Help, my dog is gross!

[hoggs222]

My dog eats her own [PoorWordUsage]! I've tried products like Deter, etc & that hasn't worked. What can I do? I could pick it up each time, but you know that's not going to happen!

[ronger]

Do the same thing you would if she were to get into something else you don't want her to. Give her a good rap on the butt or something and say "no". They learn fast what they can and can not get into.

I read someplace a long time back that it could be the case where they aren't getting the right diet either. I know one time my brothers dog ate an entire load of [PoorWordUsage] when he was in his kennel during the day. He got so sick that he barfed it all back up. Haven't heard any more stories about eating #2 since.

[Shane683]

I would also add to get her wormed.

[Tripleplay]

I saw a dog that did this all year round and I agree that it was surprising to say the least! The dog's owners had been to the vet regarding this and basically the issue was that most dogs don't digest all of their food and thus there is still a food content component in their droppings. They had tried a number of things which it sounds like you have as well and really had just come to the decision that they had to tolerate this "gross" behavior. The only upside and this is stretching it is that they never had to shovel up "[PoorWordUsage]" in the backyard.

My GSP in the winter will pick up her frozen [PoorWordUsage] and run around with it and will throw it around some. I don't think she eats it but it sure cuts down on my wanting to snuggle up with her on the floor.

[Mr. B]

My 2 1/2 year old lab also does this. I have tried everything except the e-collar on her. The problem I am having is catching her in the act. If I am in the backyard with her she will not do it. She has been scolded multiple times for the act.

Any other tips would be great.

[hoggs222]

Tripleplay, That is exactly what my dog does. She runs around with a frozen log! She leaves the fresh ones alone. I just think it's pretty nasty. Maybe it's because she's teething? She likes ice cubes for teething, maybe this is just an outdoor alternative.

[SCUMFROG]

I have this same problem. (I have 3 very big dogs.) Go to cub foods and buy "accent" it's in the spices. What is it you ask, it's MSG. My vet told me to wet they're food (if it's dry) and sprinkle some on top mix it in and in about 2 days they wont eat poo any more. I don't know why this works but it does. I hope this helps.

[hoggs222]

I will try "Accent". Anything beats watching something gnaw on their own feces!

[goldencasey]

Aye carumba! That is nasty! Although if marketed right, you could be sitting on a goldmine. Imagine selling dogs that you virtually don't have to clean up after? Just think, no spring clean-up.... the dog takes care of it for you!

[SCUMFROG]

That's nasty Goldencasey, but kinda funny all at once. The accent does work. If you have more then 1 dog give it to all of them. I don't think I said that before.

[Blaze]

What's the big deal? A dog that cleans up after itself? Sounds perfect to me! HAH!

reminds me of my mother-in-law telling my father-in-law about a Yorkie she wanted to buy: "Honey, there's some 'shed-less' dogs for sale". Of course he heard it as sh!t-less and said "Sold! Let's get one."

[packattack]

I have found that dogs in kennels will only eat their own if they are hungry. Not to ask a stupid questions but are you feeding her enough. I had this problem for a while with a couple of my females. It all stopped when I increased the amount of food by about a half a cup.

[Mr. B]

Packattack,

I feed my lab 1 1/2 cups in the morning and then again in the afternoon. The vet and everyone that looks at her says that she is in great shape and at the weight that she is suppose to be (60 lbs).

She is the type of dog that will eat anytime or place and anything you put in front of her. She is the most well trained dog you have ever seen if she even thinks you have food or a treat. Is 3 cups a day the right amount to be feeding her?

We are feeding her Eukenuba large breed. Last year during the hunting season I switched her to the Eukenuba High Performance and then forgot to switch back after the season and she gained weight over the winter, due to lack of exercise. Once we switched her back she dropped right back to 60 lbs.

I think I am feeding her the right amount.

[hoggs222]

I am feeding mine the right amount. She's only about 4 months old & eats when she's hungry. I've never actually seen her swallow it, so I'm sure she's not consuming it. She just runs around with a frozen one in her mouth.

[ironranger420]

Mr. B:

My brother has a 3yr old female lab, (about 65lbs) and feeds her the same amount as you. This dog, like yours, loves to eat. i don't even think she chews her food, more like sucks it in. One trick he used to do, was to get the "lean" dog food, or "diet" dog food, and just give her more of it (4 cups/day). This way she felt fuller, but her nutrient intake was the same. She didn't put any wait on during the winter, and the dog got to eat more, it was a win-win! He doesn't do it anymore, he keeps her on the "fat" food all year now. But she has really mellowed out in the last year. She isn't so fixated on food as she used to be, and the three cups a day on the fat food is working for her.

