Ricky started eating his own poop!! Why??

[theporkieyorkie]

I've had Ricky for a about year and he's never been a poo eater. This morning, I caught him eating poo off his pee pad and he even had a chunk caught in his beard. Fast forward to tonight...same thing...he was eating his poop!!

Why, is he all of the sudden, eating his poo?? Fresh poo at that!! Should I give him vitamins?? Is he missing something in his diet?? Maybe something I am giving him to eat tastes good in poo form?!?

I know you feed them pineapple to curb this. How long do I have to feed him pineapple?!? How much pineapple do I feed him?? Should I just buy a can of pineapple??


I am mortified. He loves to give me kisses. He had a chunk of poo caught in his beard and I had to pull it out and wash his beard. I am also going to be brushing his teeth tonight.

This poo eating has got to stop. To make matters worse, he goes on potty pads, so he has access to his poo until I am able to pick it up. I usually grab it within minutes of him going....but unfortunately, I haven't been quick enough to stop him from grabbing a snack.

Any suggestions other than the pineapple??

[mimimomo]

Have you changed his diet recently? Maybe a new treat? There's something that's not digesting right & is coming out still smelling like food to them.
A good probiotic & digestive enzymes will help, maybe also changing the food to grain free & no potatoes if possible. Digestive enzymes help break down the food so it helps their pancreas work less, create smaller poopies & all the nutrients are absorbed in their digestive tract. What comes out will be waste, not tasty!

[Wylie's Mom]

What kind of kibble are you feeding? Like Jenny said, stuff is coming out the other end undigested/under-digested - so it still smells like food to your kiddo. You may want to switch to a higher quality kibble if you're not already.

What I'd immediately recommend is that you buy Solid Gold's S.E.P. (Stop Eating Poop) - we had to use that for Wylie as a pup and it stopped the habit immediately after we started using it.

[theporkieyorkie]

I think I'll be ordering that today.

The only thing that's really changed in Ricky's diet is that

a.)he's been eating more homemade chicken and rice than normal(usually he's just on canned wellness)

b.)his treats have changed. Prince got most of his teeth removed so we've had to get soft treats. I've been feeding them Nature's Instinct Raw boost treats because I can crumble them up and prince can eat them and I've been feeding them Pupperoni's.

~I am wondering if it's the Pupperoni's?!? I had to find a soft stick to replace Prince's dentastix fixation. It's on the cheaper end of the treat scale and I really don't like feeding it but thus far, I've not been able to find something else that he can eat and he will carry around like his dentastix. I guess it could be the raw boost treats as well...maybe the raw food isn't breaking down all the way.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by theporkieyorkie

I think I'll be ordering that today.

The only thing that's really changed in Ricky's diet is that

a.)he's been eating more homemade chicken and rice than normal(usually he's just on canned wellness)

b.)his treats have changed. Prince got most of his teeth removed so we've had to get soft treats. I've been feeding them Nature's Instinct Raw boost treats because I can crumble them up and prince can eat them and I've been feeding them Pupperoni's.

~I am wondering if it's the Pupperoni's?!? I had to find a soft stick to replace Prince's dentastix fixation. It's on the cheaper end of the treat scale and I really don't like feeding it but thus far, I've not been able to find something else that he can eat and he will carry around like his dentastix. I guess it could be the raw boost treats as well...maybe the raw food isn't breaking down all the way.

I might stop the Pupperonis since they're a strong flavor - for now - and see if it makes a difference. Are you feeding white rice or brown? Even though we think it'd be best to feed brown (based upon our own human diets) many dogs will actually do better with white bc dogs' systems aren't as efficient w/ carbs - making complex carbs even more difficult for them to digest (brown rice is more complex) - so perhaps the rice is undigested on the other end? As humans, we release amylase in our mouths which starts the digestion of carbs; dogs don't release this in their mouths and their digestion of carbs happens a bit differently. So, just a thought. Maybe check the poos and see if you can see rice in there?

[Gina C]

Hi I just am reading there is a product such as this. My Pomeranian does this and it's so gross. Where can you buy it? And does pineapple really work?

[matese]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I might stop the Pupperonis since they're a strong flavor - for now - and see if it makes a difference. Are you feeding white rice or brown? Even though we think it'd be best to feed brown (based upon our own human diets) many dogs will actually do better with white bc dogs' systems aren't as efficient w/ carbs - making complex carbs even more difficult for them to digest (brown rice is more complex) - so perhaps the rice is undigested on the other end? As humans, we release amylase in our mouths which starts the digestion of carbs; dogs don't release this in their mouths and their digestion of carbs happens a bit differently. So, just a thought. Maybe check the poos and see if you can see rice in there?

Cody is fighting severe case of colitis, I had him on white rice for months, then saw where brown rice was recommended, I changed over to brown rice, when he pooped the brown rice came out, the way it went in, undigested, after 5 days I put him back on white rice, Barley also recommended came out undigested, I puree it but his poop was sticky, so stopped the barley.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by matese

Cody is fighting severe case of colitis, I had him on white rice for months, then saw where brown rice was recommended, I changed over to brown rice, when he pooped the brown rice came out, the way it went in, undigested, after 5 days I put him back on white rice, Barley also recommended came out undigested, I puree it but his poop was sticky, so stopped the barley.

Yup yup -- perfect example of how complex carbs will often come out the other end as, well, STILL complex carbs, lol! Dogs do much better w/ simple carbs due to how they digest carbs differently than we do.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by Gina C

Hi I just am reading there is a product such as this. My Pomeranian does this and it's so gross. Where can you buy it? And does pineapple really work?

I think you can find solid gold supplements on amazon.
Pineapple works bc it contains an enzyme called bromelain. Many plant based digestive enzymes contain bromelain from the pineapple. The difference between the 2, digestive enzymes starts working as soon as you give it to the dog. Pineapple might take days to change the pH of the gut & digestive tract, then finally the poop. Sometimes, pineapple doesn't work, so I always suggest digestive enzymes. It helps the pancreas work less & if your dog is eating processed canned or kibble, it is void of enzymes naturally occurring in the food since it's cooked in high temps.

[theporkieyorkie]

Ricky was eating white rice...but I am fairly certain he was eating too much chicken and rice and that what the problem was. I eliminated that from his diet and he hasn't touched a turd since...and he's still eating his treats.

I usually cook chicken and rice for the boys a few times a week and I'll mix it up with their food, but Ricky didn't want to eat his dog food with it so he ended up eating just chicken and rice for a few days and he'd pig out on it. I think it was just too much.

[Teegy]

All great advice. Try quinoa instead of rice as another option. I've never fed any rice to my boys so thanks for the info I can pass it along to any friends who are home feeding.

[Teegy]

Porkie what about adding green tripe to the food. My boys get it once a day.

[Nipper]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Yup yup -- perfect example of how complex carbs will often come out the other end as, well, STILL complex carbs, lol! Dogs do much better w/ simple carbs due to how they digest carbs differently than we do.

This happens a lot when dogs are fed lentils.