New Member

Posts: 5
From:Buffalo, NY US
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 09-18-2003 05:39 AM         

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Our Jack Russell mix eats his own poop and sometimes other dog's poop as well. I read once we can put something in his food (some everyday household item) and when he poops it out and tries to eat it it tastes terrible and he learns not to eat it again. The problem is I forget what that ingredient is. Can anyone help?

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Member

Posts: 790
From:uk
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 09-18-2003 09:52 AM         

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what your dog has is COPROPHAGIA....

it is quite normal for dogs to supplement there energy intake by eating there own faeces and that of others. there are no real health hazards from contact with these dogs. the problem can be considerably eased by the following...
(1) the dog should be fed several meals a day of a high fibre diet to reduce the sensation of hungar.
(2) the dog should be traind to poop on command and rewarded for doing so and the faeces removed immediately..
(3) the more exciting a life a dog has the less likely he will be to eat faeces..
(4) you could also reduce the attractivness of faeces by adding chemicals to his food this involves iron supplements with tablets which are recommended for pregnant women alternativley , sulphar containing amino acids may be used to supplement the diet and make it taste less pleasant. see you vet before using this method.
(5) remote punishment of dogs for witnessed faeces eating can be helpful using a thrown light object at the dog, the punishment must seem to come from the faeces not the owner.
diet is the key factor low fibre diets high in protien have probably worsened this problem.
complete dry diets tend to be somewhat higher in fibre content than canned food and can be offered on ad libitum basis therby decreasing your dogs motivation to eat faeces.
i hope this has helped you in some way keep us posted to how you get on with him

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Member

Posts: 409
From:Los Angeles, Ca.
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 09-18-2003 11:15 PM         

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Hey TraGreg:
They have ready-made products for sale at your local Petco., or Petsmart, or any general pet supply store. These products are made w/ a mojority of bad tasting vegitables, and is completely safe. Their not even expensive. Their products are for
"Coprophagia". Eating other dogs feces can be dangerous, for instance, if he eats a wild animals poo. They can have a wide-range of viruses & diseases, that are highly contagious to dogs. A lot of wild-animals like wolves & cayotes have bloody feces, so watch out! Correcting this problem as soon as you can, will only bring both of you comfort. What 'charmedagain' mentioned above is pretty much your choices. It'll take some time, but should'nt take long. Make sure you Jack Russell is up-to-date on his vaccinations... Then yeah, he should be a safe doo-doo eater.

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