vitamins

[Cheryl Lynn]

Hi there

 

my Spencer has picked up the gross habit of snacking on his own poop. We've started removing it and putting it in a bin to avoid this, but someone told me they do this b/c they are missing an important vitamin or mineral in their diet.

 

Is this true?

 

And what vitamins would you recommend? Trader Joe's has a doggie vitamin but I wanted to check here before I bought anything. I'd like to stay on the natural side and avoid anything too "commercial" or big brand if possible.

 

thanks

[tumblehome]

someone told me they do this b/c they are missing an important vitamin or mineral in their diet.

*****

Well, he's probably missing something, but I don't think anyone knows what. May be vits, may not be. So that leaves you with the prospect of having to add everything including the kitchen sink to his diet, to see if anything "works."

 

IMO of course, the best way to address his snacking habits is to get a really healthy diet into him. That may fix everything.

Chris O

[Cheryl Lynn]

I forgot to mention he's 5 months old, and now that I think about it the trader joe's vitamins are probably for adult dogs.

 

it seems like he has a healthy diet- natural choice ultra puppy kibble and nutro max puppy canned. He doesn't get people food except the occasional carrot or some peanut butter in his kong.

 

but I will take any suggestions!

[tumblehome]

What I had in mind was a raw diet but if that's not in the cards, you might try nipping his behavior in the bud by making sure there's no poop around for him to eat. But you can't make it seem like a game in which you try to beat him to it...the dog's always going to win and that would make poop eating that much more exciting.

 

He may well outgrow this before it becomes a habit if you just steel yourself to ignore it. Dogs eat all sorts of weird stuff, not socially acceptable but not wrong, in a dog's mind.

 

You're feeding what is considered a balanced commercial diet, with adequate and appropriate vitamins added, so there is no point in giving your baby more vitamins. That would not be the answer. There are products you add can to his meals that theoretically make his poop unsavory; I've never tried them but they might work. Check in a dog supply catalog, or online.

Chris Ostrowski

[Pipedream Farm]

IMO of course, the best way to address his snacking habits is to get a really healthy diet into him. That may fix everything.

 

Naaaaa, Rae is on raw and she still enjoys "sheep cookies".

Some puppies also like to "try" everything.

 

Mark

[laurie etc]

Aawww- "Recycling" at its finest! Many pups do this - if they saw their moms cleaning up, they just think it's the thing to do. I doubt it's any kind of nutritional deficiency. But remember that kibble poops still have a lot of undigested (grain) ingredients in them, so they are tempting. My raw fed dogs will sometimes try to snack on other dogs' kibble poops, because they are different than what they normally see in their own yard. They also like "sheep cookies", "rabbit raisins", "cow pies", etc...

 

Is he eating right after pooping? Just be there when he poops and pick it up it before he turns around to eat it. If he tries to beat you to it, use an aversive "Argh" - I'd also stick my poop scoop between the pup and the poop as a physical barrier. He's probably still young enough for that to have an affect. Otherwise, you could distract him away from it and redirect his activities...

[JBP]

This is common behavior in young dogs. The product Forbid is safe--just add it to his food and it makes the poop taste terrible. Most catalogs and some vets carry the product.

Or, benign neglect, i.e. let him grow out of the habit.

And though the pup will grow out of the habit of eating his own poop, nothing and I mean nothing has worked in my hands for the cat box crunchies, the pasture guacamole patties, and the pretty sheep pellet eating. Some things just taste GOOD.

 

JBP

[Cheryl Lynn]

thanks guys! Luckily the cat litter box is in the basement where he doesn't really go or I know he would be eating that too!

 

I am going to get a little trash bin to put the poopies in after he goes.

[tumblehome]

Originally posted by Pipedream Farm:

[Naaaaa, Rae is on raw and she still enjoys "sheep cookies".

**********************

Heck YES!

Sheep cookies are not dog poopies. Sheep cookies are food. Even *I* know that! Cow pies are fair game too. So are goose poops, but I sometimes actually try to stop that snacking.

 

It's probably safe to assume that sheep cookies and deer goobers and goat raisinets have some sort of useful nutrient in them. At the very least the assumption makes the behavior easier to overlook.

 

 

Some puppies also like to "try" everything.

****************

Oh lord yes.

Chris O

[Valhalla]

I was told that if you feed the dog Fig Newtons, it makes the poop smell bad and they won't eat it.