Coprophagia or eating her own Poo

This very unpleasant behaviour is very common. Puppies grow very fast and have very high energy needs so they may eat their own or other poos from your other pets. Some breeds such as Labradors or Beagles that love their food, may never outgrow this habit but here are some tips if it concerns your pet.

*Sometimes just worming your pet with a good quality wormer or changing their food to a more balanced, better quality diet can help.

*Since dogs that eat their own poos are normally hungry pets, spread their meals across 3-4 meals a day.

*Make your pet's tummy feel full by bulking out her meals with extra roughage such as bran or vegetable peelings such as carrots and beans (if they will eat these). Bran does go bitter after a while so keep it in the fridge once opened.

*As explained with housetraining, if you can, get your pet to go on command when out on walks. This then means that you dispose of the poo immediately.

*Give your pet a healthy lifestyle with plenty of walks and attention as bored dogs will often eat their own poo.

*Some vets will stock tablets called Deter that do seem to work as they give the faeces a bad taste. Some pet owners swear by paprika or cayenne pepper sprinkled on the poo or feeding your dog pineapple chunks (if they will eat it!).

*As mentioned under housetraining, never scold your pet as some dogs will eat their own faeces even if they have been outdoors to remove the 'evidence' if they are too sensitive.

*Research has shown that dogs that eat their own poo are not a risk to themselves or to us, but it is a repulsive habit that can be stopped by applying the steps mentioned above. Good luck!

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