The Dog Bowl Pet Supply and BARF Raw Food Blog

• The opportunity to observe the dam eating stool
• High protein, low residue, puppy food
• Food that contains no live enzymes or natural bacteria (Raw diet additions)
• Irregular feeding schedule
• Food that contains too much grain and preservatives
• Feeding inadequate amounts of food
• Under-stimulating environment
• Constant opportunity to ingest feces
• Inadequate attention/supervision

Veterinary Care:

(1) Diagnosis:

Whether by nature, nurture, or a combination of factors, coprophagy rears its ugly head as a persistent and irritating habit that some long-suffering dog owners seem fated to endure. There are several different forms of coprophagy but, whatever form it takes, there are probably similar drives and predilections operating.

Variations on the theme include:

• Dogs that are partial only to their own stool
• Dogs that eat only other dog's stool
• Dogs that eat stool only in the winter if it is frozen solid (poopsicles)
• Dogs that eat only the stool of various other species, often cats

(2) Therapy:

There are some "home" remedies that have been practiced.

Here are a few:

• Adding more fresh fruits & vegetables to the diet - blend these in the blender (dogs cannot chew, their jaws move up & down, resulting in a pulling & tearing action). Blending helps the dog receive the most benefit from ingesting veggies and fruits.
• Adding crushed mint to the diet or as a treat.
• "Doctoring" each stool with Tabasco® in the hopes of discouraging the dog from the habit. *This coudiarrhea potential dirrehea & one should not do this and leave the dog unsupervised.

The following strategies have met with more success, though it is important to note that results vary:

• Picking up ALL available stools (i.e. denying access).
• Escorting the dog into a picked up area and walking him back inside the house immediately after he has successfully passed a bowel movement and before he even has a chance to investigate the fruits of his labor.
• Some dogs try to circumvent their owner's control by eating the stool as it emerges and for these incorrigible few a muzzle may be necessary.
• Changing the dog's feeding schedule so that high fiber rations are fed frequently.
• Lifestyle enrichment is also helpful. Make sure your dog has plenty of exercise and spends plenty of quality time with you each day. Some dogs respond when a "get a job" program is implemented. Such a program is designed to encourage the dog to exercise his natural tendencies by means of activities like chasing, fetching, walking, pseudo-hunting, fly ball, agility training, etc.
• Teach the "LEAVE IT" command.

Although some of the above measures have occasionally been found effective on their own, it best to apply a whole program of prevention for at least six months to nip the behavior in the bud. If during this time, if the dog gets access to stool and ingests it, some ground will be lost. Hopefully, though, progress will eventually be made, even if it's one step back for every two forward.

Despite all these modifications in environment and training, some dogs persist in the habit of coprophagia. For these dogs, the compulsive disorder diagnosis may be worth considering.

Although controversial, the obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis seems to fill the bill, on occasion at least, and it meets a couple of the scientific criteria for diagnosis.

• Face validity: The dog appears obsessed with eating stool and compelled to ingest it.
• Predictive validity: Extreme, refractory, coprophagy should follow a genetic predilection, occurring more frequently in anxious breeds of dog. The latter appears to be true, as the condition seems to be more common in certain breeds (e.g. retrievers). Also, the condition should, and often does, respond to therapy with anti-obsessional drugs.

Home Care: In the majority of cases, coprophagy can be successfully treated at home by means of a combination of management changes (exercise, diet, and supervised outdoor excursions) and environmental measures, but be wary of the occasional medical condition that masquerades the same way (your vet can help rule out such conditions).

Labels: BARF Raw Pet Food, Dog Diet, Dog Nutrition

posted by The Dog Bowl  # 11:40 AM