Dog Health Blog

Have you caught your dog eating poop? As disturbing as it might be, it’s rather common. Dogs occasionally eat poop — their poop and others. Oprophagia is the scientific name for poop-eating, and it’s a common behavior with young dogs. Most dogs, though, will outgrow this behavior within a few weeks.

There are lots of different ideas about why dogs eat poop. Some think that a dog eats poop when he’s missing something in his diet. And while there are some health ailments — such as intestinal disorders, parasitic infestations or starvation — that can lead to malnutrition, they aren’t very common.

Usually, dogs are attracted to poop because it smells like it might be good to eat. If you catch your dog heading for a pile when you’re out for a walk, simply pick up the poop. You can also try putting unpleasant substances on the poop — such as Tabasco sauce or an available powder called “Forbid” — but even these measures don’t always deter determined dogs.

Tags: why does my dog eat poop?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pm and is filed under pet health questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.