Coprophagia is a behavior that can occur in dogs, cats or horses; some dogs will ingest their own feces or the feces of other animals. Coprophagia can be acute, intermediate or turn into a chronic condition. There is coprophagia treatment available, so as soon as you notice that your dog is eating feces, you need to visit the vet. The condition may be caused by boredom, curiosity or an underlying health problem, which must be detected.
Types of Coprophagia
- Acute coprophagia occurs in puppies and it is a condition that will be present for up to 3 weeks.
- Intermediate coprophagia occurs in dogs between the ages of 3 to 5 years old and the condition may persist for 1 to 3 months.
- The coprophagia is considered chronic if the dog eats feces for more than 1 year. This can occur in older dogs between the ages of 5 and 8. In this case, the dog’s condition is a bad habit that requires training and a lot of attention.
Causes of Coprophagia
Coprophagia may develop as a bad habit in dogs, but the condition may point to other medical problems as well. Dogs that eat their feces must be examined for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or pancreatitis (the inflammation of the pancreas). Coprophagia can also be caused by infections in the intestinal tract or malabsorbtive syndrome. A dog may eat his feces if he is fed in excess or gets a diet that is high in fats. If the dog is healthy, but still eats his feces, some possible causes are:
- Boredom
- Lack of exercise
- Hunger
- Curiosity
- The dog is seeking attention
- The feces are not removed from the dog’s environment
For-Bid Treatment for Coprophagia
For-Bid is an edible protein that can be added to the dog’s food to stop him from ingesting his own feces. Even though this protein is tasty when ingested, it gives the feces an unpleasant taste that the dog is most likely to reject.
The treatment with For-bid should be administered for up to 1 week, twice per day. It will work in acute and intermediate cases. This form of coprophagia treatment will cure more than 99% of acute cases of coprophagia and 95% of intermediate cases.
In cases of chronic coprophagia, the treatment may not be effective. But you should try it, as the treatment may work in some dogs with chronic coprophagia. If the treatment is not effective, you should try obedience training. Chronic coprophagia is a bad behavior that can be corrected. You can also try putting on a muzzle, but your dog will try to remove it. You should also ensure the dog gets plenty of exercise.
If your dog ingests feces from another animal in your household, add For-Bid to the other animal’s food as well.