This is a very common problem and one that lots of labrador owners struggle with. I have put an article up which may help http://thelabradorsite.com/health/coprophagia.php Please feel free to comment Pippa
Re: Dogs that eat poo! intresting pippa..mCrae wont eat his own or another dogs or even cats poo but if were out in a field he will have a munch on horse manure, cow dung and even a bit of sheep muck..obviously if hes in my presence i discourage him....
Re: Dogs that eat poo! Simon - you think that's bad... my dog ROLLS in it! She likes fox poo best of all ( Sam.
Re: Dogs that eat poo! Hi Pippa I think you're right about the impact of what dogs are eating these days. My friends flat coat is a poo eater - never touches his own but will try and pick up after the Spaniel he lives with and in the field so Rog has to make sure he doesn't get the opportunity. However when they all play at mine he never shows any interest in what my boys produce which I'm sure is because they are on raw and there's nothing interesting left in it. A lady I know who breeds flat coats says as a breed they are more prone to this habit than other breeds. I must admit horse poo doesn't seem so bad compared to being in a room with a dog poo eater with wind ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Carole
Re: Dogs that eat poo! LOL Carole! I remember my Grandma's flatcoat when I was growing up used to eat everything - socks, toys, even the tail of a kite, once. Crazy dog. Sam
Re: Dogs that eat poo! They call it 'morbid appetite' which is a nicely descriptive term! We had a lab pup that did it too, he died young of something unrelated, but we were endlessly rescuing dangling bits of clothing from his rear end. Lovely Anyone that has a dog with this kind of inclination needs some serious insurance. they can can do damage themselves and abdominal surgery is expensive .
Re: Dogs that eat poo! That topic again - poo - my favourite. My dogs are fed on raw and still eat horse and sheep poo. On a raw eating forum I was advised by a contributor (former vet) that there is a lot of 'good bacteria' in these poos. The only threat is if the animals have been wormed by something toxic. So I let them as they see fit. The lab just munches as labs do but my hamilton is much more discerning - he seems to carefully pick out the good bits! I think, Pippa, your point about kibble making it taste good is really interesting, especially of people are seeing an increase...?.
Re: Dogs that eat poo! then you realise as least poo is digestable! There's a trainee canine partner lab I know of that currently is facing surgery to remove a sock from his tummy - for the 3rd time! The vet is very reluctant to go in as the last surgery was so recent. The amazing thing is on a training exercise he'll remove socks and put them were asked as good as gold, never puts a paw wrong while "working" (training) but at other times... Jo - I've also heard that horse poo etc is a pro-biotic but the effect it has is anti-social! So I try to steer mine away and pop a pro-biotic capsule in their dinner every now and then ;D
Re: Dogs that eat poo! You're right that it's anti-social Carole - doggy breath not bad on raw buts its pretty yuk after a horse poo aperitif
My lab eats poo, sheep, deer, cow, horse, cat ... of course. Also Acorns and grass until her stomach is full. She did eat her own until I got her well into raw food. I think I will have had to have had her through the four seasons before I know the full extent. She's 2 & 1/2, on raw food and within her ideal weight.
Mine will occasionally eat horse poo, but they usually ignore it. They don't eat dog poo, but Tilly may eat cat poo if she finds it. The good news is that while they shred dog toys, they don't eat the stuffing or squeakers and they don't eat socks. They do eat grass, but it doesn't seem to cause a problem.
I am not aware that Flat coats are more prone to this habitat than other breeds; I have known several different breeds to be ‘poo eaters’. As for rolling in fox poo, that does seem to be a favourite of the gundog breeds around where I live. However unpleasant both these activities, at least they are not as worrying as a dog that eats the inedible (also termed ‘Pica’ and can develop in children). When I was younger, a neighbour’s English Setter had to be muzzled after 3 operations to remove foreign bodies from his stomach (a ball of string, a pair of tights and a plastic bag). When I am having a moan about having to place all our food items out of Flat coat reach (and that is pretty high!) I do remind myself to be thankful that this is all he will eat!
Molly did it as a pup, her own and any other dog's, cat's and anything. Fortunately she has grown out of it, but still does eat a lot of grass, beech mast, twigs, certain plants - AND this autumn is showing FAR too much interest in the various types of fungi around. This we really have to knock on the head
And here's the link as the original seems to be broken. https://www.thelabradorsite.com/why-dogs-eat-poop-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/
Oh I do hope Cassie does, I think she and Molly are about the same age? Did you do anything or just not make a fuss?
Yes, Molly is much the same age as Cassie I think. We didn't do anything apart from trying to distract her when we saw what she was heading for. We did think though, after a time of worry about it that if that's what she's like, we'd just have to live with it. She just stopped doing it, no idea why, but very glad
I wonder if I can ask you who the trainee CP was? My lab works wonderfully but goes deaf when she's eating. The only thing I can do is wheel myself out of her sight as quickly as possible and use my whistle.
