poor eating habits!

Question
I know this is gross my my german shepard has been eating her own poop! I know that dogs do this, but she is eating just after it comes out. is this due to a nutritional deficiency? if so, what can I give her? I feed my dogs eukanuba sport for higher protein intake, plus supplement their protein and vitamins with additives: cottage cheese, yogart, eggs, meat, brewers yeast, lecithin, kelp. bone meal,   fish oil, vit c, glucosamine, etc....

Answer
First of all Deborah, my apologies for the delayed reply. I had surgery on Thursday and had neglected to set myself as Away. I am new to AllExperts and simply overlooked the need to do this. I am sorry you've been kept waiting!

Now; your question. Since many dogs do indeed eat stool, many theories have been put forth as to why, and many more  attempt to address the issue. Ultimately there are no definitive answers as far as I am aware. I feel that while nutritional deficiencies could theoretically play a role, many dogs eat stool who I am certain do not have any such issues. (Remembering that nutrition is a mixture of what you feed plus what the dog absorbs, so even a dog with an excellent diet could have impaired absorption and thus, a nutritional imbalance). I can scarcely believe that every dog who eats stool has such a serious issue. My own to do this, and I'm as sure as one can be that the pup at least does not have either a dietary or an absorption problem.

Now all that said, the first thing to do is rule out a nutritional imbalance. And when I look at your list of foods I suspect you may well be throwing something off.
To start with, you are feeding a lower quality food, but one that will contain ALL your dog's required needs for minerals like calcium and iodine. Yet, you are adding more, possibly much too much. If you add too much calcium to the diet it can affect absorption of other minerals and create a deficiency. Excess iodine affects thyroid function. Too much nutrition is as bad as too little in many cases.  I would advise switching your dog to a premium quality food and laying off the supplements - especially bone meal and kelp!


What you can add, once you've made the switch, is some digestive enzyme and probiotic, which will aid in digestion and help ensure that all the protein you feed is actually utilized; probiotics will help keep the intestinal tract healthy; and some fish body oil will round off this regimen, adding Omega3 fatty acids that diminish inflammation, and supports cardiovascular health (among many other benefits). Please distinguish between supplements like vitamins and minerals that can upset the nutritional balance, and things like enzymes that will not.

Now if after you have sorted this out your dog is still eating stool, you can consult with a holistic vet to make sure there are no absorption issues beyond the scope of dietary management. If your dog doesn't have diarrhea or gas or other gastric problems this is unlikely, but still worth putting your mind at ease.
At the end of this journey you will probably have to consider the coprophagia as a behavioural issue, and practise avoidance! It's hard when they eat their own like that, I know. But given that I suspect some sort of imbalance to start with, you should be able to mitigate that sense of urgency. My pup eats stool when he's bored, or if it's cat poop (a wellknown canine delicacy) but not with that immediacy. The fact your boy seems like he urgently wants to eat stool, and then when I look at the diet, I suspect something IS going on, nutritionally. Try sorting out the diet and see what happens.

If you need assistance selecting a premium food let me know! I strongly recommend you try this.
Hope this helps, and again my apology for the delay.
Catherine