Luckily Diji has never done this but my cousin's little yorkie does. She is about 4 and a half months old and my cousin says she eats all her poo.... What does this mean? Is she missing something in her diet or is it just a bad habit?

No idea! YIKES! sounds a little gross! TRigger had a good vomit yesterday after ingesting everything he possibly could and then tried to eat it but i know that's a common thing!

I remember having a tortoise as a kid and it would eat our dog droppings - they told us it was bc in the wild it would eat Hyena droppings for example to get calcium from the bones they had eaten at the kills. so perhaps your cousin's dog is lacking something???? Lord knows what though! Must have great breath! ha ha! lol! sorry i couldnt resist!

Eating poop is a behavior known as coprophagia and most professionals consider this to be a symptom of boredom, hunger or malnutrition. I wrote an article on this once, and according to Dr. Nel (a family doctor), eating feces can result in toxoplasmosis and the behaviour should be strongly discouraged

Pepper started eating the wall! Yes, the wall!! Don't ask how he got that right but I think a piece must've bubbled up and he scratched it off. He likes to lick the wall too, do any yours do this??

yip...and the couch and skirting boards and shoes, socks and basically anything that is not tied down. But poo?????

what is the solution to this coprophagia?

My moms boerboel also licks the wall and sometimes just stands in the passage and stares at it so I think him licking it is ok. I'm trying to discourage him from eating it though! Luckily he's never eaten poop before but that's really gross!!!

I think boredom results in vices in a lot of animals. i know from having horses the vices they developed and dogs suffer the same thing unfortunately.

Ciara likes licking the sliding door and cupboard doors. I wonder why they do that??? Are they lacking something??

My guess is as good as yours!!
Like Kristin said, it could possibly be boredom.

Probably!!!

The solution to coprophagia would be to take a good look at the dog's diet and maybe make some changes. Also, invest in some "Me-time" toys for the dogs. These are toys that they should chew or play with on their own. A treat ball in one of our favourites. Cash and June also loves hooves and kongs filled with peanut butter or kong stuffin'.

I stopped June from doing it as a puppy by simply telling her no and giving her something else to do. She quickly forgot about it.

If you still have a problem with poop eaters, try to include some pineapple in their food. It changes the taste of their poo and they'll stop You can include 1/4 teaspoon of crushed pineapple in their daily meals.

Hope that helps!

I give my two pineapple every day but they still eat there poo, they even take it up on the bed to eat! I hate it! They eat Royal Canine puppy food. Thought about giving them chicken and brown rice, but dont want to start bad habbit.

Never knew about the pineapple thing Luckily i dont have that problem. Even Mika runs as far possible from his poo after he does his job!!!

That's very strange, Tinx. I mean the fact that June was also on RC puppy when she ate her poo? Her breeder had her on it and I switched her after the bag was finished. She hasn't eaten poo since.

Switching their food every now and then is good for them. One food may lack a certain nutrient and another food can add it to the diet. A lot of Yorkie owners that I know rotate their babies on different foods regularly.

You can rotate or switch with home-cooking (chicken and brown rice + some pureed veggies?), raw food or another kibble. There are a lot of great recipes on the forum to help get you started.

Hope that helps.

Marilize, ek sien jy se dit het gehelp om van kos te verander. My 2 eet van altyd af RC puppy en ek kan net nie dat hulle ophou poo eet nie. Wat stel jy voor? Ek is verward oor die bruin rys en hoender. My vorige een wat Desember op 4 dood is, het in die aand net bruin rys en hoender geeet en was oorgewig. Ek wil net die beste vir hulle he. Hulle is nou 5 maande oud. Help asb! wat sou jy doen.

Karen, daar is soveel kosse wat beter is as RC puppy. Ek verstaan dat jou veearts heel moontlik dit aanbeveel het, maar hulle doen dit slegs om kommissie te verdien. Hulle het nie kennis oor voeding, ens. nie.

Die bruin rys en hoender kan veroorsaak dat 'n hond oorgewig raak as hy baie daarvan eet. Ek is jammer te hoor dat jy hom verloor het. Wat het gebeur?

RC kry slegs 2 sterre uit 'n totaal van 6, so dit is regtig nie 'n goeie kos nie. Later in September word daar 'n 6 ster kos in SA vrygestel en dit gaan in vetshops beskikbaar wees. Maar tot tyd en wyl...

Ek voer myne rou kos wat ek koop by 'n plaaslike vervaardiger. Hy het 'n baie goeie, gebalanseerde dieet en hy doen vreeslik baie moeite. In elk geval, daar is resepte vir 'n rou dieet in 'n paar van die ander threads.

Wat ek sou doen is om vir hulle bietjie voor te stel aan rou kos. Dit verminder hulle kanse tot alle kankers, velsiektes, ens. Rou kos versterk ook hul immuunsisteem. Jy kan hoender nekke vir goedkoop kry by Spar of Pick n Pay. Ontdooi dit en bied dit vir hulle aan as 'n 'treat'.

As hulle dit 'n paar keer gekry het en gemaklik is, verander dalk hul aandete na iets rou. Jy kan vir elkeen 'n paar hoender nekke gee, vlerkies, rou beesbene, ens. Enige rou vleis is uitstekend vir hulle.

Wanneer hulle heeltemal gemaklik is met die rou vleis, kan jy begin om vrugte en groente saam fyn te maak tot 'n pasta en dit saam met mince (hoender, volstruis, bees, ens.) te meng. My yorkies eet net heel groente en vrugte uit my hand, nie uit hul bakke nie. As die groente nie fyn genoeg is nie gaan dit net weer dieselfde uit kom

Ek hoop dit help! Laat weet my asb as jy nog vrae het - ek help graag As jy meer gemaklik is, kan jy 'n paar van die lekker resepte uitprobeer.

Hi Marilize, dankie vir jou inligting. Gigi is oukersaand dood nadat haar lugpyp platgeval het, dit was baie skielik en onverwags. Ek praat nou nog moeilik daaroor want sy was baie spesiaal en regtig my soulmate. Sy was sooo mooi en het op 7 maande ook n kompetisie gewen vir die mooitste yorkie. Ek mis haar nog elke dag. Die rou kos klink vir my nogal vreemd. So dink jy as ek vir hulle hoender en bruin rys gee is dit ook beter as RC solank dit nie te veel is nie? Ek wil regtig vir my babas net die beste gee en is op die oomblik baie despiraat omdie poo etery te stop. Hulle is letterlik my kinders aangesien ek nie kon kinders he nie. Dankie vir jou hulp. K

Ek verstaan jou frustrasie met die poo etery. Veral as hulle die snacks begin rond dra.

Ek sou die hoender en rys hou as 'n treat, maar gee vir hulle een keer rou hoender en dan kyk jy wat hulle doen.
Verder, 'n hond se vertering stelsel is nie ingestel daarvoor om rys te verteer nie. Hulle kry geen stysel in die natuur nie en hulle doen gewoonlik baie beter sonder dit. Ek het vir myne rys gegee voor die rou dieet en ons het baie omgekrapte magies gehad.

Fyn, rou groente en vrugte en rou vleis is die gesondste vir hulle. Rou kos is vir mense ook die gesondste, maar ek dink nie baie mense wil rou vleis (behalwe sushi) eet nie. Gelukkig is die honde mal daaroor en kan nie genoeg kry nie.

Ek weet die rou dieet is vreemd. Dit was vir my ook baie vreemd. Maar behalwe om Orijen (die nuwe 6 ster kos) na September te koop, is dit jou beste opsie.

Ek is baie jammer om te hoor van jou oorlede yorkie. Mens kan hulle nooit vervang nie.

Ek het ook nou onlangs vir my hondjies rou vleis en groente en lewer begin gee soos Marilize voorgestel het! Dit is baie gesonder vir hulle as net die kibble hoor!! Ek gee ook net in die aande en dan as daai 6ster kos uitkom sal ek hulle daarop sit. Probeer dit net! Dit klink snaaks, maar jou honde gaan mal wees daaroor!!! Ek het 6 Yorkies en nou n Biewer, en toe al 7 van hulle die groente en rou vleis die eerste keer kry het hulle die bakke silwerskoon uitgelek!!