eew, poo eating

[mtoy]

Link is eating his poo, and maybe Millie's too. I've searched on the subject, and seen a bunch of reasons why he may be doing this but none really fit. It's always right after breakfast, so he's not hungry then. He's certainly not lonely or neglected, stool samples have always been negative. I'm thinking it's because he would always graze in the garden for extra food, and now that the garden is done with and frozen he's only finding poo to eat in the yard. We've been picking it up but he likes it fresh, and he's very quick about it.

I've started feeding him a bit more food, in case it really is hunger. I may change foods as we really noticed it after we finished the bag of Eagle Pack and went back to Canidae. I've seen home remedies like putting pumpkin or pineapple in their food - is there anything else I can do?

[Jespah]

It's pretty common and could be just a stage. Wolves do it in the wild as the digestive process is so quick, poo contains lots of undigested nutrients.

Does Millie eat a different food? He may just simply like the taste - as disgusting as that seems. My two eat cat poop as often as they can can scam it - and as my vet said, it's just cat food come out the other end!

Pumpkin won't stop him - be careful with pineapple, it's very acidic and could bother Millie's system.

You may just have to get quicker than him. Or you could set him up. Get someone outside with the hose ready to go on full blast. Let him out and without saying anything let him have it when he goes for it. He won't equate any of you with doing it if you don't say anything. At least for the first few times.

Good luck!!

[Vannette]

I've tried everything. But the other day I did read fig newtons 2-3 a day even the generic ones will work. Now, I'm not sure who you would feed them to. Cody only eats his own. gross. If I continue feeding raw he doesn't do it (at least I haven't noticed it) but if I feed dry food he does. So it must be how it is digested. Right now, I'm back on a dry to see if his itching is food related.

[manymuddypaws]

there are commercial fixes that you could try- For-bid is one, and there is another called Deter. Not sure how well they work but would be worth it to try.

[mtoy]

It's pretty common and could be just a stage. Wolves do it in the wild as the digestive process is so quick, poo contains lots of undigested nutrients.

Does Millie eat a different food? He may just simply like the taste - as disgusting as that seems. My two eat cat poop as often as they can can scam it - and as my vet said, it's just cat food come out the other end!

Pumpkin won't stop him - be careful with pineapple, it's very acidic and could bother Millie's system.

You may just have to get quicker than him. Or you could set him up. Get someone outside with the hose ready to go on full blast. Let him out and without saying anything let him have it when he goes for it. He won't equate any of you with doing it if you don't say anything. At least for the first few times.

Good luck!!

We try to keep Millie on the same food for simplicity, so yup, it's the same one. Yes I worry about feeding pineapple, it could tear her up.

I think the only way we could be quicker than him is to bring him out on a leash, but then he doesn't like to "go". Yesterday I watched as he squatted to poo, whipped around mid-"movement", took a bite and gulped it up as he finished his business. Then he went back for more. The water could work but it will have to be a water gun - it's too cold for hoses.

One thing I've noticed about Link is that his poo doesn't smell so poo-ish - it still smells like food. He must have a very quick system.

[mtoy]

I've tried everything. But the other day I did read fig newtons 2-3 a day even the generic ones will work. Now, I'm not sure who you would feed them to. Cody only eats his own. gross. If I continue feeding raw he doesn't do it (at least I haven't noticed it) but if I feed dry food he does. So it must be how it is digested. Right now, I'm back on a dry to see if his itching is food related.

Interesting, fig newtons - YUM! I wonder if Link eats his when he has raw, I don't know. Millie can't handle raw so it's really hard to feed Link raw and Millie kibble. Hmmm, will have to check this.

[mtoy]

there are commercial fixes that you could try- For-bid is one, and there is another called Deter. Not sure how well they work but would be worth it to try.

I wonder what they put in them? Millie is so "delicate" I like to know before I buy something I can't use on her.

[Vannette]

ok...I still have them both...For-bid has wheat gluten and monosodium glutamate. Deter has Natural fermented vegetable extract, thiamine hydrochloride, capsicum oleoresin
Indepentant testing has shown DETER to be 95-98% effective in stopping coprophagia Their words.
I still think it's undigested nutrients. I also tried adding probotics and something else along the same line to help him absorb his food better. raw worked best. Easier digested. But, you know that. Dry is just so much easier and cleaner.

[mtoy]

Thanks for posting the ingredients. Oy, MSG? I don't want to feed my dogs that.

We just had Link out for his after breakfast snack - sure 'nuf, he did it. DH and I opened the windows and yelled at him but he didn't care, he just chomped away. He only came when we offered a treat.

