Another Member for PEA

[Kari]

Hi...My name is Penny and I am a poo eater. I have been able to hide this all my life and no one knows.  But now that my mom and dad got this camera it has come to light that I am a poo eater. So now I am joining PEA!

Kari here...OMG!! I logged on to the camera at work and just caught Penny going potty...she walked away and then walked back and started munching!!  YUCK!! We have never, ever, ever seen her do this. She is so getting her teeth brushed when I get home. I am hoping this is a one time thing!

[Sandishooligans]

The urge is strong, young one.  Admit that you are a pooaholic.  Admit you have a disease.  Admit that you are out of control.  After doing so, POO EATERS UNITE!  Welcome to our world.

Dolly

PS....Since I've been have tummy trubbos, poo just isn't the same.  I've been on the wagon.

[Doxherding Karen]

Notice how all the poo eaters are suddenly not posting????

[Valerie]

Cookie here- I love Cat poo. Yum Yum!  I love it that we have new neighbors with cats that roam outside- there are so many yummy snacks waiting for me on our walks.  Although Mommy and Daddy figured out what I was eating and won’t let me go near it any more. Meanies! :( 

I don’t eat my own poo though- in fact I run from it as fast as I can when I am done. Yuk!

But cat poo- delicious.

Cookie


Valerie here-    

[Mike]

Notice how all the poo eaters are suddenly not posting????

They're outside eating....

[Beth]

LOL!  Oh, I'm sorry, Kari.  Chilie is a poo eater, too, and a member of PEA.  She's very good about NOT eating poo when I'm with her, but if someone else takes her out to go potty.....well, let's just say she falls off the wagon!

We can start a support group for owners......PooAnon.

[Teresa]

Kari, I can just imagine your response at work and what anyone who heard you was thinking    I'm sure Penny will wonder what is up with the sudden desire you have to brush her teeth and the reason you suddenly aren't accepting kisses.

[cheryl186]

Well I guess it is confession time.  My two are members of PEA......They don't eat their own but rather each other's or older sissies (Sheba's)....I have heard that poo tastes like dogfood when it comes out and that is they they do it.....it that for real???

[Doxherding Karen]

....I have heard that poo tastes like dogfood when it comes out and that is they they do it.....it that for real???

Well, hey, I'M NOT VOLUNTEERING to find out the answer to THAT question!

[Teresa]

I don't think I'll be the volunteer to find that out for you 

[Brekkesmom]

My PEA members have crossed to the Bridge, and I'm not volunteering to see what the reason is for being in PEA!  "Scuse me - I'm gonna have to wipe the saliva off my computer monitor after spitting all over it...

[Frankys_mom]

Sung by Delilah......intepreted by mom

Oooooh I eat poo,
Hey, don't you?
Bunny rabbit, kitty cat or my own will do.

Laa laa laa laa


Dee is a long time member of PEA.  We've tried just about everything, but the only thing that works is to scout the area before she finds some.   Surprisingly she is the healthier of my two... go figure?

[Kari]

Kari, I can just imagine your response at work and what anyone who heard you was thinking   

LOL - My coworker hapen to be in my office when I say her do it and I started yelling a my computer monitor! She that it was so funny! I so wished I had a microphone so I could turn the sound on the camera on and yell at her!!!

[papbouv]

Patches is a PEA also someone posted if you give them Pinapple they will not do that? but they did not say how much Pinapple or how offten to fed it to them???
Papbouv

[Teresa]

They also have something at Petsmart that is supposed to keep them from eating it. Changes the taste so they won't like it. Since Schatzi doesn't do this (at least as far as I know) I have no idea if it works or not)

[MyLittleBoo]

EmmyLou here:  I would hab to agree wif Cookie!!  Cat poo is da bestest!!!!      Dat's my facorite...  So, yes, My name is EmmyLou and I am a poo eater...  After all, dat is why I was soo sick a couple months ago...      And, my daddy eben put up a gate so I can't get down da stairs to da litterbox, but dat hasn't stopped me!!!        I jus wait til I go outside, den I find da poo from our kitties out dere...    And, my momma is always brushing my teeth!!!!!!    :scratch:   She says absolutely NO kisses til dey are clean!!!   Can you bewieve her????  I'm jus twying ta share...       Lub~ EmmyLou

[Brandx]

I'm not posting this to be pointed at anyone but merely for educational purpose only! I have a poop eater myself! :thumb:

http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_PoopEating.php

Dog Tip: Stopping Dogs From Eating Poop (Coprophagia)

Does your dog have a dirty little secret?

