My dog is eating poop and licking urine. What can I do to stop it?

For helping to eliminate purely behavioral causes of coprophagy, a three step method can be used: 1. Decreaseattractivequalityoffeces • Change in diet can oftentimes be beneficial, switching to a brand with a lower protein content to lower the amount of protein excreted into the feces (which the dog finds palatable). • Commercially available products added to food can decrease the palatability of the feces. Examples include: For-bid®; Deter®; and meat tenderizers. Consult with your veterinarian as to the proper dose to use. 2. Preventexpressionofbehavior • Being present and scooping up the feces immediately is a good way to prevent this behavior. • Keeping the dog on leash when taking him/her out to eliminate can help the owner physically prevent the dog from engaging in coprophagy. • Controlled feeding time allows the owner to predict time of defecation and be more vigilant when watching the dog. • Preventing access to other pet’s litterboxes or cleaning them frequently. • Spray collars, such as citronella can be used to deter the dog as well. • “Booby-trapping” feces, by adding hot sauce or “bitter apple” flavor INTO the feces, so the dog associates bad tastes with its feces. • Not rewarding the behavior by ignoring the dog when it consumes its feces, despite how difficult it may be for the owner. 3. Rewardpost-eliminationbehavior • Positive reinforcement immediately after good behavior (so owner must be present). Keep the dog on leash, and if the dog does not go for its feces, reward it with food and praise. Also, if the dog does try to reach for its feces, divert its attention to another simple task (such as asking to “sit” or “shake paw”) and reward it for performing the task. Health Concerns: As with all pets, regardless of whether or not the dog is coprophagic, owners should be careful about washing their hands at appropriate times, such as before eating, after handling feces, etc. Cleanliness is the first line of defense against potential disease transmission, which can include intestinal parasites. Coprophagy can be very distasteful to owners and can be a public health concern. If this occurs, consider seeing your local veterinarian to rule out any possible diseases as the cause and to develop a plan to help eliminate the behavior.

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.

It really sounds like you have pretty much done everything we recommend in these situations. Often times dogs will "outgrow' this behavior but there is no guarantee. There is an old wives tale that says dogs do this due to a nutritonal deficiency. That has never been proven so I don't necessarily believe it but you can try giving Chaplin a multivitamin (like Pet Tabs) to see if that helps. This article has some other ideas you can try. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1613 My other recommendation would be to add a probiotic to his diet like Fortiflora (the best one in my opinion). https://www.walmart.com/ip/Purina-Pro-Plan-Veterinary-Diets-FortiFlora-Probiotic-Supplement-30-CT/43284986 Finally, if he is eating inappropriate things (other than the feces) you can try putting basket muzzle on him when he is unattended. He may be able to still eat feces through it but depending on which type you get you can minimize that. Don't get a regular tight fitting muzzle on the snout. It needs to be the kind where he can still pant and drink water through it. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=basket+muzzle Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Dogs will eat stool out of boredom, curiosity or in an attempt to correct a nutritional deficiency. She may outgrow the behavior eventually. Pick up stool immediately after she goes. Keep her occupied and engaged with toys and tasks to distract her from stool. Review her diet with your veterinarian to identify and correct any potential deficiencies. There are also food additives, such as For-Bid, that may deter her from eating feces.

This is a common problem in dogs, and it is gross but not abnormal. There are a few things you can do to stop this behavior, like feeding a supplement that sometimes makes the stool taste bitter (see a link below). The best prevention would be to keep the feces picked up so that Kala doesn't get the opportunity to eat them. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/naturvet-coprophagia-stool-eating-deterrent-dog-chews Here is some more information on coprophagia: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1613

Sadly, there isn't a great way to stop this gross behavior. There are products that are just really high amounts of MSG, that sometimes make the stool less appealing to dogs, but I don't love that idea for puppies (or really any dog). For the litter box, you need to block Gretchen's assess to it and for eating her own stool, try to take her for walks for her bowel movements whatever possible so you can pick it up right away. You can offer a high value treat right after a bowel movement when walking so she learns to look for that special treat instead of turning around to instantly eat the feces. To be honest, it's not a habit that is easy to break. As far as the diet question, there is actually increasing evidence that grain-free diets may be harmful, so I recommend staying away from them and feeding a regular high quality puppy diet. Royal Canin, Hills, and Purina are all good brands.

The next best step here is to make his poop taste bad. You can do this by purchasing a product called Forbid, which can be bought at your local pet store or online and give him that as instructed on the box for up to 2 weeks. You can also try 1 tsp of meat tenderizer added to his food daily. Most pets will grow out of this habit, but it is best to pick up the poop immediately after he defecates, and only leash walk him outside so that he does not have free range to eat feces. I wish you all the best with Geno and hope that you can break him of his bad habit. Best wishes and take care! : )