Why is my senior dog eating her own waste? How can I stop it?

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

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.

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.

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.

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 )

Hi and thank you for your post. Eating feces is not well understood as to the cause but it can be related to not getting enough nutrients in the diet or a malabsorption issues or intestinal parasite. You may talk to your vet about malabsorption disease such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or IBD and the possibility of intestinal parasites. Other diseases such as diseases of the adrenal glands or thyroid can increase appetite and can contribute to eating feces. I would recommend some blood work and fecal parasite screening at your veterinarian's office soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Pica - eating non food items - is often an indication of disease or poor digestion/absorption of her food and more rarely due to senile confusion. I would recommend a full vet check and blood panel to rule out any medical causes or indication of poor digestion (vitamin B deficiency in particular) as soon as possible