A number of readers have contacted us about dogs who munch their own or other animals' feces. Here is background on the condition known as coprophagia, and what you can do to discourage doggie-do-eaters from this somewhat common, natural behavior that strikes humans as a disgusting gustatory pastime.

Background and principles:

* Coprophagia is a condition that compels dogs to consume feces.

* Why does the dog engage in this habit? A dog may ingest fecal matter for various reasons:

He may be hungry and has no access to real food.

You may be feeding a food lacking in sufficient nutrients and/or not appropriate for your particular dog.

When a dog is fed low-quality and/or inappropriate dog food, he feels compelled to eat more of it in an attempt to satisfy his body's craving for nutrients. As a result, the dog is ingesting excess food, and a large proportion of the food goes through his digestive system undigested. The resulting stools smell and look fairly close to the food that the dog previously consumed, so the dog tries to consume the 'food' again. This is not just a vulgar habit; it is a cry for health. The dog needs a better diet that will enable him to absorb the nutrients his body needs.

When dogs consume feces from other animals, they may be seeking minerals lacking in their regular dog food.

The dog may be consuming feces out of boredom, loneliness, anxiety or stress.

A dog who is confined to a kennel, chained, or restricted to a small yard or other space may eat his feces to occupy himself or clean his personal space. This dog needs to be exercised and played with several times a day.

Some breeds instinctively like to carry things in their mouths. Picking up feces and carrying it around may signal that the dog needs more daily exercise, mental stimulation and interaction with his people.

A yard or kennel where stools are allowed to pile up may prompt a dog to 'clean up' his stools. Be sure to clean the dog's area every day, and preferably right after the dog eliminates.

The emotional stress of being left alone or restricted to a small area for long periods of time without the companionship of the caregiver can result, for some dogs, in the eating of his own feces.

Internal parasites may lead a dog to consume feces, because the parasites can leach nutrients from the host animal's system. Thus, the dog will feel unusually hungry.

If a dog is punished for defecating in the house, she may eat her feces in order to hide the evidence and avoid punishment. Typically, when a dog defecates indoors, it is because she feels unable to hold it. It is a myth that dogs poop indoors for spite; spite is a human, not a canine, emotion. More responsive management and training by the owner is the solution, not punishment. Also realize that elimination in the house can be a sign of a health or medical problem, from parasites to a serious condition.

* Sometimes a mother dog will eat the feces of her pups out of a natural instinct to hide evidence of her offspring from predators.

* It is common for many puppies to taste and try to eat feces. Some researchers even suggest that some components of feces actually can stimulate the brain and immune function in young animals. However, that possible benefit is far outweighed by the health risks of ingesting excrement. Prevention is the wisest practice. Don't let the pups indulge, and they won't develop a taste for excrement ... and won't develop this habit.

* Prevention is better than treatment in mature dogs as well, since coprophagia is usually self-rewarding, meaning that the act of ingesting the feces is satisfying to the dog so he is likely to repeat the undesired behavior.

Solutions:

* Change the dog's diet. Buy or prepare only nutritious, quality food that is formulated for the dog's age, breed and any medical issues.

* For the dog who may be hungry, try feeding him a little more, and make sure you feed a quality, nutritious food that is appropriate for the age and type of canine.

* Take the dog to your veterinarian for an examination for underlying medical and health problems, parasites and other problems that may be compelling him to eat feces.

* Clean up after your pet, right after he goes - before he has a chance to eat his poop. Stopping access is one key to stopping this habit.

