or pepper
Anise seed: 1/4 to 1/4 teaspoon of anise seed sprinkled on the dog's food. 

Do not cook the pineapple or pumpkin as that will deactivate the enzyme that is necessary.

Make sure to give ALL the dogs in the household the anti-poop ingredients.

There are commercial products available. These have been recommended.
Click the links to learn more:


Dis-taste



stop dog eating poop
Potty Mouth


S.E.P.


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