2+ year old pup eating own feces

Question
QUESTION: Our young dog was born and raised by a breeder of dachshunds until we purchased her when she was 3 or 4 months old...old enough to be sold anyway. She is a dear, sweet dog with one very bad habit. She eats her own feces. Now, we have given her the anti-fecal pills broken up in quarters due to her size, and they do seem to work mostly. But my concern is the possible damage being done to her intestinal tract which is trying to break down a substance it has already broken down. Is there possible damage being done to her intestinal tract by the re-introduction of fecal matter of which she has eaten previously? I try to avoid giving her those pills since they may also cause damage. She is not an avid eater unless she is extremely hungry at the time; otherwise, she may munch some and then eat later.

Please let me know if this bad habit from our point of view could cause damage further down the road.

Thanks for your assistance.

S/Bob Clark

ANSWER: Some folks use pumpkin instead of the artificial deterrents.  You could try that.  But, take a look at this article, too:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1613

Bob,the only damage that is done by eating feces, usually, is parasitic infestation.  So, the likelihood that eating her own uncontaminated feces would cause her harm is remote.  This is something female dogs do to keep the den clean when they have pups, or that they do to make use of undigested material, so it's really a normal function, just repugnant to us.  I don't really know whether "Forbid" or other anti-coprophagia medications cause any damage, that's really a question for your veterinatian.  But, I always prefer to opt for natural solutions whenever I can with my own dogs.  Of course, the obvious answer is to supervise the dog diligently, and scoop the poops asap;-))
Thanks for your kind evaluation and comments.  Hope this follow up helps.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes, it does. She usually is not even interested in other poop, only her own. Warren Eckstein on radio suggests sprinkling alum on the poop which I may try if I get to it before she does! If she becomes repulsed by its taste, maybe in time she will just lose interest. As with you, I would prefer using something more natural as a deterrent. I always wonder if these anti-poop pills and powders cause any internal damage to their system. She has also added weight, but this may be another matter altogether.

Again, thanks.

S/Bob C.

Answer
Bob, what are you feeding her?  Heavily grain-based foods with lots of fillers can influence dogs' habits and put on extra pounds.  Innova Evo, which is a high quality grain-free food, probably has twice the kilocalories as Iams, and so you would feed about half of the Innova compared to the Iams.  So the price differential isn't as bad as it seems.  Sometimes, they will eat poop to take advantage of non-digested nutrients because of low quality food.  More information: www.thedogfoodproject.com, or Whole Dog Journal (URL escapes me at the moment, just Google).  If she's gaining weight, it's either too much food with insufficient exercise, or there's something going on metabolically perhaps.  Mention her weight at next vet visit - there are some common things that they can test for just to ease your mind.  
Did you try the pumpkin? (Make sure it's the one WITHOUT the spices, just PLAIN.