Why does my dog try to eat everything (including Poo)?

Hi all,

Poppy has always been a bit on the greedy side and would never say no to her food or dog treats. However, recently she has been trying to eat her own poo.

Initially, i took her to the vets as I had read that it may be down to lack of nutrients and wanted further advice. The vet said its quite a common thing and she should grow out of it. Also we used to mix in some tuna to her dry food, but have since stopped giving her this (as we thought the smell may be reminding her if food) and she is now on eukanubu dry food only.

This defintley isnt getting better and she is still trying to eat her poo. Also when taking her for walk if there is anything on the pavement/grass (sweets,stones etc)she will try to eat it. Im really worried she may pick something up that could harm her.

She is a healthy weight and is healthy in every other way and has been wormed on a regular basis. When we questioned the vet if we should change her food, we were told not to do this as if she is happy/the food agrees with her we should not change it.



Has anyone else had this experience? Would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks
Alison and Poppy

How often do you feed her, perhaps the food isnt filling her up? You could try topping it up with some vegetables to give more bulk but not putting the weight on.

I wouldnt give much Tuna, it can be bad for dogs due to the high mercury levels in it.

We feed her twice a day and give her the recommended amount for her weight from the side of the bag.

We had considered splitting her meals into 3 but it wont always be possible with ouw working patterns.

Thanks for the info on the tuna, i wasnt aware of that.

Thanks
Ali

l often wondered why archle ate the cat poo from the tray... never dld get an answer and he doesnt do lt now!!

we just recently had the mother ln laws dog (cara) stay wlth us for a whle and she ate archles poo!! at one polnt she trled to eat lt whle he was actually stll on the job!! really dont know why.... and she rolls ln fox poo and archle doesnt ,,, hes never eaten hls own poo or another dogs poo just the cat lol.

not sure why cara dld lt shes an otherwlse healthy dog but she ls a plg for food!! l found thls on the net a whle back... maybe mlght help!! or lts just slmply a phase... lol

http://www.pet-comfort-products.com/...-eat-poop.html

Many young dogs eat poo and then grow out of it. It is a source of nutrients, which is why they do it.
If a dog gets a reaction from the owner, it can turn into a big game - or else a competition to see who can get it first.
Some dogs can turn to eating poo if their own food isn`t satisfying them, and this can turn into a habit.
I`d look at the dogs food first - raw feeding tends to stop the habit as they have opportunity to chew etc. And splitting food into 2 or even 3 meals means they are less hungry.
If it has become a habit, I would try to distract the dog with a toy when out, and clear up more often at home.

eta dogs roll in poo, compost , dead fish etc because then their prey won`t know it`s a dog creeping up on them. The Wildebeest will think `Hmm, a pile of poo is heading towards me. Thank goodness it`s not a dog.`

I had a dog who ate dog poo and horses poo all his life if he got the chance and he lived to aged 15 and as far as I can remember only had two stomach upsets in the whole of his life. My staffie will eat cat poo and anything else that takes her fancy when we are out if she finds it and I don't catch her in time. Some dogs will eat everything that is going and I don't think it is a real problem except sometimes when you are out and about I worry someone may have put poison down if they were a dog hater (I'm a very suspicious person )

yeah sue l think staffies do eat anythlng they flnd lol ... archle can be funny sometlmes when we go out he goes through the recycle boxes to brlng out the empty cat or dog food tlns lol lts lke hes found gold when he does lt lol he runs off sort of skipplng and goes and slts on the doorstp waltlng to take hls loot lndoors lol ... l let hlm take lt ln the secretly take lt off hlm lol to hlm lts a game bless hlm ...

Kiara went through a time of eating her poo and even taught Bailey to as well!!

I changed her food and she doesn't do it anymore

However horse and rabbit poo is still fair game and she never misses an opportunity to roll in fox poo

Pineapple
doesn't work for every dog but most stop eating their own poor if fed pineapple! no idea why it works. A dog her size i would give half ring or 2-3 chunks per day. Would expect to see results after two weeks

Our whippet puppy eats poo, grass, mud, sticks, flowers - everything and anything she can find. She will also lick the dirty things in the dishwasher if she can sneak up without you noticing. We are gradually getting wise to all her tricks!