BehavioRx Case of the Month
for April 2002

Dogs who eat other dogs' poop

I call it the "Popcorn syndrome," because most dogs who go after other dogs' stools usually like them quite dry, sometime white with age. The frail, 72 year-old lady complained that she couldn't even take her large, 1 year old, spayed, mixed breed female pet "Angel," for walks in the neighborhood or park anymore. The dog pulled so hard that she had tripped and fallen more than once.

During our consultation we discovered many of the common elements in coprophagy. Angel was fed once a day, early evening - a dry dog food with more vegetable matter than meat. In fact, her diet's calories were provided by 54 percent carbohydrate (read "Sugar," since that's what carbohydrates end up as during digestion)
and only 28 percent protein and 18 percent fat Not surprisingly, Angel was about 10 percent overweight. When these facts were understood by the client, "Peggy," she was quick to suggest that a change in diet might help in many ways more than just the stool-eating, especially with Angel's unbounded energy and overweight.

Angle's veterinarian had thoroughly examined and tested for any of the physical problems that can contribute to the problem and found her to be free from disease.

Angel and Peggy had done well in their basic obedience class 4 months earlier: However, Peggy did mentioned that using food lures for training, she thought, made Angel "hand-happy;" i.e., always nudging her hand for a treat. Also, it was during the obedience training that Angel began searching for "recycled food" during their
walks. Peggy had tried a pinch (spike) collar, but Angel only got worse during their walks.

Peggy was also quick to understand that feeding Angel only once a day in the evening left her with an empty tummy the following afternoon, which was the time of their lengthy walks.

The first remedial step involved diet: Angel was switched to two meals a day. The diet Peggy opted for was Wysong's canned raw chicken, supplemented with Call of the Wild.

No walks were taken in the feces areas during the diet switch-over period of four days. Peggy used the Sof-Touch Training Safety Leash and succeeded in curbing Angel's forging ahead, although she said she had to anchor herself to a lamp post the first day! Then, into the old areas: Peggy distracted Angel at the first sign that Angel was about to start searching for feces, using the Bio-Sonic Beanbags. She reported that Angel was extremely responsive to both the quick shake in the hand and the tosses. She kept them with her for 6 weeks, although Angel had showed no interest in the feces a few days.

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