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Published in the Ithaca Journal on Tuesday, November 18, 2003
A delicate question receives a straight answer
Spotlight on Pet Behavior
By MICHELLE BAMBERGER
Special to the Journal
Question: We have a three-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Teddy Bear who eats his own feces as well as that of our other Yorkies. We have tried putting hot pepper on his feces and adding a powder to his food that is supposed to make his feces taste bad. If anything, the problem has worsened and seems especially bad in winter. Is there anything we can do to break him of this nasty habit?Answer: The problem you describe is known as coprophagy, meaning “feces eating”. Coprophagy is a normal behavior in rabbits and rodents, but also occurs in pigs, horses, non-human primates and, as you are well aware, dogs. In the dog, it is considered a normal behavior, but only in the context of a bitch eating the feces of her puppies to keep the nest site clean.
As to why dogs eat their own feces, there are many theories. Some people believe that dogs eat their feces to make up for something missing in their diet. Others believe that the problem may be caused by a lack of enzymes produced by the pancreas. Still others believe that dogs, especially if on a high fat meat-based diet, enjoy the taste of their excrement as if it were a special treat. And since owners usually react dramatically to this behavior, it may be a good way for the dog to attract the owner’s attention and to keep repeating the behavior.
Before deciding on what treatment to try next, first be sure that Teddy Bear is healthy, is eating a balanced diet and has normal stools (no parasites, blood or bacterial overgrowth) as determined by your veterinarian. You might consider changing Teddy Bear’s diet to one with a little more fiber; this may help to produce a slightly looser stool which may not be as appealing, especially in winter time. Another suggestion I especially like is to increase the dog’s exercise. Lack of exercise is the cause of many behavioral problems and may be the cause of coprophagy, especially in a young, active dog with lots of energy. Another idea that sometimes works is to make mealtime more of a game, by hiding foods and having the dog search for them. You might also train Teddy Bear to “drop” or “leave” the feces when you catch him in the act; once he stops, call him to you and give him praise and a treat. You might also watch for the sniffing behavior that usually precedes the act of eating; again if you observe this, call Teddy Bear to you immediately and give him a treat. A friend of mine has trained her Labrador retriever to sniff out the feces in her large yard, enabling her to remove the feces before her dog can consume them when he is out by himself.
If none of the above treatments are successful, you might try using a remote-controlled citronella spray collar on Teddy Bear. A recent study out of Northern Ireland showed this method to be quite effective, but the owner had to be present whenever the dog was let outside to be able to catch the dog in the act and then activate the collar. It might be easier and far less costly to simply be with Teddy Bear on lead whenever he is outside! If the behavior has been occurring for a long time, it may be very difficult to break, even after trying many treatments. Keep in mind that as long as Teddy Bear is healthy and is not harboring parasites, eating his own feces will probably not harm him.
Michelle Bamberger is a veterinarian and owner of Vet Behavior Consults (www.vetbehaviorconsults.com), a practice based in Ithaca and devoted exclusively to solving behavioral problems in small, large and exotic animals. Send questions for her column to mjb57@cornell.edu, mail them Care of Jessica Keltz to The Ithaca Journal, 123 West State St., Ithaca, NY, 14850, or fax them to 277-6845.