Let’s face it, dogs can be weird sometimes.
They’re lovable and loyal and funny and sweet and adorable…but they can also do some strange things.
They drink out of toilets without thinking twice. They roll around in some foul smelling stuff with glee. They have no qualms about using your carpet to scratch an itch you’d rather they not scratch on your carpet. They get to know each other in rather personal ways.
And sometimes, dogs eat poop.
My dogs Genne and Teddie both were puppies when I brought them home in the winter. I remember those particular winters being very cold.
I bundled up, took them outside to do their business, and to my horror saw them both enjoying what can only be described as poopsickles!! I was horrified.
This prompted me to research this strange behavior to find out
Will they get sick
Why it happens
What to do about it
I’ll share with you the information I’ve learned over my 20+ years in the animal health and wellness business.
Will my dog get sick from eating poop?
The technical term for dogs eating their own poop or that of other animals is coprophagia.
Coprophagia freaks people out, but from a dog’s point of view, it’s really not that big a deal. In fact, it’s pretty common.
Mothers will often lick their newborns to urge them to stimulate their digestive tracts and eat the poop themselves for the first several weeks.
For a puppy or a dog, eating poop rarely makes them sick. The trouble comes if they eat poop other than their own that has parasites, toxins, or viruses.
In fact, eating the poop of other healthy wild animals or healthy horse or cow manure is actually good for them in small amounts! It creates diversity in the microbiome. But there’s a better way to do that that I’ll tell you about later.
Just remember that dogs don’t have the same baggage around certain things like we humans do.
But still…why?? Let’s get into it.
Why does my dog eat poop?
There are several reasons why your dog might eat poop, but they basically fall into two categories, behavioral and biological.
Biological reasons why dogs eat poop
In my experience, this is the first place to look when coprophagia strikes.
Nutritional Deficiencies
The health of your dog’s microbiome is as critical to their overall health.
The gut microbiome, which consists of trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms, plays a crucial role in digestion, nutrient absorption, and overall immune function. When this delicate balance is disrupted—whether by poor diet, illness, or antibiotic use—your dog may not be properly digesting food or absorbing the nutrients they need. This can lead to behaviors like coprophagia, as your dog instinctively tries to compensate for the missing nutrients or correct the imbalance by seeking out other sources, including poop, to fill those nutritional gaps. This can also explain why some dogs are more attracted to the feces of animals with different diets.
Digestive Issues
Digestive enzymes help to break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates into smaller molecules that the body can easily absorb. When a dog has a deficiency in digestive enzymes, it can lead to poor digestion and nutrient absorption. That means they can poop out undigested food! This can prompt a dog to eat their own feces, or that of other animals, as they attempt to re-digest and extract the nutrients their body needs.
Behavioral reasons why dogs eat poop
Attention Seeking or Attention Avoidance
If you freak out, scream and yell, and make a big fuss about your dog eating a poopsicle, you’re providing attention. Dogs who are desperate for attention know this will surely get them what they want, even if it’s negative.
Dogs who want to avoid that negative attention will sometimes conflate the act of pooping and being bad, so they’ll hide the evidence.
Stress
If a dog is stressed or anxious, dogs may do this as a coping mechanism. They may even do this as a way to combat boredom or pent up energy if they aren’t properly exercised or mentally stimulated.
Learned Behavior
If a pup grows up seeing other dogs eat poop, they can see it as a “when in Rome” situation.
Crate Stress
If a pup has been kept in their crate for long periods and had no option but to poop in there, they may resort to cleaning up the mess this way, especially if they saw mama do this.
Hunger
Yes, when dogs depend on humans and those humans fail them, dogs can resort to eating the nutrition that’s available, including poop. Yet another reason to stay vigilant about where your puppy comes from. Beware of puppy mills.
What can I do about it?
My first piece of advice is: DON’T FREAK OUT.
Don’t scream and yell, don’t make a fuss, don’t punish your dog. Are you disgusted? Sure. But don’t allow that first response to dictate your behavior (and possibly make things worse).
Secondly, DON’T USE POOP AVERSION PRODUCTS
Don’t waste your time and money on additives or medications that are supposed to make the poop “taste bad” or otherwise stop coprophagia.
An extensive study showed that those products really don’t work well.
Instead, use this behavior as an invitation to get curious about what’s going on with your dog. Coprophagia is a sign that something’s up, physically, emotionally, or behaviorally, and you need to get to the bottom of it.
First, do the easy things:
Pick up your yard frequently
Keep your dog on a leash, especially when walking in areas where you know they’ll encounter feces
Provide plenty of exercise and mental stimulation through interactive toys, puzzles, training sessions, and good ol’ fashioned play time with you
Then, do these important things:
1. Invest in a natural, high-quality species specific diet: Feeding your dog quality food may be just the thing they need to stop this behavior. I recommend transitioning your dog to a fresh, raw diet. This is one of the best things you can do for the health and wellbeing of your dog, whether they have coprophagia or not.
My poopsicle eaters came to me as puppies on a kibble diet. Once they fully transitioned to eating raw, coprophagia stopped. I’ve seen this over and over again.
Kibble is the worst food to feed. I realize it’s less expensive and convenient, but much of the nutrients have been baked right out of them from the high temps they use to cook the food. There are plenty of other great options, from freeze-dried and lightly cooked varieties, but the very best option is to feed a fresh, raw diet. We have a free ebook on our website at www.healthyanimalhealing.com that you can download and use as a guide to eliminate all your fears and answer your questions.
2. Supplement your dog’s food with pre and probiotics and digestive enzymes to create a healthy gut microbiome: This allows your dog to access and process all the nutrients from their food to correct any imbalances that might be present. That way, they won’t need to look in the yard for other sources.
At The Healthy Animal Healing Center, we carry a fine product from Adored Beast called Healthy Gut. It contains all the prebiotics, probiotics, and digestive enzymes your dog needs to get their gut back in balance and create a flourishing microbiome.
3. Consult with a holistic vet. Most traditional veterinarians don’t focus on nutrition during their course of study and may not be open to more progressive approaches to diet and food. A holistic vet will be able to give you recommendations that will treat the root cause of your dog’s coprophagia.
I realize that poop-eating behavior is unpleasant and potentially embarrassing. I was pretty horrified when I first saw my puppies do this.
Remember two things:
1. This is not gross or weird to your dog, they’re trying to help themselves deal with a physical or emotional problem.
2. As their caretaker and companion, it’s up to you to find ways to help, not to shame your dog.
With kindness and love, common sense, and good food and supplements, you’ll be able to stop this behavior with little fuss. Your dog will be healthier and happier for it.
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