Darla eating Hugo's poo!

[Chinchi]

We had a huge problem with Darla eating her own poo as a puppy which we thought we had cured. So far Hugo hasn't shown any signs of trying to eat his poo, he will poop and happily come back to me for cuddles and praise. However, today I caught Darla eating one of his poos! I know it's my fault as I should have been better at cleaning up all the doggy poo, but Hugo is pooping so much sometimes it's hard to keep on top of all of them.

Obviously I will be extra vigilant and keep on top of poo clearing as I don't want either of them having a poo snack, but is this a behaviour I should be worried about? I've read it's very common in dogs, but I just don't like the idea and am worried as it can't be great for Darla to do that.

Hugo has also been sick a lot over night, almost every night now. It's always a yellow colour and looks frothy. He has the biggest appetite I have ever seen and always seems hungry. He is growing very fast too and I'm wondering if he's sick overnight as his stomach is empty and he is so hungry?

Anyway, they are both off to the vets for a checkup, but has anyone else experienced these problems before?

 

[jomuir]

We had an English pointer mix years ago, Callie. Our other dog Maxine was eating tons of bird seed, which Callie loved. That was how she started eating poop. It was quite gross . We bought some pills at the pet supply store to feed to Maxine, they made the poop taste bad (you mean it didn't already taste bad?!?) and it pretty much ended the behavior. We are still grossed out 10 years later

Also, as you mentioned, keeping the yard scrupulously clean helped too. I know it's hard esp. at this time of year.

 

[celloyogi]

Hugo has also been sick a lot over night, almost every night now. It's always a yellow colour and looks frothy. He has the biggest appetite I have ever seen and always seems hungry. He is growing very fast too and I'm wondering if he's sick overnight as his stomach is empty and he is so hungry?

Anyway, they are both off to the vets for a checkup, but has anyone else experienced these problems before?

Definitely get the vet checkup. Olive had problems with some parasite, can't remember which but I'll double check and get back to you. She used to think every type of poo was delicious - her own, the cats, deer, squirrels, birds, you name it. We couldn't take our eyes off her for a second because she would find the smallest remnant and *poof* it was down the gullet.

If you have a cat(s), make sure your pups do not have access to the cat pan and any hairballs that may appear. Olive is guaranteed to have stool problems for a day or two if she gets into any of that type of thing.

Even after we figured out Olive's parasite issue, and maintained vigilance to prevent her from indulging her palette, it took us some time to figure out that her food was the cause of the remaining bowel issues. She can't have wheat, corn, or beef. Not a huge issue but after you've eliminated (ha) all other medical causes (parasites, infections, etc), if Darla or Hugo still have problems, try slowly switching to different foods and that might help.

 

[Shelby's mom]

Shelby used to eat her own poo too. We added pineapple to her meals (it is supposed to make poo taste bad). It must have worked because she no longer does it. Now the wild rabbits are another story. Our back yard is a candy store of bunny poo for Shelby. I asked our vet about it and he said it is virtually impossible to stop. We just closely watch for any GI issues and notify the vet immediately, and they monitor her closely for parasites.

She does get her teeth brushed quite a bit

 

[Sheltiemama]

I have one that cleans up the backyard all by himself. BLECH! He lives to eat poo. TOTALLY GROSS and DISGUSTING.

I tried to get the others to eat pineapple so he'd stop. They wouldn't eat it.

All I can do is try to keep the backyard clean. And when it's winter and really cold....it just doesn't happen the way it should

 

[lasheltie]

My dogs love donkey & rabbit poo. YUCK! Cat poo is another treat for them if they find it. I used a product called Forbid. It's a powder that you sprinkle on the food of the pooper & supposedly when they poop the stool has a nasty taste. I even put it in the donkey's food for a while hoping it would help. It seemed to work & ordering it online was cheaper.

 

[Chinchi]

I'm going to switch both of them over to a grain free diet ASAP, I hope that will help with the poop munching. Caught Hugo doing it for the first time today, monkey see, monkey do!

 

[kagzigian]

Hi, I'm not sure that a grain free diet will stop the poo eating. All of my fur babies (3 Shelties & 5 Persians) are grain free and 2 of the shelties LOVE poo (especially kitty poo). I just do my best to keep the yard clear and the litter box gated off. Best of luck and bon appetite

 

[BarbV]

In my experience, grain free won't help. I've been on grain free for years and Indy still eats Bacca's poop. But mostly only in the winter.....its the poosicle thing, I think.

There are oral products you can buy but I've never actually tried them. There are products to feed to the other dog, and products to feed to the poop eating dog. I've mixed reviews so far.

These days I resort to my handheld ultrasonic remote trainer when I catch him in the act. One press and he disengages immediately and comes running back. Then praise and treats. (This has certainly worked for him barking at the printer). I don't even use the remote any more, I just say "ah" and he stops.

 

[Chinchi]

In my experience, grain free won't help. I've been on grain free for years and Indy still eats Bacca's poop. But mostly only in the winter.....its the poosicle thing, I think.

Ok, so it's not necessarily a diet deficiency causing it? I've read so many mixed views on why dogs do it, and I'm still no closer as to finding why Darla and Hugo are doing it. They prefer the fresh, slightly soft poos and will gobble those faster than you can blink! I'm not sure whether it started off as Darla being all mummy and cleaning up after Hugo, and he has copied her. I'm going to try the pineapple chunks in their food tonight, so I will keep you posted.