Although a not at all pleasant issue, there are many dogs that eat their own feces or even those of other dogs.

Many owners begin to wonder: Is it sick? Is there a deficiency? Do I not give him enough food? Is it possible that it has some kind of disorder or mental dysfunction?

This is known by the name of coprophagia, usually associated with puppies for various reasons, sometimes they do it out of curiosity or boredom, for example, if the dog spends a lot of time alone. Other times it is because their feed is rich in protein and because is not digested completely, this causes the feces to have an odor interesting to them. Others say it is a process inherited from the mother, as it licks the anus of their newborns to stimulate urination and defecation and ingests small amounts of feces until they stop breastfeeding.

In most cases, coprophagia diminishes with age, but if it persists it can become a nasty and dangerous habit, especially because sometimes, they will eat theirs and those of other dogs. This problem, in adult dogs is associated with pancreatic and intestinal disorders or even stress and anxiety can encourage this behavior. Therefore, although it is very difficult habit to stop, the best solution is to avoid leaving your dog alone, intensify their activity to prevent boredom, keep your environment clean to prevent the dogs access to droppings. While this is normal, the difficulty is to prevent them from finding the feces before we can dispose of it, we can try to distract them, or use a muzzle. These last two methods are valid for any type of coprophagia, regardless of the cause, with a high percentage of success.

In any case if you find that your dog has this problem, check with your vet to find out the source of the problem and the best solution to use as soon as possible.

LUPOSAN - IBERICA (Spain) (Notes) on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 16:58