Dog or cat - who is better? For many, this question does not arise, which is why a dog and a cat often live nearby. And often owners are faced with a problem - the dog eats cat excrement. Let's try to figure out what to do, how to fight, and what this means for the dog.
First of all, diseases should be excluded. If the dog refuses to eat, has lost weight, or is in a depressed general condition, it is necessary to contact a veterinarian. If the pet’s health does not cause concern, the reasons for such behavior should be sought elsewhere.
Teach your dog the "Leave it" command.
If your dog continues to interfere with your cat's privacy, it's time to teach them the "Leave it" command. Here's how you teach them this command:
Be very diligent about this. Every time you see your dog hanging around the cat potty, you know what they're up to. Speak to your dog in a firm tone and say, “Leave it!”
If she listens to you, give her a treat. If she doesn't listen, say it again, but louder. Dogs don't need to understand your vocabulary; they can feel your command.
This may not work the first few times because it is a new command for your dog. Just keep repeating it.
Is it harmful to the pet's health?
It is generally not too dangerous for a dog to eat its own stool. However, bacteria and parasites from it can be transmitted to people and other animals through the dog's mouth and saliva. If you cannot stop your pet from eating feces, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your pet.
When a dog eats the feces of another animal (especially another dog or cat), he is at risk of ingesting the eggs of intestinal parasites and potentially harmful bacteria, which can easily lead to illness.
In addition, dogs can become infected with serious infectious diseases:
- Parvovirus enteritis;
- Coronavirus;
- Leptospirosis.
Another unpleasant effect of eating feces is bad breath. Home dental care and regular teeth cleaning can help your pet's breathing, but it is best to prevent stool eating.
Read an important article on the topic: “Uninvited residents - helminths: treatment and prevention.”
Use fences to keep them out
Interior fences outside the cat's room can prevent dogs from accessing that space. There are a number of interior fencing available online. Find the right size and height for your dog.
When purchasing them, make sure the space between the bars is wide enough for cats to pass through, but narrow enough to be in the way for dogs.
In contrast, you can install a small door in the bathroom door so that your kitties have access to the bathroom but not your dogs.
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Symptoms of toxoplasmosis
The infection is very dangerous and insidious, because, most often, it occurs without specific symptoms. A woman sometimes does not even suspect the presence of a dangerous pathogen, which can negatively affect the course of pregnancy and cause irreversible consequences.
In acute toxoplasmosis, body temperature rises to 38.5-39º C, cold symptoms are noted: weakness, aching joints, general malaise. Most often, women do not take active measures to treat and prevent consequences. To make a diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, an additional examination is required - determination of immunoglobulin class M and G.
Buy stool repellers
Another way to prevent your dog from eating poop is to use a stool soothing product. They are specially made for dogs who cannot stop eating cat or other feces.
You don't want to kiss your dog once he has perverted his mouth. So, investing in stool repellents will be beneficial for you and your dog, as some products have "breath fresh" features to freshen the mouth.
On the other hand, stool repellents designed for cats may make their stool unattractive to dogs so they can stay away.
What do we have to do
Many people are interested in what can be done to stop their dog from eating feces. There are several ways to solve this problem.
Rule out diseases
A veterinarian is a specialist who will help identify diseases in your dog.
First, you need to make sure that the dog is completely healthy and is not sick. To do this, your pet will have to be taken to a veterinarian. He will conduct examinations and, if necessary, prescribe effective treatment. To find out the diagnosis, you will have to perform the following procedures:
- fecal analysis, which will allow you to find out information about the quality of food digestion and make sure that the dog does not have worms;
- blood analysis;
- Ultrasound of the abdomen.
Important! Only after excluding pathologies can you begin to correct the dog’s behavior.
Change your diet
If the dog is healthy, then you need to make sure that it has a balanced diet. In this case, you will also have to consult a veterinarian so that he can help you create the correct diet.
Most often, doctors recommend giving dogs food that contains a lot of protein and vitamins. Additionally, vitamin complexes and beef tripe may be prescribed, which promotes the digestion of fiber.
Ignore
One of the most effective methods for correcting coprophagia is ignoring the dog. This method will help if the dog eats feces to attract attention. She will realize that it doesn't really work and will eventually stop doing it.
Blame
Some experienced dog breeders recommend weaning the dog with the help of reprimands and the use of prohibition commands. If a dog is seen eating cat feces or its own feces, you should immediately approach it and start swearing. At the same time, you can clap your hands loudly or hit the table with something so that the pet begins to feel guilty.
Important! You shouldn’t read morals for a long time, as the dog may perceive them as encouragement. It is enough to say one word loudly.
Distract
Toys are the best way to distract a dog.
Everything must be done to ensure that the pet does not get bored and is not left at home alone. To keep your beloved dog constantly busy, you need to do the following:
- call the dog to you and give it something tasty as soon as it starts to approach the feces;
- frequently engage in training and active games;
- give your dog more toys to spend time with;
- take your pet for walks in the fresh air more often.
Change the taste of stool
There is one trick with which you can quickly wean your dog from eating feces - changing its taste and smell. You can change the taste of stool as follows:
- treating feces with hot pepper;
- adding monosodium glutamate, which changes the taste of poop;
- treating cat feces with a special spray.
Maintain order
It is necessary to maintain order in the apartment and promptly remove cat feces. This will prevent the dogs from having the opportunity to taste them.