* Walk the dog on leash so that you are in a better position to tell the dog 'leave it' and to physically keep the dog from trying to sniff and eat stools. Always praise your dog for listening. You can also reinforce the verbal praise with tidbits carried in a pouch.

* As soon as the dog starts approaching excrement, tell her 'nah-ah-ahhh' or 'leave it!', and distract her with praise supported with a treat, clicker click, playtime or other action or activity that is appealing to the dog. This will convey the idea that it is more rewarding to attend to you than to attend to poop. As soon as she turns her attention to her, praise her ('Good dog!') and reward her. A wise practice is to always carry appealing tidbit treats, a favorite toy, clicker - something you can always use to effectively gain your dog's attention and reinforce desired behaviors. Once you get her attention, give her something positive to do. For example, tell her to 'Sit', reward her for listening, then proceed to an enjoyable activity such as playing or walking together. Distract her from undesired things like feces, and substitute a good, desired behavior such as sitting and attending to you. A dog who is interacting with her owner can't be investigating poop at the same time.

* If the dog is defecating in the house, the dog needs to be fed and walked on a schedule that allows her to eliminate before the owner leaves her alone for the day and before bedtime. The dog also may need housetraining help. Teach the dog instead of punishing her; this is the sensible and effective approach. Also, visit the vet to see if a medical condition is the underlying cause of the dog eliminating indoors.

* If a pup or dog is pooping in his crate, make sure he gets more exercise and has the chance to eliminate before placing him in his crate. Also, read about crate training. Dogs naturally do not like to poop or urinate in their living quarters, so a dog who potties in the crate needs you to help crate-train him properly ... and perhaps a trip to the vet to rule out medical problems that may underlie an inability to 'hold it' for a few hours. However, also realize that pups can't physically hold their elimination for more than one to three hours, and that it is not healthy or kind to crate adult dogs for more than 5 to 6 hours a day. Take the time to properly train your dog so that he can be left alone in the house, in a pet-safe area instead of confined in a crate.

* There are products that you can apply to the stools that will discourage your dog from consuming them. Some are available from pet supply stores and others from veterinarians. These include Forbid.

* Some alternatives to drugs that work for some:

Add two to four tablespoons of canned pumpkin to the food bowl each day. Pumpkin apparently tastes good in food, but repugnant when expelled in excrement.

Add a spoon (teaspoon or tablespoon depending on the dog's size) of canned pineapple, pineapple juice or spinach to the dog's food.

Add some meat tenderizer or MSG to the dog's food.

Coat stools, following elimination, with hot sauce or lemon juice. Or booby trap sample stools by penetrating some left in the yard with hot sauce.

* Block the dog's access to any kitty litter boxes to keep him from developing a taste for kitty tootsie rolls ... or to help break a habit that has already formed. Keep the litter box in a room that the cat, but not the dog, can access. Or place a lid over the box that only the cat can access. Or place a baby gate around the box that has openings too small for the dog.

* Coprophagia can be a hard habit to break since it is self-reinforcing, but do not be discouraged. Follow these tips and give them a chance to work.

* In summary, the steps to stopping poop-eating are: feed a complete, nutrient-packed and balanced diet; provide lots of exercise, playtime and interaction; keep living spaces, crates, kennels and yard clean; avoid confining the dog for long periods of time; and take him to your veterinarian for a health checkup.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=106&A=1613&S=0

Eating Dog Feces


"My dog eats his own poop!" exclaims the shocked human family member of an otherwise-perfect canine. Or, embarrassed to come right out with it, the human says, "I need to ask about this thing my dog does. It's really strange and disgusting…" The average person doesn't seem to discuss poop-eating dogs with friends and family, so people don't realize it's a common dog behavior.

Natural Behavior

Mother dogs clean their nursing puppies and eat the feces. With pups in the nest, you can imagine the unhealthy situation that would result from the waste being allowed to accumulate. Cats perform this task for their kittens, too. Other adult dogs in the family sometimes take over motherly duties in times of need, such as a litter too large for the mother or a mother who is ill or dies.

