Why Does My Dog Eat Poo?

As every dog owner knows, dogs do a lot of weird and crazy things. Most of the crazy things they do are considered cute by dog owners, but not all of them. Some of things they do are quite disgusting. One of the crazy and disgusting things some dogs do is eat poop. When you see your dog do this the first time, you'll probably think he has lost his mind. You shouldn't worry however, because it is quite normal behavior, and it is fixable.

Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?

The scientific, technical term for when an animal eats its poo or stool is coprophagia. For many animals, eating poop or stool is normal behavior. They eat poop as part of the digestive process. Without it, they won't digest their food properly. But this isn't the case with dogs. Even though it is a common behavior amongst many dogs, it's not normal. There is no health necessity that requires dogs to eat poop. In fact, it usually just the opposite. When a dog eats stool, it is typically because there is something missing in their diet.

Quite often, dogs eat their poop because their diet is deficient in vitamin B. Other times it's because their diet is short of the specific enyzmes necessary for proper digestion. When this happens, just like animals that require poo to stimulate the digestive process, dogs must resort to eating poo for the same reason.

For some dogs, it is learned behavior. They learn it from their mother or their litter mates. And still others engage in coprophagia because they aren't getting enough food, so they resort to eating poop to compensate for the lack of food.

Lastly, others do it because they are bored, or because their living are isn't kept clean, so they eat poo out of boredom or for cleaning reasons.

The good news is none of these reasons are serious or life threatening, and all are treatable. My Alaskan Malamute had a craving for cat poop, and only cat poop. It was quite bizarre. Any other kind of animal stool we happened to come across on our daily walks wouldn't make her look twice, but if there was any cat poo nearby, she was drawn to it like a magnet. Finally fed up, I took her to the vet, and he prescribed her some medication that solved the problem.

If your dog is attracted to poop, the first thing you should do is consult with a veterinarian to rule out any potential health issues. If it's not a health issue, he can provide you with steps you can take to stop your dog's poop craving.