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My dog eats poop. Why does he do it and how can I make him stop?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog eats poop. Why? And how can I stop this behavior?

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Mariya Gugel, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 25th, 2018

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center! Stool eating, also known as coprophagy, is actually quite common in puppies and in many adult dogs too. In fact, if not addressed in a timely manner, there's a risk that this unwanted behavior may end up becoming a recurring habit. There are many theories and potential reasons why dogs decide to eat their feces. These include poor digestion, boredom, stress, attention seeking, and a lack of vitamins/minerals in the diet. The latter is highly unlikely if you're feeding your dog a high quality commercial food, since these generally provide all the nutrients your dog needs. The effective way to deal with this behavior depends on the exact cause. So, it's always recommended to consult with your veterinarian.

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1288Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Jeffrey Milner

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 28th, 2017

    This is one of these WONDERFUL things that some dogs take up doing. The most common theory is that dogs may lack some type of nutrient potentially that they think they are going to retain my reconsuming their feces. Another is that they plain just like how it tastes. Obviously, as people who kiss our dogs, we would prefer that they refrain from this activity. There are several products designed to accomplish just this. My favorite is a product called Coproban. It makes their poop taste bad. There are more like it too, but that is the one I am familiar with.

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    7Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on January 17th, 2017

    Many dogs who eat their own stool don't have any nutritional deficiency at all - they just like the taste of stool, unfortunately. Dogs can be very gross! :) In some cases, dogs with some type of intestinal absorption problem such as EPI (exocrine pancreatitic insufficiency) or inflammatory bowel disease will eat their own stool because they aren't absorbing the nutrients they need. If you're concerned about this, you would need to take your dog to a vet for some diagnostic testing to help determine if something is wrong.

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    21Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 30th, 2019

    This is a very common behavior! It may be Mikayla likes the taste, has intestinal worms, or has a nutritional deficiency from her diet. Pick up the poop right after she goes to prevent her from eating it, make sure she is up to date on her deworming treatments, and feed her a well balanced puppy food. Best of luck.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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