Make unavailable
It is recommended to install the cat litter in places that are inaccessible to the dog. For example, they can be placed on low elevations. You can also use special toilets with a door that only cats can enter.
Give your dogs the right nutrition
Your dogs most likely become interested in cat poop through the nutritional value it provides. This happens because your dogs are not getting enough food from their current diet.
If so, it's time to change your dog food. Check the ingredients listed on the back of the package to determine which ingredients your dogs need most. Your veterinarian can help you figure this out.
When changing your dog's food, make sure you distribute the food correctly on a daily basis. You can give them human food, but only with your veterinarian's permission.
The appearance of digestive problems
We have found that digestive problems can occur due to a lack of enzymes. There are two main mechanisms by which the body lacks pancreatic enzymes. In the first option, the problem with the production of enzymes lies in the pancreas itself, i.e. the organ itself is not functioning properly.
Impairment of the pancreas can be a congenital problem or acquired, for example, after surgical interventions. As a rule, such a mechanism underlies serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), the symptoms of which will sooner or later lead to an appointment with a doctor8.
In the second option, the conditions under which enzymes can work correctly are violated. This is possible as a result of changes in the acidity of the intestinal environment, for example, due to inflammation or a change in the standard ambient temperature (36-37 ° C). The inflammatory process in the intestines can occur under various conditions: intestinal infections, allergic reactions (food allergies, atopic dermatitis).
Why is coprophagia dangerous?
Do you use no commands when your dog eats feces?
Yes
90.09%
No
9.91%
When a dog eats its own excrement or cat feces, it is not in danger. Provided that the cat is domestic, and both animals are wormed and vaccinated. But if your pet picks up other people’s feces on the street, infection is possible:
- worms;
- parvovirus enteritis is a dangerous infection that leads to death in puppies up to 5 months;
- leptospirosis - canine “jaundice”, the virus affects the capillaries, muscles, liver, kidneys, mortality reaches 50-80%;
- toxoplasmosis - manifested by high fever, lethargy, refusal to eat, digestive tract upset, purulent discharge from the nose and eyes.
Some diseases that dogs contract from the excrement of other animals can be transmitted to humans.
Some tips for owners
You can help the young mother with cleaning the den and pack the litter box for the puppies in a timely manner, then she will not have to clean up after them by eating excrement.
Analyze your pet’s diet and feed it a more varied diet; if it eats only dry food, introduce additional jelly complementary foods and vitamins, and give “natural” foods, for example, meat.
Stress
Stress can be a factor that provokes a dog's desire to eat feces. Dogs are psychologically much stronger than cats, and when moving to a new place or during a car trip they experience much less stress. Nevertheless, a long absence of the owner, a sudden change of residence, or physical punishment can have a very negative impact on the mental state of the animal. This is manifested not only by depression, but also by unusual behavior - the dog begins to eat feces.
Some owners of small puppies, for educational purposes, scold the animal for leaving a pile or puddle. In an attempt to get rid of "traces of the crime", the dog decides to eat feces to prevent the owner's anger.
Symptoms requiring immediate medical attention
Chronic intestinal diseases, such as diverticular disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, polyps, if prolonged without proper treatment, can lead to life-threatening complications and cancer.
According to clinical guidelines, there are “alarm symptoms” or “red flag symptoms” that require an urgent visit to a doctor:
- unmotivated weight loss;
- diarrhea or abdominal pain at night;
- constant severe abdominal pain;
- onset of symptoms in old age;
- the appearance of mucus and blood in the stool;
- diarrhea lasting more than two weeks;
- episodes of constipation repeated within 2 months;
- blood relatives with inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer.
The reason is improper feeding
Most often, the reason lies in the absence of any vitamins and microelements in the dog’s body, most often vitamins B, K, as well as proteins. Scientists say that the feces of farm and domestic animals contain:
- up to 20% proteins;
- 40% fiber;
- 5% fat;
- 35% carbohydrates.
Therefore, you should reconsider your pet's diet: if the dog eats feces, it is likely that it is not receiving any nutrients from food. While studying the life of wolves, which are the ancestors of domestic dogs, scientists noticed that predators first of all eat the stomach of the victim along with its contents. Thus, they satisfy the body's nutritional needs.
A domestic dog does not need to hunt; food is given to it in a bowl, but the following can lead to unwanted behavior in a dog:
- feeding mainly cereals or only meat;
- mixing when feeding natural products and ready-made industrial feeds;
- the presence of fatty, salty foods in the diet;
- excess of treats;
- feeding cheap unbalanced feeds.
If a dog eats its own or other people's excrement, there is a chance that it is simply hungry. Try to increase the portion, include wholemeal bread, meat by-products - tripe and kidneys - in the food, give your pet vitamin complexes.
Treatment and method of delivery
Pregnancy imposes special features on the development of infection, due to the reduced functioning of the immune defense. Therefore, when an infection is diagnosed, active measures are needed to treat it. And its basis is antibiotic therapy, the drugs of choice are the group of macrolides. In some cases, antimalarial drugs are used. However, such treatment has many side effects, and only a doctor can prescribe medications, individually determining the duration of treatment and dosage.
If we talk about childbirth, infection with toxoplasmosis is not an indication for cesarean section. It can only be performed if there are specific indications from the mother or fetus. But, in most cases, childbirth occurs naturally.
