BehavioRx Case of the Month
for April 1997

COPROPHAGIA [Poop-eaters]

The client consulted our HelpLine with the complaint that her healthy 10 month-old spayed female Cocker Spaniel had started eating her own feces in the back yard about 3 months earlier. The family consisted of Mom, Dad and twin 6 year old girls. When Mom first saw the dog, "Elsie," perform the foul act, she burst from the house, grabbed her by the collar, slapped her rump and chased her into the house. Toilet times occurred twice a day and Mother was generally in charge of letting the dog out, etc. Unless one of the parents was with Elsie, she would defecate and turn immediately for her bonus meal.

The owners felt the problem was becoming unbearable... her cess pool breath was taking all the joy out of owning what was otherwise a sweet and lovable family companion. A thorough veterinary check, including urine, fecal and blood panels, found no physical/medical reason for her compulsive behavior.

This case is not unusual, sad to say. Coprophagy [eating excrement] very often starts in dogs near the end of their growth-burst phase in physical development. This also coincides with a feeding change that many owners feel they should make; they cut down from two meals per day to one. Such was the case in Elsie's schedule. And it occurred just before the onset of the problem.

We explained to the couple that dogs retain food on their stomachs for only 7-9 hours after eating, after which they experience an empty tummy. Many dogs try to fill this gnawing void by drinking copious amounts of water, often creating a household urination problem. Others, while still defecating twice a day, turn on the stool that is passed at the time they formerly would have eaten their second feeding on the old schedule.

The remedy in this case required returning to Elsie's twice a day schedule by splitting her single meal quantity in two. She was also put on the "No Free Lunch," or "Learn to Earn Praise and Petting" program, during which she was told pleasantly to "Elsie, Sit" whenever she sought attention or petting. She was praised and petted briefly, then released with a code-word and verbally praised again. This helps gain her orientation to the owners as leaders, while helping to fulfill her canine need to function. Then, to deal with the habit, she was accompanied to the toilet area after each meal. The instant she finished eliminating, Mom or Dad clapped their hands once and rushed toward the back door. Fortunately, Elsie was a peach of a dog and ran right with them. Some dogs have to be called with a panic recall command to attract them. Others have to be kept on leash and gently pulled away from the stool. However, if the "No free Lunch" program is faithfully followed, the single hand-clap usually suffices and leaving the stool and toilet area soon becomes a conditioned behavior, i.e., the hand-clap is no longer needed. Stools are then picked up at a time when the dog cannot watch the owners.

Some health and nutritional conditions that contribute to coprophagy are:

Pancreatitis, often transient
Intestinal infections
Food allergies, creating mal-absorption
Over-feeding, which leads to undigested fecal matter.
Allelomimetic behavior, i.e., dog watches owner picking up stools and takes
up the practice as well. Which is why the "Secret Clean-Up" is a must for
correction.

Elsie responded quickly and, at last check, effectively. She has not devoured her poop in several weeks and, further, shows no interest in it after defecating.

But, what about the dog that eats other dogs' stools. That's another problem, but often with similar causative factors. We'll deal with it in the future.

Previous Cases

March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996

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