My 11-year-old blind dog started eating poop. What should I do?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center! Stool eating, also known as coprophagy, is actually quite common in puppies and in many adult dogs too. In fact, if not addressed in a timely manner, there's a risk that this unwanted behavior may end up becoming a recurring habit. There are many theories and potential reasons why dogs decide to eat their feces. These include poor digestion, boredom, stress, attention seeking, and a lack of vitamins/minerals in the diet. The latter is highly unlikely if you're feeding your dog a high quality commercial food, since these generally provide all the nutrients your dog needs. The effective way to deal with this behavior depends on the exact cause. So, it's always recommended to consult with your veterinarian.

She may be eating it out of boredom, in an attempt to correct a nutritional deficiency or due to cognitive dysfunction (senility/dementia). Have Lexieann examined by your veterinarian. Review her diet with your vet. Provide toys and tasks to keep her engaged and busy. Pick up stool right away and restrict access to areas where there is stool. A diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction may require comprehensive diagnostics and a consult with a veterinary behaviorist.

When an older dog is having a behavior change they should be checked out by your vet. Eating stools at this age is not normal and almost always has an underlying medical cause. You can try this supplement if you wish to see if it helps. If it does not, she should definitely see your vet. ( https://www.thepetcarefactory.com/online-store-digestive-health ) It would also be a good idea to add some of this supplement to the other dog's food to make the stools "taste bad" so hopefully it will curb Cora from wanting to eat it: ( https://www.animigo.co.uk/coprophagia-for-dogs.html )

Eating feces is a very gross habit that is unfortunately common in dogs. Since this is a recent behavior change for Mahtzee, it's possible that it could be related to an underlying medical problem of some kind - some illnesses such as diabetes and Cushing's disease can cause an increased appetite, which can lead to eating all sorts of unappetizing things that he may not have been interested in before. Your vet can do some simple blood tests to check for these problems, so it might be a good idea to have this done if he hasn't had any lab work recently. If everything checks out normal, then it may be that Mahtzee has simply developed a taste for poop - this sometimes happens, sadly! In that case, I would recommend teaching him a "leave it" command to prevent him from eating feces on your walks. To teach this, carry some tasty treats with your in your pocket when you take him for a walk. If he shows interest in something on the ground that you don't want him to pick up, say "leave it!" and show him a treat - give him the treat as soon as he looks up at you. Over time, he will start to turn away from whatever he is sniffing and look expectantly at you as soon as you give the command.

I am so sorry to hear of these concerns for Nypsy. Changes in behavior such as increased anxiety and inappropriate eating can be an indication of a neurological issue. This could be a condition known as canine cognitive dysfunction (doggy dementia), lesions in the brain can also affect behavior and are more commonly suspected if there is increased aggression or the onset of seizures. The change in appetite could be due to a metabolic issue such as kidney disease, which can cause a pet to feel nauseous. These types of conditions would require bloodwork with your veterinarian to diagnose. Dental disease is also very common in older, small breed dogs. It can contribute to changes in food intake due to oral pain. I would recommend tempting Nypsy with some tasty treats such as boiled chicken or a little canned dog food. Also do not offer her any more sweet tea-sugar is not good for our pets and if Nypsy is suffering from some sort of metabolic issue it could make things worse. When you are able I would recommend taking Nypsy to your regular Vet for a thorough physical exam and possibly some bloodwork to rule out anything significant.

Hi thanks for using PetCoach. Tootsie could certainly be exhibiting some signs of anxiety. Dogs can also develop some cognitive dysfunction as they get older as well. There are some diet some supplements that can possibly help with cognitive dysfunction, as well as medications. It maybe worth a visit to her veterinarian, to discuss options and try to differentiate whether this may be anxiety or cognitive dysfunction. Here’s a bit more information on cognitive dysfunction and some foods or supplements that may help https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/behavior-counseling-senior-pet-cognitive-dysfunction https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/nutrition-for-dogs-with-cognitive-dysfunction-syndrome-cds https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/behavior-counseling-senior-pet-behavior-problems https://indoorpet.osu.edu/dogs/aging_pets/cds

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing and knowing that Sobe is 14 years old could be incontinence due to age related changes. Canine cognitive dysfunction can lead to incontinence. I personally went through this with my own dog and it started when he was around 16 years old. I used a belly band with poise pads in the belly band so that when he urinated it would go into the pads. There are diapers for females for pee and poop that your local pet store will likely carry. This is not likely something you are able to train her to stop doing as it is likely due to her aging. A diaper is a good option to use but just be sure to change the pads frequently to prevent infection. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.