Although the exact cause of this unsavory action is uncertain, worms, pancreatitis, or dietary deficiencies are frequently found in dogs with perverted appetites-eating feces (coprophagy) or dirt, stones or other objects generally thought to be inedible (pica).
Some theories attribute coprophagy to an enzyme deficiency, which can be corrected by the feeding of glandular organs (for example heart muscle) and by using enzymes in the daily diet.
Another theory is that the stool-eating dog has some vitamin or mineral deficiency, which can be corrected by daily mineral- vitamin supplements. In at least fifty per cent of the cases, however, a simple adjustment in the diet removes the bad habit. Some dogs, especially during puppy hood, cannot handle high-carbohydrate diets; they need more protein. For these dogs, you should increase the protein by adding meat and fat to the diet and lowering the amount of kibble or meal. You may have to experiment to get the right amounts, as each dog will react differently to dietary change. Some experts advice giving yogurt, reasoning that the friendly digestive bacteria, lactobacillus, will pep up the stool eating dog’s digestive system.
Another cause may be the dog is overfed. They get so obsessive about eating that they will re-eat any undigested food in the stool. Sometimes, feeding dogs chicken twice a day will eliminate this habit because chicken is completely digested.
If diet and diseases are not the causes, look for psychological causes such as boredom, stress caused by insufficient exercise, loneliness, or at the other extreme, overindulgence by the owner. Also, some dogs overly submissive and too sensitive to the demands of house training, eat their own feces to hide the evidence. That is why punishment does not always work well for these animals. In all cases, feces should be removed immediately. That’s it for now.
