Eating cat poop

Question
I have a 5 month old Papillon she has a bad habit of eating cat poo. She finds it in the back yard when I take her out. I own no cats myself but they come in my yard at night. I have done every thing I can think of to keep them out with no luck. This is really gross how can I break her of it?

Answer
Hi Ferne,

Thank you for writing to me.  Although there are some medical disorders that can lead to this, including starvation, disorders of the pancreas or intestine, and severe parasitic infestations which lead to serious malnutrition, these are typically rare.

Many other animals, including dogs, eat poop because poop contains vitamins produced by the intestinal bacteria that the animal can't absorb through the intestinal wall. So, they get these vitamins by eating poop. Dogs and some other animals also eat poop is because it contains protein. Dogs are particularly fond of cat poop because cat poop is high in protein.

Cats don't metabolize protiens as efficiently as dogs, so there is a nutritional value for the dogs to be had by eating it.

However, it's best not to let your dog eat poop because many parasites, including giardia, coccidia, roundworms and whipworms, can be transmitted through dog and cat poop.

Cats don't metabolize protiens as efficiently as dogs, so there is a nutritional value for the dogs to be had by eating it.

My best advice is to feed your dog a human grade food, or real food that offers a completely balanced meal.  Give your dog a digestive enzyme before each meal and add Missing Link.  Also make sure that a nutrient powder containing all the essential minerals/vitamins is given along with fish oil every day.  The better your dogs health and digestive function is, the less likely he is to crave cat poo.  It is possible however that by this time it's become a bad habit which will have to be addressed behaviorally.

Best Regards,
Shelley Davis