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Coprophagia can be curbed
in canines
July 10, 2008
There are two kinds of people in the world; those that get grossed
out and those that don't. I'm of the later variety as I don't mind a
dog licking my toes and I don't even mind when a dog licks my face;
even after it's been licking himself in that region of their anatomy
that all dogs are drawn to. However, I do place a two-hour
moratorium on receiving licks when I know my dogs have been stealing
"treats" out of the litter box. I reason that two hours is more than
enough time for the germs to wear off.
Of course, as any dog owner can attest to, a dog that likes to eat
poop is a common behavior. Some are drawn to their own poop, others
to another dog's poop, or in the case of my dogs, cat poop seems to
be their drug of choice. A friend of mine once shared that his dog
was particularly drawn to horse and cow feces, which I've read is
not uncommon with dogs that live on farms.
If your dog exhibits this type of behavior they are exhibiting a
behavior called coprophagia, a term that I find sounds appropriately
like some kind of exotic fetish.
There are many theories out there as why some dogs exhibit this
behavior. One thought is that a dog may be exhibiting an underlying
medical condition such as an intestinal problem, or that it could be
a sign of some problem where their body is not absorbing needed
nutrients and the dog is always hungry. Another theory suggests that
it could be a sign of an underlying behavior problem, such as undue
stress or anxiety.
Whatever the reasons why, it's so common that there are even over
the counter supplements that are purported to curtail or stop the
behavior, and as Carolyn Kerner, a local trainer and behaviorist
pointed out to me recently, it's probably one of the most commonly
discussed topics among dog owners.
So what can be done to curtail this behavior? Carolyn pointed out
that a recent home remedy she read about seems to have done the
trick with her dogs. It appears that when you add a little canned
pumpkin or fresh pineapple to their food, the digested pumpkin or
pineapple makes the feces repugnant.
There are many reasons why coprophagia maybe happening and
consulting with a vet to rule out any medical reasons is the first
step. Having patience and an ability to love them despite their
idiosyncrasies is the next step, especially when you consider that
they probably don't understand some of the odd behavior us humans
exhibit.
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Gloria Dauphin
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