lol..i have a 11 month old female..named dakota. She eats her poop. I know this is a common issue w/some pups, and am told that she will outgrow it. Any help discouraging this behavior will be appreciated. Oh, she usually does this during the night when no one is around to catch her. She is not using a penned in area any longer. She is allowed to wander the ground floor of my home. I leave wee wee pads around and she uses them..She is now sleeping through the night and will cry around 5:30- 6:00 am. I go down and check the pads for urine and poop. Most of the time the poop isn't touched.
my hav eats poop
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Hi Al. First of all I have to say I love the name Dakota.
Anyway, here is a question. Has she always done it or just started? The vet term for it is "Coprophagy" just fancy for poop eating. For sometime people believed it was from nutritional dificiency. Others say stress is the cause. I don't think they really know why they do it.
But I was just wondering if something changed that caused her to suddenly do this. First, did you just change her food? Maybe the food is changing her poopy habits. What time are you feeding her? Maybe boost it up a little bit so she goes to bathroom when you take her for a walk or outside. It might just be a timing issue.
Did you just start letting her have free run of the house at night? Our old dog was a manaic if we gave her freedom at night. We had to confine her. She wasn't crate trained but we would close the door on our son's bedroom where she sleeped. Maybe too much freedom is stressing her out.
Just a few thoughts.
Anyway, here is a question. Has she always done it or just started? The vet term for it is "Coprophagy" just fancy for poop eating. For sometime people believed it was from nutritional dificiency. Others say stress is the cause. I don't think they really know why they do it.
But I was just wondering if something changed that caused her to suddenly do this. First, did you just change her food? Maybe the food is changing her poopy habits. What time are you feeding her? Maybe boost it up a little bit so she goes to bathroom when you take her for a walk or outside. It might just be a timing issue.
Did you just start letting her have free run of the house at night? Our old dog was a manaic if we gave her freedom at night. We had to confine her. She wasn't crate trained but we would close the door on our son's bedroom where she sleeped. Maybe too much freedom is stressing her out.
Just a few thoughts.
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Boy, I hope someone has some suggestions for this. My Hav Cooper has done this in the past but is getting worse about it. He is a year old now and given the opportunity, he will eat anythings poop, cats, dogs, squirrels, rabbits, you name it.
Beverly
Beverly
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Hi Al,
When I brought Bugsy home, he had the same problem. He would poop and then immediately turn around and eat it....gross!!! I called my breeeder and she recommended to go to any pet supply and get a product called DETER. They are all natural fermented vegetable extract and couple of other ingrediatents that makes their poop taste digusting. You give one table for every ten pounds of body weight once a day for two weeks. For Bugsy six tablets were enough. The actual tablets are liver or some other flavor, so Bugsy ate it up like a treat.
Bugsy is now 7 months old (he was 3 months when I gave him Deter) and he never tried to eat his poop since. He will smell it, but that's all.
I hope they work well for little Dakota.
When I brought Bugsy home, he had the same problem. He would poop and then immediately turn around and eat it....gross!!! I called my breeeder and she recommended to go to any pet supply and get a product called DETER. They are all natural fermented vegetable extract and couple of other ingrediatents that makes their poop taste digusting. You give one table for every ten pounds of body weight once a day for two weeks. For Bugsy six tablets were enough. The actual tablets are liver or some other flavor, so Bugsy ate it up like a treat.
Bugsy is now 7 months old (he was 3 months when I gave him Deter) and he never tried to eat his poop since. He will smell it, but that's all.
I hope they work well for little Dakota.
Hi
They learn it from their mommies . The mommies eat their poop when they are newborns and tiny to keep them clean ..
It now seems to have turned into a epidemic .. I guess it is those tidy Havanese mommies we have to thank ..
Anyway Cosmo did it as a little tyke 9weeks . The first vet I went to said put MSG in his food .. No way would I do that so I struggled with a solution . I get headaches and palpatations from MSG - imagine what it woulf do to a 9 week puppy .. !!!
I now out digestive enzymes in his food and this does not seem to make it as palatable but we are not totally over it . Not yet - good days and bad days ..
I have to keep a keen eye . Some say it is a nutritional deficinency but he gets supplements and enzymes and acidophilus ..
