3 Month Old Puppy Eats Own Feces

Updated on July 26, 2012
M.S. asks from Salt Lake City, UT
15 answers

We have a new puppy and since the day we brought him home he has been eating his feces. We are trying to get him to stop but he just wont. I finally put cayenne on his poop yesterday hoping to deter him but no success. Maybe toothpaste? We also have put him on vitamins thinking he might be missing a mineral or something.
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M.B.

answers from San Francisco on

If you have time to put cayenne pepper on it you have time to pick it up and throw it away before he eats it.

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S.E.

answers from New York on

thankfully my dog never did this but my cousins puppy did.. they changed to a better food and it helped but he would do it occasionally it think out of habit or bordum.. what worked for them was discipline.. that and keeping the yard as clean as possible.. they would watch him closely in the yard and after he went to the bathroom if he would start to eat it they would immediatly discipline him.. u gotta catch them in the act or they have no idea what theyre getting yelled at for .. he grew out of it eventuallly

1 mom found this helpful
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O.M.

answers from Portland on

Puppies do this a lot of the times when they have a vitamin deficiency or sometimes the puppy food has a lot of protein in it and they don't digest it all. So the poop looks appealing to them. Gross, I know.

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E.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

We had a dog that did that when he got older. The vet recommended putting some pumpkin in his food. He stopped. Just buy some canned pumpkin and put a large tablespoon in his food. Our dog liked to eat it.

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R.L.

answers from Denver on

Such is natural and your pup will outgrow it!

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H.?.

answers from Boise on

It is common for puppies to eat feces, and not just their own! Yucky, but common. The best thing to do is simply to clean up after your puppy as quickly as possible, do not let the puppy bombs sit in the yard! Bag them up and throw them out. Hopefully, your puppy will outgrow this phase soon. Best of luck!

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

This is very common... for one, the food you are feeding him may not be very high quality, and he is eating the feces to try to regain some of the nutrients that he needs.

Also, if you think about it, that is frequently what they S./experience when in a litter... to keep things clean, mama cleans them with her tongue, or also cleans up after them.

http://askville.amazon.com/dogs-eat-poop-stop/AnswerViewe...

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C.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

What kind of puppy? This is very common in certain breeds. Some grow out of it, some don't. I would touch base with your vet just in case, but a lot of puppies do it. In the meantime, clean up right away before he has a chance to eat it. I've heard of using Tabasco, but if the cayenne didn't help then the Tabasco probably won't either. My mom's puppy (Shih-Tzu) did this and they just had him on a leash, pulled him away when he pooped and then cleaned up right away. He is now 1 and doesn't do it anymore.

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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

I've never seen my puppy do this, and she's almost 10 months (but I have seen it with other dogs).

We feed a raw food diet and I give her a brewer's yeast supplement as well as some EFA's (essential fatty acids).

Even though my puppy is small (mini schnoodle) I walk her pretty much every day, two times a day. She will not poop in our yard unless she is desperate, much less in the house. It's almost like she views the yard as an extension of our home. She prefers to poop on our walks, which I bag up and pitch.

Maybe if puppy pooped out on walks he would not have the chance to engage in this behavior as much? Or does he do it on walks too? It seems like that would be tougher if you have him on a leash.

Just a thought. Maybe DVMMom will chime in with some ideas. I have read that it goes back to a dietary deficiency but I'm not sure how accurate this is for every puppy.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

I was told that it's because there's too much corn in their food. They can still smell it so buy a grain free food and their won't be any corn in it to be left in their poop. Corn in not digestible.

J.P.

answers from Lakeland on

This is normal for dogs and puppies. The vet told me to use seasoning (Lawry’s I think) in its food so that the dog will not like the taste anymore. The pet store also sells a powder you can add to the food that will do the same as the seasoning.

Please do not use cayenne pepper or anything that will do harm to your puppy.

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L.B.

answers from San Francisco on

It is not uncommon. The pet stores such as Petco, Petsmart, have a tablet to feed your pup that will deter him from eating their own waste. I'm sure your vet can lead you in the right direction.

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B..

answers from Dallas on

Yes, he probably has a nutritional deficiency. Has your puppy seen a vet? At this age, it's very important to be evaluated by a vet. They can do a blood test, to S. what he is missing. This can also be indicative, that he is on poor quality dog food. You can get tablets, so that his poop won't be appealing. However, the problem of WHY he is eating his poop won't be solved. If a dog has a big deficiency it will be intensive in one or two areas. He will not get enough from a multivitamin, in the areas he really needs. Please, take your dog to the vet!

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C.G.

answers from Colorado Springs on

Hello,
My vet said to sprinkle Accent on the dog food & when they poop it out, they don't like the smell & won't eat it.

Hope this helps,
C.

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Call the vet. They can give you medication that will help him stop.
Also, be aware that often times puppies do not fully digest their food before having a bowel movement, and they can smell the undigested food in it. (or so I have been told/have heard).

But when our puppy did that after we brought her home, I called the vet and they gave me a small vial of tablets that solved it pretty quickly. Never had a problem with that again. She is 8 1/2 yrs old now. :)

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