The sun is brightly shining. There’s a scent of fresh-cut grass in the air and the sound of happy giggles floating from a yard full of family and friends enjoying the newest and furriest family member. And then it happens … the family’s new puppy stops pursuit of the stray Frisbee to sniff, rub his nose in and then eat a piece of his own poo. Gross! (Note to self … no sweet doggy kisses today … or if he keeps this up, maybe never!) What started out to be a beautiful family day in the back yard went quickly to the dogs. This gross event could just be puppies being puppies – you know, the puppy’s way of exploring its new environment. Or it could just be an early sign of a gross habit that could keep family and puppy at bay. According to veterinarian Dr. Mark Sprayberry, Olive Road Veterinary Hospital in Pensacola, Fla, the act of a pet (usually puppies, but sometimes mature dogs) eating its own (or another dog’s) stool is referred to as coprophagia. “Coprophagia is quite disgusting and clients come in to my practice or call in wanting to know why their dog is doing it,” says Sprayberry. “No one knows for sure why dogs (and some cats) eat feces. Puppies explore their own environment by tasting it. Sometimes it’s just a matter that the fast-growing puppy is hungry and it’s there for the taking. Regardless, it’s a disgusting phase a lot of dogs go through.” Visible signs of coprophagia The number one sign of coprophagia, of course, is the pet consuming feces. However, many pet owners don’t watch feces consumption directly because they don’t always watch their dogs defecate. The real sign that dogs have coprophagia is halitosis or bad breath. Since feces are mainly made up of bacteria, the dog’s breath (and of course the lick) is quite repulsive. Spreading bacteria to humans via your pet’s “kiss” is not usually looked upon as a human health problem. However, all grossness aside, no one really knows if it actually impacts humans. But they are spreading bacteria. There’s hope… and some simple answers! Behavioral coprophagia can be treated in a number of ways. Avoidance of the stools is probably the most reliable solution. One method is to have the owners walk the dog on a leash so that the dog can be taken away from the feces immediately. At the time of defecation, the owner can also give the dog a food reward so that it will become conditioned to expect food at defecation instead of looking for feces. In the case of a dog eating cat feces, litter pans should be cleaned daily and covered or placed in a location unavailable to the dog. However, cleaning a litter box daily doesn’t happen in real life in most households. Suddenly pet owners who don’t want to subject their families to stinky, bacteria-filled dog kisses are spending a great deal of time monitoring their dog’s constitutional habits. Closely monitoring those poo habits — at eye level. If the owner is unwilling to leash walk the dog at all times, preferring to let it outside unattended, methods of punishment can be used for feces eating. Most often a hot or unpleasant tasting substance such as pepper is placed on the feces. However, many dogs learn to eat the untreated feces. Another method is to inject a substance such as hot sauce into the feces to make it more difficult for the dog to avoid treated feces. “The best preventive treatment, and the one we recommend to our pet owners, is a tasty chew treat (CoproBan®, PRN Pharmacal) that we give the dog for about a week which makes the taste of feces undesirable to its taste,” recommends Dr. Sprayberry. “It’s easy to administer and the dog/puppy loves the flavor of the treat – not the flavor of the feces. It’s a minimal cost to assure your dog or cat stays clear of feces as a snack. It is a highly popular preventive treatment and the first one I recommend to concerned customers. It needs to be part of the new puppy’s take-home regime to assure the problem doesn’t get started in the first place.” Often referred to as “America’s Veterinarian,” Dr. Marty Becker is the popular veterinary contributor to ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” and is the host of “The Pet Doctor With Marty Becker” on PBS. He has appeared on Animal Planet, and is a frequent guest on national network and cable television, and radio shows. He recently named Coproban as one of the Best Products for 2009. About the author: Dr. Steve McKinley is a PhD in Veterinary Pathology and has written about various veterinary issues and answers for numerous consumer and professional publications over the past 25 years. Dr. McKinley resides in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
