WHY DOES MY DOG EAT POOP?
A Cute Poem About Doggie Doo:
DOG POO
I know it sounds disgusting, but its a thing you have to do,
If you live with mans best friend you have to pick up poo!
They come in different sizes, that’s the poo’s not the dogs,
That’s why I chose a little pooch, I don’t want to pick up logs!
Now if my furry friend goes to toilet in the garden,
I tend to get sense of joy, if I find a harden.
Because picking up the soft ones is really quite a task,
Especially if the lawn needs mowing, your bag fills up with grass!
I like to try and keep my lawn, tidy, short and trim,
I can then spot poo’s a mile off and get them bin.
Autumn makes things tricky when the leaves fall to the ground.
Its like playing spot the poo in the different shades of brown!
Now if your doggy likes to run to do his poop in peace,
Finding it to pick it up is frustrating to say the least.
In the winters frosty air, its not so difficult as it seems,
The poop will show you where it is, just look out for the steam.
I get in quite a pickle if my dog poops in a place,
Where other dogs have done their business, a dilemma I must face.
Poop Identification, is it mines, or is it not,
But I know if I get the right one, as I grab it, its still hot!
Now the most important thing of all, is if you own a dog,
When they go to toilet, poop scooping is your job.
Don’t ignore the doggy mess, it may end up on someone’s shoe,
Make sure you always pick it up, the responsibility is down to YOU!
Julie H-P
COPROPHAGIA: Coprophagia /kɒp.rə.ˈfeɪ.dʒi.ə/[1] or coprophagy is the consumption of feces. The word is derived from the Greek κόπρος copros, “feces” and φαγεῖν phagein, “to eat”. Many animal species eat feces as a normal behavior; other species may not normally consume feces but do so under unusual conditions. Coprophagy refers to many kinds of feces eating including eating feces of other species (heterospecifics), of other individuals (allocoprophagy), or its own (autocoprophagy), those once deposited or taken directly from the anus.[2]
WHY IS MY DOG RIVETED TO THE SCENT OF EAU DE LATRINE?
Reasons WHY from RVT dog expert Dr. Jenna Stregowski:
- Natural Behavior: Mother dogs instinctively lick their pups clean, ingesting their feces. This is a normal behavior that keeps the pups and their environment clean. Many puppies will begin to eat feces at a young age. Some pups grow out of this normal behavior, while others continue this into adulthood. Eating the feces of other species is also considered natural behavior.
- Hunger and Food Obsession: A dog suffering from starvation or severe malnutrition might eat anything it can find. Some dogs, though well-nourished, are hungry all the time (this may be a sign of illness or simply the personality of the dog). Many dogs are completely obsessed with food and will ingest anything that tastes good to them. Unfortunately, many dogs seem to like the taste of feces. Some people claim that dogs eat feces when they are lacking something in their diets. Veterinarians now tend to agree that this is not the case.
- Illness: Certain diseases and illnesses can cause a dog to eat feces. A symptom of some diseases is increased appetite or ingestion of inappropriate items. An illness that changes the consistency or smell of the stool might make a dog want to eat his own stool. Sudden onset of coprophagia is cause for a veterinary exam.
- Anxiety, Fear and Stress: A dog under a great deal of stress may eat his own stool. This may be a kind of self-soothing mechanism in some cases. However, if a dog is punished for inappropriate defecation or other action related to feces, he may associate the punishment with the presence of feces. By eating the feces, he is removing the “evidence” to avoid punishment.
Hear what Dr. Courtney Campbell, DVM has to say about this strange pastime:
STOP THAT NASTY HABIT RIGHT NOW!
- Feed a well-balanced diet and nutritious meals
- Consider feeding your pet 2x daily rather than once
- Make sure your pup has lots of play toys
- Keep your yard feces-free — no temptations!
- Check out products Forbid and Deter
- Some people muzzle their pet at dog parks as a deterrent
- Add 1 tbsp. pineapple, spinach, pumpkin, pickles, garlic to your dog’s diet. This addition makes poop uninviting.
- You can try adding tobacco or cayenne pepper to your dog’s poop
- Work on some basic obedience commands: No! Stop! Leave it!
- Most importantly, exercise and engage your dog — he most likely will not seek other outlets.
And another witty poem about a yucky subject:
SELF-CLEANING DOG
My dog is member of a species
fond of eating its own feces.
It’s a habit I tried busting
as I find it so disgusting.
I sprinkled cayenne on her doodles.
Trust me, it did not help oodles.
She ate it with a smile and slurp.
(Stay away if this dog burps.)
In a way, my dog can teach.
I’ve learned to keep it from her reach.
Each day I walk her and I snag it,
wrap it up and safely bag it.
Some say I have the perfect pet,
they haven’t seen one better yet.
I ask exactly what they’re meaning.
They say, “Wow, your dog’s self-cleaning.”
by Denise Rodgers
