ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
When your pooch chews its poo
A
ny dog owner who has
watched a mother dog
with her puppies will
have seen that she licks them
to encourage elimination and
then she licks up the resultant
faecal matter. This is instinctual and completely normal. A
mother with pups is wired to
keep her den clean so as not
to attract predators with scent
cues.
However there are some
adult dogs that eat their own
or other dogs' droppings and
Disgust Alert: The following article may
revolt sensitive readers. But then again you
may be the unfortunate owner of a pet that
eats its faeces.
there are various theories
about why they do this.
There may be health problems, such as parasites, diets
deficient in nutrients and
calories, malabsorption
syndromes or ailments such as
diabetes, Cushing's, thyroid
disease, and other conditions
that might cause an increase
A
in appetite. So it is always a
good idea to get your dog
checked out prior to starting
any treatment for
coprophagia, which is what
this delightful habit is called.
Other theories state that the
habit arises out of some kind
of environmental stress or
behavioural triggers, such as
being kept in isolation or
spending too much time
confined in small spaces.
Sometimes dogs feel
neglected and they soon work
out that eating poo is a surefire way to get the attention of
their owner, even if it is
negative attention.
Some dog owners have seen
36
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improvements with a handful
of strategies, including:
K Vitamin supplementation.
There's been a long-standing
theory that dogs eat faeces
because they are missing
something in their diets.
Vitamin-B deficiency, in
particular, has been a prime
suspect, and studies have
backed this up.
K Enzyme supplementation.
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