Coprophagia

Coprophagia is a fancy word for feces eating.  No matter what you call it, humans find the eating of poop disgusting and rightly so.

Many dogs, especially those from puppy mills have a tendency to eat poop either their own or another dogs.  As disgusting as that may be, there are reasons for this behavior especially in the mill survivor. A normal mother will consume the wastes from her puppies as she cleans and stimulates them. But it often goes farther than that.

Overcrowding, poor quality or lack of food, and aggressive behavior from a “cell mate” can be the cause.  Sometimes, as an act of self-preservation, puppy mill survivors resorted to this in order to stay alive.

Another reason is a simple one, if you can imagine, you have a very limited space (usually 3 x 3 ft.) in which to live, eat, sleep and raise your young. You must also defecate in this same area. Although the cages are normally wire bottomed not all of the waste falls through. Now you must either sleep in it or get rid of it one way or another. 

Once out of the mill, some dogs actively seek out poop because they are so used to consuming it. If you have a “seeker”, give them something else to seek. Many dogs like popcorn, so you can try tossing a handful into the yard prior to letting the dog out. They will often turn their attention to finding the popcorn treasures instead of something else. If popcorn doesn’t work for your dog, try something else. It is not what they are finding, it is the act of seeking that is the distraction. 

Over a period of years, this becomes a habit that some find hard to break. Thankfully there are things you can do and products out there to help. 

Most importantly, keep the dogs area free of stool. They cannot eat what they cannot find.

Do not allow your mill dog to go out and take care of business alone. The temptation is going to be greatest right after he /she does the duty so make sure to be there and distract, clean up or move the dog away from the area.

When all else fails, a product called FOR-BID, a safe, vegetable protein and sodium glutamate that works in the digestive system to give stools a bad taste, and yes, it does work. The animals seem to like the initial taste when sprinkled on their food but are usually deterred from consuming the waste product.

Regardless of the reason, the cure lies in understanding the unacceptable behavior and knowing how to intervene.