This week, Dr. Manley addresses a reader's concern about her dog's habit of eating poop.

This week's question:
Dr. Manley,

We have a rescue puppy and she has a taste for eating some fresh dog poop. What can we do to stop this disgusting habit? Could this be an indication of a vitamin deficiency? Other than this problem, she is a wonderful baby!

Thanks,
Becky

Dr. Manley's Reply:

Hi Becky,

There are two possible answers - this could indicate a behavioral problem or a health problem. We call this behavior coprophagy.

First, lets talk about health. Some pets do not produce enough digestive enzymes (produced by the pancreas). These pets are unable to completely digest and absorb nutrients at the level of the small intestine. They will pass undigested material in their stool. The term maldigestion-malabsorption is used to describe these events. The disease is called pancreatic insufficiency. Besides coprophagy, these pets will have trouble growing and thriving. They have large oily soft stool. If you are seeing these symptoms, consult your veterinarian. He will conduct blood tests to diagnose your pet and change your pet's food and add enzymes to his food to aid digestion.

Sometimes inflammation of the small intestine will temporarily interrupt digestion and absorption. The inflammation could be a response to infections, parasites, or primary inflammatory disease of the small intestine. These pets have only temporary coprophagia. In these cases diagnosis of the underlying cause is important.

Behavioral problems are the most common cause of coprophagia. Boredom and/or anxiety are likely explanations. Try to exercise your pet more. Give her chew toys to play with when you are not there. Consider adding a new pet to the family. A product called Forbid can be added to your pet's food. Forbid has no taste but it changes as it passes through the digestive tract, and will make the stool bitter. Use Forbid temporarily; behavior modification will produce long term results.

Thanks for the question....Dr. Manley

Dr. Cleveland Manley, Jr. is one of the wonderful veterinarians at VCA Pet Doctor in Richardson, TX. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University - College of Veterinary Medicine.