Yep Cosmo likes bunny pellets as well . Those lttle critters are a challenge .. As I said he enjoys his walks but I feel like a private detective constantly watching and checking .
Thanks for all your info ..
I will look for the deter..
They learn it from their mommies . The mommies eat their poop when they are newborns and tiny to keep them clean ..
It now seems to have turned into a epidemic .. I guess it is those tidy Havanese mommies we have to thank ..
Anyway Cosmo did it as a little tyke 9weeks . The first vet I went to said put MSG in his food .. No way would I do that so I struggled with a solution . I get headaches and palpatations from MSG - imagine what it woulf do to a 9 week puppy .. !!!
I now out digestive enzymes in his food and this does not seem to make it as palatable but we are not totally over it . Not yet - good days and bad days ..
I have to keep a keen eye . Some say it is a nutritional deficinency but he gets supplements and enzymes and acidophilus ..
Yep Cosmo likes bunny pellets as well . Those lttle critters are a challenge .. As I said he enjoys his walks but I feel like a private detective constantly watching and checking .
Thanks for all your info ..
I will look for the deter..
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Mine guys never ate their poop, but like other, they LOVE my rabbits, and especially deer poop. I usually have 2-10 deer in the yard every night, and now not only do we have to clean up after the dogs, but the deer too. They seem to know immediately where they went & all run to it for a "feast" yuk!!! We actually had to put chicken wire around the bottom of the rabbit cage to keep them out.
Julia, Deter sounds good. Also, the pumpkin sounds good too. Although I probably won't be able to look at another pumpkin pie the same way. Is there anything out there to put on other animal droppings outside? I figure these dogs are so smart you would only have to put it on the deer poop once or twice and they would never touch it again.
They used to say Tobasco or peppers, but is that safe on their tummies?
They used to say Tobasco or peppers, but is that safe on their tummies?
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2,590 Posts
Valentino ate his poop for awhile but my vet gave me something that you sprinkle on their food that's supposed to make the poop undesireable! It must have worked because he quit! Not sure what it is called! You would think it would taste bad enough on it's own!
Hi
I tried pumpkin - He would not eat it . We are a very fussy eater at times .. I evn miked it in his yummy food ane he seemed to get the idea something is off here..
I guess to him it is like pate ..
Some days are better than others . Usually I try and deter him with a treat until it is picked up .
Critter poop is another story all together .. I have to be vigilant . As I said before walks are for him and his exercise . I rarely get to look at much except what is he doing now and try to predict what will he do next ..
I feel like right now we are in the terrible twos ..
I tried pumpkin - He would not eat it . We are a very fussy eater at times .. I evn miked it in his yummy food ane he seemed to get the idea something is off here..
I guess to him it is like pate ..
Some days are better than others . Usually I try and deter him with a treat until it is picked up .
Critter poop is another story all together .. I have to be vigilant . As I said before walks are for him and his exercise . I rarely get to look at much except what is he doing now and try to predict what will he do next ..
I feel like right now we are in the terrible twos ..
Hi...I am new to the forum. I have 3 Havanese. We just got our 3rd last week and haven't even named her yet, but she is a poop eater too (not my others). We just got Deter today at Petsmart. I'll let you know how we are doing. The other thing that was suggested to me and spray the poop right away with Bitter Apple so they won't touch it....and say "leave it". Right now I am trying it all.....
Hi and welcome to this forum!! Our Oreo was a poop eater, but since we have been picking it up immediately - not letting him even take a whiff - now he will whimper letting us know he pooped on his pad and that we need to clean it up Mind you I am a SAHM, so I can watch him like a hawk, but I have heard that deter and forbid really have worked for others. Keep perservering, you puppy will get it soon enough
Mind you I am a SAHM, so I can watch him like a hawk, but I have heard that deter and forbid really have worked for others. Keep perservering, you puppy will get it soon enough Thanks for your replies.....it is amazing how interesting she thinks her poop is!We are 2 days on Deter.....then again everything seems of interest in putting in her mouth! I appreciate the welcome. I will try and attach a picture...I may need some more time to figure that one out!
Vicki
Vicki
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