False pregnancies are normal in intact female dogs, and female dogs tend to cycle on the same schedule with other females in the same household. Other females who are in false pregnancy are often well equipped to mother some or all of the pups in another female's litter.

You can see that eating dog feces is not at all an unusual behavior for dogs. When the pups start eating solid food and walking well enough to get out of the nest to poop, mom can stop the cleaning duty. But the habit can certainly persist in her, and the hard-wired instinct probably exists in most dogs, ready to be triggered by various life situations.

Triggers

Sometimes we don't know why a particular dog starts eating poop, but certain conditions can trigger the behavior. Since some of these indicate a dog who needs help, you'll want to consider them as possibilities for what is going on with your dog.

1. A dog with a physical problem that causes excessive hunger, pain, or other sensations may resort to eating feces. If your adult dog who has not previously had this habit suddenly develops it, take the dog to your veterinarian for a check-up.

2. A dog who is not getting enough to eat or is going too long between meals may eat feces. Your veterinarian can help you evaluate the dog's weight and can suggest a feeding schedule and amount. Sometimes it takes experimentation to see what works best for a particular dog.

3. A dog with intestinal parasites or other condition that creates blood or other fecal changes may eat feces. One dog may eat the feces of another dog who is shedding something like this in the stools. A fresh fecal specimen to your veterinarian for evaluation can detect some of these problems.

4. Sometimes a change of diet helps. There doesn't seem to be any one food that is right for all dogs, and your dog may need something different than you're currently feeding. Be sure to make any changes of diet gradual, mixing the new food in with the old over a period of several days or weeks, to give the dog's intestines time to adjust and avoid diarrhea from the change.

5. Some dogs develop a mental connection that they will be punished if their humans find them in the same room with feces. Dogs react to this fearful situation in various ways, and one way is to eat the feces so it will not be there to make the human angry. This is one of many reasons not to use punishment when housetraining a dog.

6. Boredom can cause dogs to do all sorts of things, including eat feces. Interesting toys that have treats inside them for the dog to get out can help with lots of boredom-based problems.

7. Dogs may do just about any wild thing when suffering from separation anxiety. If that is the problem, this won't be the only symptom, and you'll want to help your dog work through the separation anxiety.

Sanitation

The number-one thing you can do to help overcome feces eating is to keep your dog's area clean of feces. This means housetraining, and supervising the dog whenever the dog is in the designated relief area. It's obviously not healthy for dogs to eat feces, and preventing the dog from carrying out the habit is also basic to getting the habit to fade.

It's not healthy for humans or dogs to have the feces lying around, either. Until a dog is fully housetrained and the feces-eating habit has died out, picking up after each bowel movement is an important tactic. After the dog's habits are steady, you may be able to pick up just once a day if you have a private place for the dog to use.

Food Additives

Some people swear by food additives to stop a dog from eating feces. Sometimes the theory is that the additive provides a nutrient the dog is seeking when eating feces and thus the dog will no longer crave feces. Other times the theory is that the additive makes the feces taste bad and the dog will not want it.

Before you try adding any of these things to your dog's food, consult your veterinarian about whether the particular additive is safe for your particular dog. Don't expect any additive to be a miracle cure. These things tend to work for the occasional dog, but chances are pretty good that your dog won't be the one.

Bait and Switch

While you're hanging out with your dog to supervise, you can hurry the process of fading out the feces-eating habit with a simple and pleasant training technique. The tools you'll need are a collar or head halter for the dog, a leash, and small treats your dog values highly.

If your dog is easily handled, the collar will do. If the dog is extremely determined to eat the poop, extremely fast or strong, have a behavior specialist fit your dog with the correct size head halter, introduce your dog to it gently, and give you one or more lessons on how to use the head halter safely and effectively. It gives you more control over the dog's mouth than a collar, and if your particular dog needs it for this training you'll be glad to have the skill for other training situations, too.

Take your dog out to potty on leash. As soon as the poop hits the ground and the dog shows interest in it, call the dog to you. Use the leash not to jerk the dog, but simply to keep the dog from being able to reach the feces. Keep the treats out of sight.