[taflar]

Link is eating his poo, and maybe Millie's too. I've searched on the subject, and seen a bunch of reasons why he may be doing this but none really fit. It's always right after breakfast, so he's not hungry then. He's certainly not lonely or neglected, stool samples have always been negative. I'm thinking it's because he would always graze in the garden for extra food, and now that the garden is done with and frozen he's only finding poo to eat in the yard. We've been picking it up but he likes it fresh, and he's very quick about it.

I've started feeding him a bit more food, in case it really is hunger. I may change foods as we really noticed it after we finished the bag of Eagle Pack and went back to Canidae. I've seen home remedies like putting pumpkin or pineapple in their food - is there anything else I can do?

They don't do it because they're hungry. So he doesn't need more food. No one is really sure why and the only sure way to stop it is prevention. Meaning pick it up before he has a chance to get to it.

Many have tried the "remedies" and so far I've not heard of one that has worked for a reasonable time or with more than one dog. If you try something that does work be sure to share it as this is a common dog problem. (Not just corgis!)

Peggy

[mtoy]

We have a possible idea why this is suddenly happening. Last week we put up a new bird feeder in the back yard. Link grazes below it for all the dropped seeds, which then end up in his poo. Millie always had a bird seed habit too. We moved the feeder to the front yard so time will tell. I also added pineapple to Link's diet (just because I happened to have some left over) and a supplement that contains some digestive enzymes to both of their dinners (again, it was already in the cupboard so why not).

Time will tell...

[mtoy]

Since I was up so early this morning I was able to take him out on a long leash for his morning business. He balked at first (in the backyard he doesn't like to do it on a leash) but then he went. As soon as he started to whip around for a taste I told him to leave it. Then I shook some cayenne pepper on it and did the same to Millie's droppings. He didn't like that at all. I'm hoping the pepper will teach him to just stay away from the crap, where picking it up immediately (which doesn't really fit in to our style) doesn't give the same unpleasantness.

[MrsGrace]

Since I was up so early this morning I was able to take him out on a long leash for his morning business. He balked at first (in the backyard he doesn't like to do it on a leash) but then he went. As soon as he started to whip around for a taste I told him to leave it. Then I shook some cayenne pepper on it and did the same to Millie's droppings. He didn't like that at all. I'm hoping the pepper will teach him to just stay away from the crap, where picking it up immediately (which doesn't really fit in to our style) doesn't give the same unpleasantness.

Nice! Let us know how that works out!

Now, I just need a remedy for always managing to FIND piles of poo to step in on our walks! :TWITCHY:

[mtoy]

Update: Both dogs are now eating a mix of Canidae and Wellness Core. Link gets 1/2 a Trader Joes Papaya and Pineapple Enzyme tablet w/his evening meal and both dogs get a sprinkle of Accent (MSG - yes, it's bad stuff but poo eating is worse? This is only temporary until the habit is broken, hopefully). Anyway, both dogs are tooting in a major way! STINKY! I don't know if it's the food mix or the Accent?

Link IS NOT whipping around to eat his fresh poo! He ignores it. But this morning I did see him eat a poopsicle. It's been too cold and windy for me to get out to pick it up, maybe today I'll get out there. It could have been a pre-Accent poopsicle as we just started using the stuff this weekend, first on Link, then on Millie.

[manymuddypaws]

the gas is most likely caused by the food mixing. depending on the pooches tummies it should go away soon...Good Luck in the meantime!! :o)

[Bobbie]

I recently read an article that said to sprinkle popcorn on the lawn, and your dog would learn to search for that and bypass the less tasty piles. If it is just a bad habit that might work; once he gets the idea that there might be better things than poop out there, you would not have to do the popcorn all the time- just often enough to keep him interested.

[mtoy]

I recently read an article that said to sprinkle popcorn on the lawn, and your dog would learn to search for that and bypass the less tasty piles. If it is just a bad habit that might work; once he gets the idea that there might be better things than poop out there, you would not have to do the popcorn all the time- just often enough to keep him interested.

That's interesting. Easy to try, too.

He was just out there again and ignored his poop once more - yay!

[CorgiMum]

I think the only way we could be quicker than him is to bring him out on a leash, but then he doesn't like to "go".

If you take him out on a leash, and then give him a small treat when he goes, that should change the direction of his interest. It worked for Danny. When we first brought him home he thought his stool was just another play thing.:CONFUSED:

[ColColt]

I've tried For-Bid and it does work but, once you stop using it, back to square one. I don't like the wheat gluten as an ingredient so, I stopped using it after several days. The capsicum oleoresin in the Deter is an ingredient in pepper spray, if I'm not mistaken, and I'm not crazy about that either.

[dcole]

Poopscicles and play things.

I'm so glad that Trevor never took any epicurean interest in his poo!! :LAUGH: