eating feces

Question
Kristin,
I read one of your other answers about feces eating, but it didn't really help in my situation.  I Have a lab mix, that we got from our humane society.  She was 4 months then, and now about 15 months.  At 12 months, I switched her from puppy food to ALS Canidae.  Now she is eating her feces, and also rabbit feces.  I try to clean hers up right away, but I can't clean up after rabbits.  She is about 63 pounds, and I feed her 1.5 cups twice a day.  Should I feed her more?  She has really been nosing around the table a lot more too.  We don't feed her any table food, but she dives for whatever the kids drop on the floor like she is starving. Please help, I used to love her kisses...but know I'm just grossed out.

Answer

Hi Julie,

The absolute number one way to help your dog overcome feces eating, is to keep your dog's area clean of feces. You need to pick up all waste before your dog has a chance to eat it. If you are unable to do that, this habit will continue. It's obviously not healthy for dogs to eat feces, and preventing the dog from carrying out the habit is also basic to getting the habit to fade.

The feces eating habit is probably not due to how much food you feed your dog, but if you are unsure follow the feeding guidelines on the package of dog food you're using, to make sure you're not under-feeding your dog. Some dogs just develop this habit, nobody knows the reason why they do it. It's possible your dog has worms if he's in the habit of eating feces and always seems hungry.

A dog who going too long between meals may eat feces. But if your dog has access to the feces, he's going to go for them now, it's his habit.

Besides from being diligent about picking up your dog's waste, you need to prevent your dog from having access to the area where you keep the rabbits. If you aren't around to supervise your dog, there's no way to prevent him from eating the rabbit's feces. A barrier or fencing that prevents your dog from getting near the rabbit hutch is the answer. Another option is to install chicken wire around the base of your rabbit hutch, so your dog can't get to the waste.

Walking your dog on a leash is a good idea, rather than letting him outside on his own where he eats things he shouldn't. This not only provides your dog with exercise and time to be with you, but it's also mental stimulation for your dog. The more exercise you give your dog, the less likely he'll be to eat waste. Letting him outside by himself in your yard doesn't count as exercise.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti