Grey Eating Her Own And Sisters Bowel Movements. Please Help

[Guest samandmarissa]

Please help if you can. I don't know what to do. I know that for all their grace and poise, greyhounds are, at their core, still dogs, but I just cannot get over how my Adelaide eats her own and her sister's feces.

 

When we first got Addie, she was a sister to our boy, Fletch, but when we lost him to osteo, she became an only dogs for about 8 months. About 3 or 4 months after Fletch died, I noticed that Addie would sometimes burp and her breath would smell so bad and I began suspecting that she was eating her feces. So I began watching her when we'd let her in the yard to do her business and sure enough, she'd got out, do her business and start wandering around and within a few minutes, she'd start eating it. I'd immediately call her in and after a few weeks of that, we consulted our vet who has a long history of working with greyhounds. He provided one major cause: She's lonely. She used to being in a multi-grey household and when she goes outside, once she does her business, she's bored. His recommendation was to get another dog. So a few months later, we got Sloane.

 

I will say that the first few weeks we had Sloane, Addie completely stopped eating her poop. But we've had Sloane about 4 months now and I'd noticed the bad breath again and sure enough, Addie's is back at it, but now it's worse! Now, she will stand next to Sloane while she does her business and as soon as Sloane walks away, Addie will dig right in! I can't stand it! I know this isn't the most pleasant topic, but I don't know what to do! She has a friend in the yard with her now, she gets plenty to eat, we keep her on a fairly normal schedule, she gets plenty of treats. I just don't understand why she does this!

 

Any advice you can provide would be so appreciated!

[o_rooly]

Are you sure this shouldn't be posted in the Food & Dietary forum?

Seriously, though -- I haven't experienced this firsthand (fortunately), but I've seen the issue come up on here from time to time. Sounds like the various retail solutions (food additives to make poop taste awful to dogs, etc.) are generally not reliable. Perhaps invest in a muzzle with a stool guard for when Addie's outside: http://www.greyhoundsonly.com/greyhounds-only-store/accessories/236-stool-guard or http://www.k-9designs.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=89 , or there are other googly options out there

Hope this helps!

[DofSweetPotatos]

Muzzle with a poop cup, or scoop as soon as your dogs go. Don't give her a chance to Dine. Perhaps even leash walking each to collect their poop before they are allowed to wander in their yard

[greysmom]

It's a *really* common problem. Out of the nine greyhounds we've had, three have been copraphagic (poop eaters), and we have two currently. We've tried just about everything, and the only thing that works reliably is a muzzle with a stool guard and keeping the yard extremely clean. We practically pick up the poop before it gets cool, though that doesn't help for our boy who will poop and turn right around and chow down.

 

The two of them wear their stool-guarded muzzles every time they go out, no matter what the purpose.

[Guest june]

It's a *really* common problem. Out of the nine greyhounds we've had, three have been copraphagic (poop eaters), and we have two currently. We've tried just about everything, and the only thing that works reliably is a muzzle with a stool guard and keeping the yard extremely clean. We practically pick up the poop before it gets cool, though that doesn't help for our boy who will poop and turn right around and chow down.

 

The two of them wear their stool-guarded muzzles every time they go out, no matter what the purpose.

This!

[macoduck]

Ditto on using the muzzles with the stool guard. Be prepared for a dirty muzzle though.

 

Add a bit of pineapple juice in both their kibble bowls. That's what finally convinced my Gracie to dislike the poop. Might not work on every dog though.

[a_daerr]

Yep, sounds like typical coprophagia. Muzzle with a stool guard is your best bet.

Sometimes, taste deterrent supplements can help.

[Houndtime]

Be diigent and pick up. I don't have that problem with our boys, but as soon as that poop hits the ground, we pick it up. When Fuzzy was sick, for some reason, and I guess he was hungry, he tried to do that for a while. We yelled no and he would run away. There are over the counter supplements to try as well as the pineapple juice. The juice worked for my DD's grey.

[Guest DogNewbie]

I don't know if it is the same for dogs, but I know that in horses, if they eat poop, it can be a sign that their diet is deficient in something. Maybe you can get her blood tested and see if she is deficient in a vitamin, macro or micro mineral.

