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How to Stop Your Dog From Eating Feces

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By Kristie Leong M.D.
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Does your dog eat his own feces? There's no doubt that this can be a disgusting habit. Here's how to stop your dog from eating feces.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
  1. Step 1

    Vary Your Dog's Diet.

    Since a dog can sometimes eat stool due to a nutritional deficiency, reassess your dog's diet and make sure he's getting adequate nutrition and enough variety. Also, make sure he's getting a sufficient caloric intake each day.

  2. Step 2

    Keep Your Dog Occupied.

    Sometimes dogs eat stool out of boredom. Make sure your dog has adequate stimulation each day. A brisk morning walk will help him to expel some of his energy and prevent aimless wandering through the yard in search of stimulation. It also may help to provide your dog with a variety of safe toys such as nylon bones or other chew toy to occupy his time.

  3. Step 3

    Make His Feces Unappealing.

    Another way to eliminate your dog's stool eating behavior is to add a few drops of Tabasco sauce to his feces. A few encounters with the heat from the hot sauce should be enough to break your dog of this habit.

  4. Step 4

    Consider Adding a Safe Deterrent to Your Dog's Food.

    One way to reduce stool eating behavior by your dog is to add a small amount of MSG (monosodium glutamate) to his food. This will give your dog's feces an unpleasant taste which will reduce stool eating behavior. By doing this repetitively, your dog will learn to associate his stool with a bad taste.

  5. Step 5

    Keep Your Dog's Living Area Free of Feces.

    If you quickly remove your dog's feces from the back yard, you remove any temptation your dog might have for eating his own stool. Make it a daily habit to clean the yard each day to rid the area of any feces.

  6. Step 6

    Is it dangerous for your dog to eat his own stool? Unlike humans, dogs have a very powerful digestive system and usually don't experience any ill effects from this habit. It's more of a problem for humans who find the habit socially unacceptable than it is for dogs.

Tips & Warnings
  • If your dog continues to eat feces despite the above tips, a vet visit may be in order to rule out digestive problems or nutritional deficiencies as causes for feces eating.

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