Friends who raise dogs, have you ever secretly observed your dog's eating behavior to see what he likes to eat or if he has ever secretly eaten anything strange? The strange things in question are feces, or poop for short. Have you ever wondered why dogs still choose to eat their own poop even though we feed them good food? Everyone hates stinky things, but why does our dog find it delicious? He eats poop becauseIs he hungry, seeking attention, or what?
Dog eats poop If it's a stray dog, it might be normal because they have no food to eat. But if it's a pet dog, why does he choose to eat poop instead of the food we give him? The behavior of dogs eating their own poop can occur for 2 reasons: from the dog's own health and from their behavior or habits. But the care from the owner also has a part to play. Let's see why dogs like to eat their own poop and what we should do if we want to stop this behavior.
If the dog's digestive system is not good and cannot digest the food it eats, such as the pancreas not producing digestive juices, the poop that comes out still has meat or food components left, making the dog want to eat it back. Or another reason is that the dog is still hungry all the time because the body needs nutrients, so it asks for something to put in its mouth to enjoy. But eating poop is too much, isn't it, little one?
Another cause is behavioral problems that cause him to develop bad habits. Statistics show that dogs that like to eat their own poop are mostly female dogs more than male dogs, and it happens more to young dogs than old dogs. The reason why the dog eats poop may be because the dog is bored, the owner keeps it in a cage all the time, and there is no good cleaning or hygiene. When the dog poops all over its body, it cleans itself by licking until it gets used to licking poop, and licks more until it becomes a habit. This kind of behavior is often found in small dogs that are kept in cages, especially pet stores that are not cleaned well enough, or because the dog is always punished after defecating in the wrong place. The owner may hit or scold it loudly until it becomes afraid. The dog will eat its own poop immediately after defecating to avoid being scolded.
In addition, a mother dog who has just given birth, during the first 2-3 weeks of raising her puppies, the mother dog will lick the feces of her own puppies to stimulate the puppies' anus. And when the feces of the puppies flow out, the mother will eat the feces of the puppies to maintain cleanliness, causing the mother dog to become accustomed and develop the habit of eating feces.
Solving the Problem of Dogs Eating Poop
If our dog eats poop due to a health problem, the owner should take the dog to a veterinarian for a checkup and treatment. However, if the dog eats poop due to his own behavior, we must solve the problem by trying to create new habits for him, as follows:
1. Train your dog to poop in a specific place and we should pick up the poop immediately to prevent the dog from seeing the delicious food that it likes (poop).
2. Make the poop look cute and disgusting. If you can't clean the poop in time, make the poop look unappetizing, such as sprinkling pepper, mixing it with salt, or adding chili powder. Make it as spicy as an after-yum restaurant until your dog is scared of the taste of the poop.
3. Feed your dog food by adding ingredients to make the poop smell unusual, such as adding vegetable oil to the food or adding vegetables that contain fiber to make the dog full easily and the poop will have a different color and smell than before.
Dogs eating poop won’t be a big problem if we understand the causes and how to adjust their behavior. But if our dogs eat only good, nutritious food, “poop” also contains good nutrients. If our dogs eat it, it means that they are getting complete nutrition. You can think like this, all dog owners. But don’t try to eat the same food as our dogs.
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References
Dr. Oraya Prapanpoj, veterinarian at the Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Surgery and Department of Cardiology, Talingchan Animal Hospital
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