[lawdog]

Read the label on the dog food bag, it should give you a pretty good indication of the amount of food for your dog's size and age. Its usually right on from what I've seen with the foods I've used. If the dog still seems hungry at the lower end of the range, go up to the top end or vice versa if its getting fat... ALSO, remember that dogs use more fat/calories to stay warm in the cold and can/should eat quite a bit more in the winter if outside.

[Ray Esboldt]

Ah, yes [PoorWordUsage]scicles! Fortunately, my dog doesn't even like to take a wiff of her nasties.

However, a friend of mine has a dog that is quite the contrary. I'm going to tell a story here...umm, a kind of disgusting but humorous one nonetheless.

A few years ago four of us decide to pull an all day-er on a lake near Hutchinson. The wind was out of the North, the sky was clear, and ducks were moving. About noon, two of us run to town for some burgers. Shortly after one guy needs to make an urgent trip over the hill, if you know what I mean. He comes back, we whack a duck, but there's no dog to retrieve it. The subsequent conversation goes as follows:

Me: "Mike, where's your dog?"

Mike: "I dunno...Sam, come!"

Me: Exit the boat, walk over the hill. "Mike you should probably come get your dog." Heavy laughter on my part.

Mike: Confused, yet concerned look. Stating with hesitation, "What's wrong with the dog?"

I witnessed a black lab, with crazy eyes, and toilet paper hanging from the corners of her mouth. Yep, she did. And, I almost puked I was laughing so hard. We ended up having to tie the dog to the boat to prevent her from going back.

And, you think your dog is gross!

[LuciandTim]

Thanks god my dog doesn't eat dump! I once lived with a guy who had a dog that would eat out of the cats litter box....

[Tom Linderholm]

Quote:

---

Ah, yes [PoorWordUsage]scicles! Fortunately, my dog doesn't even like to take a wiff of her nasties.

However, a friend of mine has a dog that is quite the contrary. I'm going to tell a story here...umm, a kind of disgusting but humorous one nonetheless.

A few years ago four of us decide to pull an all day-er on a lake near Hutchinson. The wind was out of the North, the sky was clear, and ducks were moving. About noon, two of us run to town for some burgers. Shortly after one guy needs to make an urgent trip over the hill, if you know what I mean. He comes back, we whack a duck, but there's no dog to retrieve it. The subsequent conversation goes as follows:

Me: "Mike, where's your dog?"

Mike: "I dunno...Sam, come!"

Me: Exit the boat, walk over the hill. "Mike you should probably come get your dog." Heavy laughter on my part.

Mike: Confused, yet concerned look. Stating with hesitation, "What's wrong with the dog?"

I witnessed a black lab, with crazy eyes, and toilet paper hanging from the corners of her mouth. Yep, she did. And, I almost puked I was laughing so hard. We ended up having to tie the dog to the boat to prevent her from going back.

And, you think your dog is gross!

---

LOL

Man I am sorry, I hope you guys work this out. Also hope it isn't a house dog.

[irvingdog]

It is called coprophagia, and it is part bahavioral, part systemic. Switch the diet to a high quality, highly digestable formula, keep the yard clean for a while, and re-inforce negative responses to curiousity towards it's own stools.

Right now, your dog is not digesting it's food thoroughly, and the stool still resembles food. The dog is likely hungry (to a point of seeming famished) because it is not getting miximum usage from it's diet. Best to stop this soon as eventually other waste may start to resemble food as well.

An E-collar may help to disuade the dog from showing interest in it's own stools.

Good luck.

[Mr. B]

Irvingdog,

Since the Eukenuba may not be the right choice for my dog what would be another good option? I thought that all of the foods like, Science Diet, Purina and Eukenuba were good. Is this the case and the problem is just how my dog is digesting Eukenuba?

I am thinking about the e-collar but the main problem is that we have trained Maggie to go behind the garage to take care of business. With her behind the garage you can not watch her from the house and if I am outside she is to busy trying to get me to throw her dummy.

[irvingdog]

There are products out there (such as "Deter") but I cannot attest to their effectiveness. I sell a 'Range Camera" at work, designed to put the camera near a shooting target, and the monitor at the shooting bench. Perhaps putting the camera behind the garage may work? You need to see the infraction, and give the proper correction at the proper time for this to work. That is something you'll need to figure out, unfortunatly.

I firmly believe this is, like I said in my last post, part behavioral, part systemic, and *ahem* both "ends" need to be corrected.