Why is my dog eating poop after changing to allergy food?

Dogs will eat stool out of boredom, curiosity or in an attempt to correct a nutritional deficiency. She may outgrow the behavior eventually. Pick up stool immediately after she goes. Keep her occupied and engaged with toys and tasks to distract her from stool. Review her diet with your veterinarian to identify and correct any potential deficiencies. There are also food additives, such as For-Bid, that may deter her from eating feces.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Not necessarily. As long as he is doing well and does not seem in discomfort when defecating, it should be ok. I would make sure though that his water intake is appropriate as dry feces can sometimes be a sign of decreased water intake. Good luck and have a great day!

When an older dog is having a behavior change they should be checked out by your vet. Eating stools at this age is not normal and almost always has an underlying medical cause. You can try this supplement if you wish to see if it helps. If it does not, she should definitely see your vet. ( https://www.thepetcarefactory.com/online-store-digestive-health ) It would also be a good idea to add some of this supplement to the other dog's food to make the stools "taste bad" so hopefully it will curb Cora from wanting to eat it: ( https://www.animigo.co.uk/coprophagia-for-dogs.html )

That’s seems odd to have both puppies itching and with allergies. Make sure they don’t have fleas or skin mites. A good product to use on the puppies is Nexgard. It is excellent against fleas and is active against mites as well off label. I recommend to make sure it’s not parasites. Eating stool is gross but many dogs do this. It’s not related to allergies or the itching. Close monitoring and training is best but they do make products to feed the pet that make the stool less palatable. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

For helping to eliminate purely behavioral causes of coprophagy, a three step method can be used: 1. Decreaseattractivequalityoffeces • Change in diet can oftentimes be beneficial, switching to a brand with a lower protein content to lower the amount of protein excreted into the feces (which the dog finds palatable). • Commercially available products added to food can decrease the palatability of the feces. Examples include: For-bid®; Deter®; and meat tenderizers. Consult with your veterinarian as to the proper dose to use. 2. Preventexpressionofbehavior • Being present and scooping up the feces immediately is a good way to prevent this behavior. • Keeping the dog on leash when taking him/her out to eliminate can help the owner physically prevent the dog from engaging in coprophagy. • Controlled feeding time allows the owner to predict time of defecation and be more vigilant when watching the dog. • Preventing access to other pet’s litterboxes or cleaning them frequently. • Spray collars, such as citronella can be used to deter the dog as well. • “Booby-trapping” feces, by adding hot sauce or “bitter apple” flavor INTO the feces, so the dog associates bad tastes with its feces. • Not rewarding the behavior by ignoring the dog when it consumes its feces, despite how difficult it may be for the owner. 3. Rewardpost-eliminationbehavior • Positive reinforcement immediately after good behavior (so owner must be present). Keep the dog on leash, and if the dog does not go for its feces, reward it with food and praise. Also, if the dog does try to reach for its feces, divert its attention to another simple task (such as asking to “sit” or “shake paw”) and reward it for performing the task. Health Concerns: As with all pets, regardless of whether or not the dog is coprophagic, owners should be careful about washing their hands at appropriate times, such as before eating, after handling feces, etc. Cleanliness is the first line of defense against potential disease transmission, which can include intestinal parasites. Coprophagy can be very distasteful to owners and can be a public health concern. If this occurs, consider seeing your local veterinarian to rule out any possible diseases as the cause and to develop a plan to help eliminate the behavior.

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach. Unfortunately eating stool is a behavior problem without a simple answer. Cleaning up immediately after the dogs defecate and/or leash walking Dove may be the only viable way to prevent this. In some cases training along with deterrents such as Forbid may help, but preventing access to stool is the true solution. This article has a bit more information. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dog-behavior-problems-coprophagia

Yes it can possibly be due to the oil. If feces do not normalize in 48hours I would recommend to start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.