If you look at the pet products marketplace, there are 11 major brands of commercial coprophagia products. I thought it might be interesting to compare and contrast the various brands by ingredient (see the matrix below). In doing so, I found some pretty interesting things:
- Several brands contain Chamomile, Yucca, Garlic or Parsley, all of which the ASPCA claims are poisonous to dogs.
- The most common ingredient in coprophagia remedies was Monosodium Glutamate / Gluatmic Acid. In fact, 7 out of the 11 brands use it. Some dogs (and many humans) have bad reactions to this chemical.
- Seven of the brands had Thiamin or other B Vitamins.
- Another five of the brands contain Yucca Schidigera, a flowering plant that grows in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. This plant is used as a deodorizer in many pet foods and preparations.
- Those same five brands also use parsley, which is another deodorizing agent used in pet foods (and not good for dogs, as I pointed out above).
- Excel Deter and Drs Foster & Smith Dis-Taste have very similar ingredients.
- 21st Century Coprophagia Deterrence, NaturVet Coprophagia Deterrent and Nasty Habit are also very similar to each other. Two of them have almost identical formulations.
- Interestingly, For-Bid only has two ingredients: MSG and Wheat Gluten.
To go directly to “How To Stop Poop Eating” click here ->
Anyway, take a look for yourself, the ingredient matrix I put together is here:
photo credit: e-magic
My name is Vernon Lee and I've been training dogs for nearly 30 years. Over that time I have had countless people ask me what to do about coprophagia.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Our puppy eats his own poop so quickly after going I doubt any deterrent would even work – he is gobbling it down without even chewing so he doesn’t even taste it!
I just submitted a comment but it was Forbid and not Distaste that I bought. Sorry for the confusion. It is the one with wheat gluten.
I just bought the distaste powder and it has wheat gluten. Now, I am concerned this could be harmful to my dog. Is it? Should I continue to use?
My vet told me to go to the grocery and buy Adolph s meat tenderizer as opposed to paying big money for the for-bid product. So far not helping. Sneaking out when I can to sprinkle Tabasco on it is helping along with recall with a “leave it”, clicker and treat in my hand. Since she was clicker trained as a puppy she knows what it is and responds. If no Tabasco she thinks its a game.
The dogs are bored and it is just something to do. an active dog with owner attention has less problems.
I read your list and it confirms the frightening labels I have been reading for a couple of hours. There chemicals banned for what they do t a body had people have died. Yeast? Bad especially if you have dogs prone to feet or ear infections….MSG and more that could cause damage to mitochondria in dog or human. I have just ordered your information so am not sure what it has. But your chart is heart breaking if you really love and care for your animals.
Since the main ingredient in most all of these is MSG, wouldn’t it be more cost effective to purchase some at the grocery store, and sprinkle it on their food? Would that deter them from eating their food? If not, why would it deter them from eating their poop? I’m confused.
I buy some well known (and supposedly very healthy) dog treats that contain chamomile and parsley. Why would so many dog products (especially ones who’s makers have studied and purposely added these ingredients for supposed health benefits) contain these if they are really bad/toxic to dogs?
I just caught one of my dogs eating poop straight from my other dog as she was pooping ! It’s probably not the first time she’s eaten poop but it’s certainly the first time I’ve caught her doing that ! Any idea of the most likely reason for that behaviour ? Thanks.
I used the naturvet coprophagia deterrent on my beagle boy and my jackabee girl and they had bad reactions to it. They both had frequent urination problems and dihreah, and my boy also had nausea. I suggest just training and enforcing instead I will not try any more of these products.
@ ColleenS: Good point. Both garlic and onions contain sodium n-propylthiosulphate which can cause haemolytic anaemia in dogs. This is often fatal. Onions are MUCH more dangerous than garlic to dogs. Garlic is said to be tolerable in small doses, but I really don’t think feeding a dog something that’s even mildly poisonous is a good idea.
I think the ASPCA also considers garlic (in 3 preparations above) a poison to cats and dogs but I’ve also found it in cat and dog foods. Some holistic foods contain it??? Amebic Disentery in humans has been treated with arsenic.