Normal "eating" habits ?

[Luvit73]

My dog , and now my puppy too , like to eat animal droppings ! If one of my rats leaves droppings , the dog gobbles it up like it's a treat ! And now both of them , are doing their best , to dig in the cat box when they can , and eat her droppings too ! Is this normal ? Why do they do this ?

[GretaJack]

My dogs used to raid the kitty litter any chance they got and they also loved to eat chicken dropping when we had those. Right now their favorite is horse apples. I would have to say it is normal. Even though we find it disgusting, apparently they don't.

[BabyElephant]

Yes, it is normal, Poppy and I went walking through a field that had cows in it the other day and I couldn't believe she did it but, she did - I thought it was revolting and we made a hasty retreat from that field (I actually thought she was going to roll in it as well)! She also likes the guinea pig droppings and did eat some of the cat's the other night.

Apparently, the concern from my vet is that they could pick up worms from eating this if the animal that the poop came from had worms. In the UK this is more of a concern with cats and wild rabbits. But as long as you're following a appropriate worming programme, this shouldn't be a problem.

[HeartSong]

Eating the poop itself usually won't cause problems except possibly worms as mentioned above. However, a dog can have serious health problems if they eat kitty litter. The best way to prevent you dog from eating it is to make it inaccesable. Using a covered litter box may help as well. If you can't get the dog to stop, switch to a natural litter that doesn't form clumps when exposed to moisture.

It can be a difficult behavior to break. If your dogs know 'leave it' or something similar give that command everytime you see them go for some poo. If they don't know such a command, teach them one. Make sure that poop gets cleaned up often whether in the yard, litter box or anywhere else and also that they are getting all the nutrients they need in their diet.

[erdog3]

The reason why they do this is because the droppings have a strong food smell in them.
To dogs it is just another meal if the fancy takes them.

[Leslie]

My dogs favorite is horse biscuits! I find it gross but they find it delectable! Go figure!
I have a neighbor whos dog eats it's own. Now, that is repulsive. She's giving her a suppliment that makes it taste yucky so hopefully that will be the end of that.

[Dax]

In the wild, dogs and wolves would eat & roll in their prey's waste to mask their own scents. In most cases, you will be able to eliminate with training. Otherwise every walk is a banquet of poop waiting to be tested.

[Luvit73]

lol ok , it's normal , but yuck ! lol One problem though - there is nowhere in my apt. I can hide it , and the kitty can get to it - they are both small enough to still get it , in a covered box , and (the grown one , anyway) knows thats a no no , but she's a smart pooch - she doesn't do it when I'm watching her , she'll wait for me to go to the other room , and I come back and she's licking her lips , with kitty crunchies in her beard and got the submissive thing going on , like "see ? I didn't do anything!" lol

[Lessica Jake]

Bailey doesn't really do anything with cow manure, but she loves horse poo. Doesn't do any good to tell her no or drop it. She laughs at me, grabs a big mouthfull and runs away.
I know it's essentially just grass, but gross.

[erdog3]

Luvit the problem with the kitty litter is stated as before, although I must say when I have had the cleaning the poop day, I have found all sorts of things, from kitty litter, bird seed, even balloons.
Sophie is the main culprit, and does eat her own too. She will actually race round while I'm cleaning it up and try a gobble down as much as possible before it is gone. YUK!! makes me wretch if I look at her.
You can put the kitty litter up on a shelf somewhere out of pups reach, but kitty can still get to it for a while, till pup is too big to fit in.
I had that trouble with the cat flap when Ells was smaller, she could let herself out!!eeek.