Eating their very own poop or that of one other dog just isn’t only a disgustingly bad habit that many dogs partake in but it could actually even be a sign of health problems.
Abnormal indigestive behavior reminiscent of eating poop, rocks, iron, glass, ice, screws, gravel, dirt, or simply eating abnormal amounts of food may be related to PICA (Pie-Kuh)–consistent ingestion of nonfood material or Coprophagia (cop-ra-FAY-jee-a)–ingestion of feces.
In keeping with The Merck Veterinary Manual, PICA and Coprophagia may be signs of behavioral problems reminiscent of obsessive compulsive disorders. Nonetheless, some animal studies by holistic veterinarians suggest that a scarcity of nutrition may be the wrongdoer.
Although your dog could also be eating a well-balanced eating regimen of each wet and dry foods, the flexibility of your dog’s digestive system to properly absorb the nutrients within the idiot could also be lower than adequate. Dogs are instinctively driven to scavenge or find foods to complement their needs and can often turn to things like feces, vomit, and decaying flesh to search out these worthwhile nutrients.
Some foods which might be difficult for a dog to completely digest, reminiscent of carrots and grain-based foods, can grow to be a trigger for the dog to ingest feces. A eating regimen low in carbohydrates and high in protein may help to enhance your dog’s ability to digest food and to supply stools which might be less appetizing.
Many holistic veterinarians suggest supplementing your dog’s eating regimen with enzymes reminiscent of those present in Prozyme. Other suggest using herbs reminiscent of ginger or cinnamon in tiny amounts (1/8 to 1/4 tsp) sprinkled on their food to make the feces less appetizing. The addition of pineapple, spinach, garlic, and pumpkin, in small amounts, to your dog’s food may assist in making the feces less desirable to eat.
If you’ve a dog that’s eating his or other animal feces, it’s best to first have them examined by a professional veterinarian. Coprophagia may simply be because of a scarcity of nutrients, nevertheless, there are a lot of other possible causes including Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (the lack of the pancreas to supply a sufficient amount of digestive enzymes), Pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas), and intestinal infections.
While the feces may provide the nutrients the dog is searching for, they may contain parasites reminiscent of round worms or whipworms and might result in other more serious medical disorders.
There are three sorts of Coprophagia:
Autocoprophagia–when a dog partakes in eating his or her own feces.
Intraspecific Coprophagia–when a dog partakes in eating the feces of one other animal in his or her own species.
Interspecific Coprophagia–when a dog partakes in eating the feces of one other species of animal reminiscent of cat feces or deer and rabbit droppings.
Other reasons for a dog eating feces include a necessity for attention, (even whether it is from being disciplined by their owner), copying other animals who engage in eating feces, following the maternal instinct to scrub up, or just not being fed enough to satisfy their appetite.
Whatever the rationale, it might be greater than only a disgusting habit and needs to be investigated to make sure the health of your canine.
