Having a pet is one Big responsibility, not only because of the fact that pets give us unconditional love, but because represent a series of needs that must be addressed. Of course, these needs make us doubt whether the job is being done well taking care of a pet or not.
One of these cases and in which dog owners have doubts, is when they see that their pets eat their own feces, something that is usually an accident and many times cannot be avoided, but the owner always doubts: will it be dangerous to his health?
Is feces dangerous for your dog's health?
Dogs tend to have this type of behavior called coprophagia, where ingest their own feces and that of other animals. If you see that your dog does it, do not think that he has a problem, since this is a totally normal behavior for them.
This happens especially in puppies who generally tend to be the most dung in the canine world. However, when this type of behavior occurs in adults and even elderly dogs, can become compulsiveAs older dogs generally outgrow their urge and desire to eat dog and other animal feces.
Despite that this behavior is common in dogsThe cause of why dogs have the desire to eat feces from other animals has not yet been confirmed. Many researchers claim that the dog is likely to have a nutritional deficiency, but not yet proven.
This theory is based on the fact that it has been found that the majority of dogs that eat feces and are of advanced age, are malnourished and emaciated. Despite the fact that it seems unpleasant to us and even very dangerous for our dogs, most experts say that this type of behavior is totally normal and that it does not represent any risk to our pets.
Dogs that eat feces do something normal
When your dog is small, you will probably notice that he has a tendency to eat his feces or those of other animals and this is normal because he is still learning different things. But when he gets older and is still ingesting feces, your dog probably has a compulsion, which is why you should look for a solution immediately to quit this bad habit.
For this, you can choose mainly to do or forcing your dog to stop eating feces. You can achieve this if you make the main feces he eats, his, unpleasant for his palate. You can add elements to their meals or directly to their stools, that make them more unpleasant, such as a little black pepper or hot.
In the market you can also find different products that make your dog's feces taste unpleasant.
To find out if your dog dislikes one or the other product, you can place different products on a cotton pad and run them through your dog's nose. If he moves away from a product, he will definitely not want to get closer, because he will feel displeasure and the same will happen if you apply the product to his stool.
As we mentioned earlier, in the market There are different products specially made to make your dog's feces taste unpleasant. so that it does not come close again.
Remember you should be aware of if your dog presents improvements or not in terms of his addiction to the consumption of feces. While it is not dangerous to your health, it is not a healthy practice either.
You must also try to feed your dog well, since as said before, one of the reasons why your dog may be consuming feces is because it some nutrient is missing, so you should also look at the food that you give it every day.