Gun Dog Forum

My one 8 month old pointer is become a proficient poop eater, not just his, but his brothers as well. I'm thinking I better try and change his ways. Anyone have a solution that usually works to curve his nasty appetite??

Steve

What food are you feeding?

I have changed food several times and it doesn't seem to matter. Right now I'm feeding Purina Pro Plan Sport. He is a tough one to keep weight on so I've also supplemented buttermilk and now canola oil instead. I think I've allowed it to become a habit now as he does it more often. If I'm close to him he doesn't try it because I've gotten after him for it. Maybe I'll have to start following him around in the yard to keep him from it, but that's not easy.

Steve

Many dogs like to eat frozen poop. My vet calls them poopsicles. It is disgusting but don't seem to hurt them and they quit when warm weather comes. Hope somebody has a cure. Cj

My boy likes them fresh. I pick up after them for the most part but they run the yard a lot and I can't watch everything.

Saw a vet explain this on tv a few weeks ago. Said that dogs eat any poop, but esp. cat poop, when there is excess fats past in the poop and not absorbed by the animal who passed said poop. True/False beats me, i'm rolling with it just for the fact I don't want to think of my dog as one of those "paste eater" types!

Onk wrote:Saw a vet explain this on tv a few weeks ago. Said that dogs eat any poop, but esp. cat poop, when there is excess fats past in the poop and not absorbed by the animal who passed said poop. True/False beats me, i'm rolling with it just for the fact I don't want to think of my dog as one of those "paste eater" types!

+1

My vet said the exact same. She actually asked me if my Britt ate poop because apparently they are know for it? My big problem is rabbit poop. Won't touch anything else, but he thinks rabbit droppings are jelly beans or something.

Well if eating poop is bad for a dog, go tell that to my 10 year old female ACD!

It still grosses me out:-(

Interesting because I always thought it was a female dog thing.

It may be the extra fat because I am always trying to get their weights up. I noticed if I don't feed him enough he gets really bad at it, as if he's starving.

My lab did this years ago, and the copraphagia pills did work. FOR-BID is one brand name, but there are others. If you have multiple dogs and your dog is an equal opportunity poop eater, you'd have to give them all the pills, and make sure the yard is clean of unmedicated dog bombs before you start on them.

Okay, I ordered some For-Bid and will start it when it gets here. Thanks, Steve

My pointer loves a good rabbit or coyote turd, but never her own. Just hoping she grows out of it.

About 45 years ago I was working as a guide dog trainer. Back then the dogs were fed on raw whalemeat and biscuit. Poop eating was a very rare thing. There were about 60 + dogs in the kennels but only 2 of them were poop eaters.Then it was decided to cease to feed the raw meat and plain biscuit and to feed one of the first all-in-one dog food kibbles on the market.

The number of poop eaters increased almost at once. Along with everyone else I wanted to know why and the reason given was that the kibble had additives that made the food more attractive to dogs. It still smelled a bit like food when it emerged from the "other end" and so dogs ate it. I have believed this has a lot to do with poop eating ever since. Nothing I ever tried such as dosing poop with mustard prevented the dogs from eating it, I still don't have any definite cures for this behaviour.

Bill T.

I have no problem with my dogs eating cat poop or horse poop (which has been proven to be good for them as horses digestive system is inefficient and good enzymes are expelled with their poop), but it's nasty when they eat their own or their mates poop.

My 9 yr old bitch has gotten so bad that I give her a bowl of food but won't eat it right away. She would go outside and rather eat poop instead.

SCT wrote:My one 8 month old pointer is become a proficient poop eater, not just his, but his brothers as well. I'm thinking I better try and change his ways. Anyone have a solution that usually works to curve his nasty appetite??

Steve

May I please borrow him for awhile?

My vet sold me some stuff to sprinkle in the food when my setter pup was doing the same thing. It was kind of expensive since I had to put it all of the dogs food and it didn't seem to be 100% effective. I think they sell a similar, and cheaper, product at some of the big box pet stores.

My dog just kind of grew out of it.

Usually can be attributed to boredom when in the kennel or yard. Food seems to have little to nothing to do with it.

Ezzy

ezzy333 wrote:Usually can be attributed to boredom when in the kennel or yard. Food seems to have little to nothing to do with it.

Ezzy

I disagree with you based on personal experience.

Yeah, I know it's not boredom. He's been in the field a lot, just got back from 5 days in ID.

brad27 wrote:

ezzy333 wrote:Usually can be attributed to boredom when in the kennel or yard. Food seems to have little to nothing to do with it.

Ezzy

I disagree with you based on personal experience.

+1...mine too no rhyme or reason...not boredom...more likes taste and thinks they are "fun"

PntrRookie wrote:

brad27 wrote:

ezzy333 wrote:Usually can be attributed to boredom when in the kennel or yard. Food seems to have little to nothing to do with it.

Ezzy

I disagree with you based on personal experience.

+1...mine too no rhyme or reason...not boredom...more likes taste and thinks they are "fun"

Mine started being interested in them when I switched foods. She wasn't full on eating them, but just starting to nibble. Switched back to my normal food and the problem went away.

I put pineapple juice and pineapple chunks in the fod. The dogs liked the food but started to leave the poop alone. Not sure if its 100% effective but it definitely slowed them way down on the poop eating

My young dog started eating my old dog's poop. It got so that he would not even wait until she was done. He would sneak right up behind her and eat it right out of the tapper. Pretty gross. I switched to a different food and he quit right away.

Pineapple does work. I had this problem with a mutt when I was a teen. I added some orange peels and pineapple chunks in with food, solved the problem. It changes the taste, but I wouldn't recommend a taste test.

Pineapple does work...I added some orange peels and pineapple chunks in with food, solved the problem.

How long do you need to keep them on this?

My Vizsla has been a poop eater for 13 yrs now with no side effects other than making me cringe when I saw him first do it. Now I don't even pay any attention to what he is doing. He seems to like it more during the fall and winter than spring and summer. Won't eat his own or another males poop but if its a females poo it's fair game.

One of my Pointer pups has been known to raid the kitty litter box from time to time. He loves the cat poo but hates the cat that it came from! I keep telling him if he runs the source off there will be no more!

SCT,
If the FOR-BID does not stop the problem then I would try these enzymes. http://www.nzymes.com

http://www.nzymes.com/store/pc/BacPak-P ... ms-7p9.htm