[Guest Lillypad]

Don't have this problem, thank goodness, but found this site..http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/coprophagia-eating-feces which may help. DogNewbie may be on to something when she said diet may be a factor. I feed a raw food diet. Heard that kibble can sometimes have bulk, fiber and undigested particles that are appealing to dogs.... perhaps it's a matter of "third time is the charm"... ha,ha.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Lillypad

[greysmom]

One of mine poop eaters was in a starvation situation prior to her coming to us. I believe this was what started it for her. The other has seizures and is completely OCD about anything remotely resembling food. Neither of them have shown any dietary deficiencies in testing.

 

If you try the pineapple juice remedy, I believe it needs to be fresh juice and not canned or bottled. There is supposedly an enzyme in the fresh fruit that makes the poop unpalatable.

[3greytjoys]

A few thoughts:

 

- As others mentioned, environmental management is key. It's very important to not allow her access to poops. Follow the dogs outside to clean up immediately to help prevent the behavior. (The more a dog succeeds in snagging bites of poop, the sooner it can become a habit.)

 

- If Addie hasn't had a recent fecal test, please do so to confirm parasites are not robbing her of her own food nutrients.

 

- Check Addie's kibble bag feeding chart to ensure she is getting enough daily calories for that particular food. (You probably know a healthy Greyhound pet weight is seeing the last two ribs. Many Greyhounds do well eating two meals per day, plus a small bedtime snack.)

 

- If you decide to use a muzzle with stool guard, please don't leave a dog unsupervised with a stool guard in place. (If the dog vomits, he/she could choke and drown from vomit trapped in the guard cup. When dogs vomit, they typically hang their head down which forces the stool guard into a bowl/cup position.)

 

- Certain medications can cause stool eating in certain dogs. (This happened to one of our hounds. After we changed the medication, the sudden coprophagia behavior stopped.)

 

- Good to try to prevent your girl from eating other animals' poop while in public to help prevent ingestion of other animals' parasites, etc.

 

The following is not Addie's issue. Just a mention for other readers (who might be new to dogs) to be careful to not scold dogs for eliminating in inappropriate areas (e.g. indoors). Better option is to catch them in the act and calmly and quietly rush them to an appropriate dog business area outside. Then happily praise them for doing business in the correct area.

 

Here is an excellent veterinary page link re: coprophagia: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1613

[gracegirl]

For a short time our airedale did this. We would go out with him and correct him every single time. Then I caught Grace snacking a few times. Same with her, a few corrections and she quit. We bought a supplement called Nasty Habit from petsmart. I still have part of the bottle and would be happy to send it to you if you could cover the shipping costs. Just PM me if you are interested.

Edited January 18, 2014 by gracegirl

[PrairieProf]

Beth is a crazed poop eater...and it happens at the dog park so no way to manage it. I confirmed with my vet and it is NOT a medical issue or a sign of nutrient deficiency. Some dogs just really see it as a super high value treat. Especially frozen. And some dogs' poop has a lot of fat etc. so it's alluring. Dogs also like rabbit, deer, duck poop etc. Any easy fix if it's your own yard. I really hope my next grey won't be a poop - eater but it's nothing to get all panicked about.

Edited January 18, 2014 by PrairieProf

[macoduck]

If you try the pineapple juice remedy, I believe it needs to be fresh juice and not canned or bottled. There is supposedly an enzyme in the fresh fruit that makes the poop unpalatable.

We used a half of a single serving can of pineapple juice with each meal.

[Vin0770]

Coprophagia huh...well at least now I know what to call it now when I say...."Lola has another one in her mouth!"...

Edited January 18, 2014 by Vin0770

[Acadianarose]

Payton will occasionally eat poop. I try to make sure I keep it cleaned up. Also, he will leave it if I tell him to.

 

Payton will eat cat poop any time he gets a chance so I am constantly scooping the litter box. A couple of days ago, we were on our way to Petsmart and I scooped the litter box before we left. I set the bag outside the door while I ran back inside real quick. Payton got into the bag, ate the poop and then panted over the back of my neck the whole 20 minute drive to Petsmart. Yuck! I brushed his teeth but his breath was horrible!