The instant the dog reaches you, praise the dog, whip out a treat and give it. Then back away from the dog, praise and give another treat for coming to you, and repeat that for a total of three to five times. At this point you have really taken the dog's mind off the feces.

Go on indoors with the dog and come back out without the dog to clean up. Once you have good control and a good rapport with the dog, you can go ahead and clean up while the dog is still outside. As you set this habit more strongly through repetition, you will be able to do the bait-and-switch with the dog on a long line, coming to you at the back door for a treat. Eventually you'll be able to do bait-and-switch without a leash or line on the dog. Keep up the same energy and level of reward, if you want the dog to keep responding!

Talk about It

After the dog has been prevented from eating feces for a considerable length of time, the habit tends to fade. That makes supervising the dog and working on this in the positive, bait-and-switch way very worth your while. Start the intervention as soon as you notice the dog eating feces, because the less time a habit has been going on, the more easily it will fade.

Help your friends and family by talking about this problem. You'll help their dogs in the process, too, because some people try punishment to break the habit. As you know now, that doesn't work, and it's destructive to the dog's trust in people and to the family's relationship with their dog. Let's bring this "dirty little secret" out into the open.

http://www.xomba.com/why_do_dogs_eat_cat_poop

Why do dogs eat cat poop?

Coprophagia literally means the consumption of poop. Little research has been done on why dogs eat poop, so veterinarians can only guess why they do this. Did you know that dogs aren't the only animals that eat poop? Many other animals eat poop on a regular basis including rodents, gorillas and many insects such as dung beetles and flies.

Herbivores such as rabbits and rodents eat their own poop because their diet of plants is hard to efficiently digest, so they have to make two passes at it to get as much nutrition out of their meal as possible. For these animals, eating poop is equivalent to a cow chewing its cud. However, because a cow has four stomachs, they are able to re-eat their food without having to poop it out first. Deer, moose and other four-stomached herbivores also chew their cud.

Many other animals, including dogs, eat poop because poop contains vitamins produced by the intestinal bacteria that the animal can't absorb through the intestinal wall. So, they get these vitamins by eating poop. Dogs and some other animals also eat poop is because it contains protein. Dogs are particularly fond of cat poop because cat poop is high in protein.

A female dog will eat the poop of her pups as a way to keep the den clean and to keep the scent of the poop from attracting predators. There is even a theory that some particularly dominant dogs will eat other dogs' poop in order to remove it, and therefore remove the other dogs' presence. This is because poop is one way in which dogs mark territory. And, some veterinarians believe that eating poop is just a trait passed down to dogs from their ancestors. Coyotes and wolves have been known to eat their own poop during food shortages, and have also been known to eat the poop of herbivores because it contains many of the B vitamins needed in their diets.

Why knows why dogs eat poop? They may do it simply because it tastes good to them. However, it's best not to let your dog eat poop because many parasites, including giardia, coccidia, roundworms and whipworms, can be transmitted through dog and cat poop. Additionally, clumping litter can pose a serious health threat to dogs that eat cat poop. Think of what the litter does when a cat urinates in it. Similar things can happen in a dog's stomach if it eats enough of the litter.

[April]

Cajsa isn't so bad anymore, but oh my!  Gretchen will eat her poop, Cajsa's poop or Elf's if she finds a dirty diaper.  Since I have been pregnant it really grosses me out like nothing else.  Not that it's ever been 'not gross'.  David wrote a PEA document if I can find it I'll try to post it for others to read. 

[papbouv]

Patches is a member of PEA wonder if that is why I cannot get her to loose weight I try very hard to keep it all picked up but with three it is hard to do.Now that we are getting grass,weeds and what ever else grows in the back yard it will be even harder to find.
Papbouv

[cheryl186]

Now that you mention that, could that be the reason I too am having a hard time getting Zoe to lose weight???  I hae three dogs also and I know what you mean....   It is very hard to keep it all cleaned up...it seems they magically find it.