Eating stool (Coprophagia)
We have been writing a lot about constipation over the last two months. This was done within the discussion on nutrition/digestive disorders.
Today, I would like to return to this latter issue and discuss an ailment that might have its origin in faulty nutrition. I refer to this habit/practice of eating dirt or dung (coprophagia).
As can be expected, because of the close relationship between man and his canine companion since domestication, the feeding habits of the latter have undergone some substantial changes. Usually when I ask people what they feed their dogs, they would invariably answer that their pets eat what they eat. Well, that may not be always true. Pets usually eat what the owners don’t eat, ie what’s left over on the plates. In this perennial ‘guava season’ that most of us endure, our pets often don’t fare well nutritionally.
The average dog’s diet has changed over time from one composed primarily of protein to one of carbohydrates and fats. To be sure, the necessary corresponding physiological change in the canine digestive system has not taken place. Often dogs suffer from carbohydrate digestive disturbances and seek therefore to compensate for the dietary change. In other words, the eating of dirt and especially the eating of dung might not be a perversion; rather this practice, in all likelihood, has to do with a dietary imbalance.
Fast-growing puppies (and older dogs of the large breeds too) may be seen eating their own stool and even that from other species. Please, first and foremost, interpret this as a dietary deficiency. Do not use violence against the dogs with the hope of weaning them away from this practice. Your primary method of correction will be to increase the quantity of the dogs’ food and, above all, increase the protein content of the meals. In addition, you may feed proteolytic enzymes (chemicals which help digest the protein) in the form of papaw, pineapple, pumpkin and squash. Furthermore, add glandular organs, heart and liver, B complex vitamins and mineral and trace element tablets (especially for those eating soil) to the diet.
Perhaps I should also mention that many researchers feel that a heavy worm burden could lead to dung-eating. Without getting into a scientific debate on this issue, it would seem to me to be logical to deworm your dog as part of the overall arsenal used in combating this mud/dung-eating problem.
Please note that the mother dog will always try to keep her puppies and the immediate environment clean. This includes the eating of her puppies’ stool. This act is not to be considered abnormal. As soon as the puppies begin to run around the yard on their own, Mum will discontinue the cleansing of faecal material from her puppies.
Lastly, as part of the overall campaign to rid your dog of this ‘vice’ of coprohagy, common sense dictates that you remove the faeces from the area, so that the dogs have no access to that matter.
Please implement disease preventative measures (vaccinations, routine dewormings, monthly anti-heartworm medication, etc) and adopt-a-pet from the GSPCA’s Animal Clinic and Shelter at Robb Street and Orange Walk, if you have the wherewithal to care well for the animals. Do not stray your unwanted pets, take them to the GSPCA’s Clinic and Shelter instead. If you do not wish your pet to have puppies or kittens, you may exploit the GSPCA’s free spay and neutering programme. If you see anyone being cruel to an animal, or if you need any technical information, please get in touch with the Clinic and Shelter by calling 226-4237.
