Up until a few weeks ago I was buying homemade dog food from a guy named Tad at the farmer's market. It was made from grass fed beef from his ranch and organic vegetables. It cost me about as much as my car payment every month, but my dogs loved it! Why do I go [...]
How to stop dogs from eating poop is a question that vets and trainers get asked almost every day. A recent study from the University of California, Davis showed that 16% of all dogs eat poop at some point in their lifetime, so it's actually a very common problem. Common or not, it's disgusting to [...]
Dogs usually eat poop because of issues with their food or overall gut health. However, it can be a result of disease, dietary insufficiencies or behavioral problems. It’s important to evaluate all of the possible reasons and consider your dog’s age, training, living conditions and overall diet. PRO TIP: Here's the most effective way to [...]
If I had to name the one thing that is responsible for most cases of coprophagia (poop eating), I would have to say it's diet. Most of the time, it's really that simple. Put a dog on a biologically appropriate diet, and presto, the coprophagia goes away! Do dogs eat poop for other reasons? Yes. [...]
If you spend any time searching on the internet, you will find dozens of recommendations for coprophagia home remedies. Everything from crushed up Certs candies, to garlic, pineapple, and dozens of other plants, foods and substances. Most of the recommendations I've seen are harmless, but some are downright dangerous, so I though it would be [...]
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 [...]
If you do a bit of reading on the internet, you will find that there is really very little scientific knowledge on coprophagia. Sometimes there appear to be health reasons for the behavior. These situations are relatively rare, and to be sure, there are many perfectly healthy dogs that eat poop. However, it is always [...]
One of the most frequent recommendations I've seen for stopping coprophagia is pineapple. I have personally had no luck with pineapple, and after doing a bit of web research I've found lots of recommendations for it but very few documented success stories. Coprophagia is often said to be initiated by an enzyme deficiency. I'm sure [...]
Many people ask me what to do about dogs that like to raid the litter box of a cat that shares the same household. One of the most common questions is whether one can feed cats coprophagia deterrents meant for dogs. The short answer is no. Most commercial deterrents are not formulated for cats. You [...]
Good quality foods cost quite a bit more than the stuff that you buy at your local supermarket. Premium foods are sometimes twice as much as lower quality options. Are these specialty foods worth it? Absolutely. They are free of common allergens (corn, wheat, soy, dairy), they are not laden with high carbohydrate fillers and [...]