Why dogs eat poop might be a mystery, but this blog may help you be a bit more understanding.
Dogs are not known for their perfect palates, that’s for sure. Why they enjoy lapping up toilet water or raiding the trash is beyond us here at Alexander Animal Hospital. Of all the nasty doggy delicacies out there, one is always more disgusting than the rest. Why dogs eat poop might be a mystery, but this blog may help you be a bit more understanding.
The Puzzle of Why Dogs Eat Poop
Poop eating, aka coprophagia, is a prevalent canine indiscretion. Regardless if it’s the cat’s litter box, bunny droppings in the backyard, or their own poop, this behavior is concerning to most pet parents. In addition, coprophagia can risk your pet to intestinal parasites, which likely won’t help with doggy breath. If it becomes severe, poop eating behavior can also trigger nutritional deficiencies. Prevalent reasons for why dogs eat poop can include:
- A poorly digestible diet
- Enzyme deficiency
- Calorie or nutritional deficiencies in the typical diet
- Intestinal parasites lead to nutrient malabsorption
- Medication administration or systemic disease resulting in increased appetite
However, some poop eating can be behavioral. For instance, some dogs can learn the behavior from others, dogs lacking environmental stimulation might turn to poop as a toy, or a dog’s pack instincts frequently tell her to clean up after packmates and pups.
How to Address a Poop Eater
If you’ve caught your dog consuming poop, don’t panic. There isn’t much you need to complete besides good tooth brushing. Parasite prevention and routine intestinal parasite screening should be a part of your dog’s regular wellness routine.
However, we must talk if your pup is constantly eating poop. Please schedule an appointment immediately so that we can ensure that there are no underlying health problems. Understanding why most dogs eat poop might be slightly more complicated than one would think. But when we collaborate together as a team, we can often assist curb the craving.
We Would Love the Opportunity to Care for Your Furry Friends!
Alexander Animal Hospital is a full-service animal hospital located in Severna Park, Maryland, serving the Severna Park, Pasadena, and Arnold Areas. Our goal is educating clients on the needs of their pets and understanding the importance of individualized veterinary care in order to strengthen the human-animal bond between owners and their pets.
We understand you have a choice when deciding on the care for your pets, and we strive to provide you with unparalleled services including wellness exams, vaccines, lost pet microchip ID, dental care, surgical services, digital radiography, and in-hospital laboratory services and diagnostics. Other highlights of Alexander Animal Hospital are the separate cat and dog waiting and exam rooms, as well as after-hours on-call emergency services.
Please take a look around our website and then give us a call at 410-777-8678 to set up an appointment.
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