dog eating feces

Question
 I give my dogs Iams weight control. I give my lab 1 cup in the morning and 1 in the evening and put about a tablespoon of plain fat free yogurt on top.   she has always been a very hungry greedy dog.  I have 4 dogs and she is now eating the other dogs feces.  she will even wait while they are going so that she can go and eat it right away.  but she is defecating a lot more and she has even vomited all the feces, in the house.  There has to be something to do for this.  the things that you can put on their food does not work.  I have thought about getting a shock collar and watching her, I have thought about getting a muzzle so she can go out but not eat the feces.  But, I am at my wits end, I really want to help her. I thought your idea of a different food sounded good.  but i will have to break her from this first, right?  She just has always been such a hungry, greedy dog.  but is very good otherwise.  Please help."


Answer
"Diet" dog food is often extremely insufficient in nutrition (no matter what the label says) and, just as with people, each diet needs to be tailored to the individual.  This dog is not getting enough food and she is resorting to this behavior in an attempt to compensate for the lack of nutrition.  I know that the Labrador can be a chow hound! DO NOT use a shock collar!! This behavior is not a choice, it's instinctive and has become habitual.  Consult your veterinarian regarding a diet that s/he tailors especially for your dog; using a wire (plastic) muzzle (not a velcro one that encloses the snout as this is very punishing) for a short time (a couple of weeks) may help by preventing her from repeating this behavior, although I am not a fan of these devices for a lot of reasons (one of them being that the dog is unable to offer a full display of body language to other dogs).  See this site:
http://www.morrco.com/dogmuzzles1.html

You must continue to studiously pick up after your dogs even though this dog's coprophagia may appear to be extinguishing because this is a very persistent problem to eliminate.  Giving each dog a small piece of pineapple with each meal can render the stool unpalatable (apparently), so you can try this; pineapple chunks are available in any supermarket.  Ask the veterinarian for other suggestions.