Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Help My Dog Is Eating His Poop!

Q: I boarded my dog during the holidays and now he started eating his poop. I cannot get him to stop! I follow him outside and cleaning up right away, but still wonder what is wrong.  Do you have any suggestions? What diet do you suggest that will help him stop this behavior? 
A: Dogs may eat their stool for many different reasons.  One reason may be parasites.  It is important to get a stool test done by your veterinarian to rule them out and/or receive proper treatment if present.  Another reason may be that your pet is lacking the proper nutrition in their diet or that they have malabsorption of the nutrients.  Using K9 Digestive Enzymes, Power Probiotic for Pets and Colostrum for Pets, will help your pet digest and absorb their food properly and help improve their overall health.  Colostrum for Pets is essential for puppies and kittens as they often have worms and parasites.  It helps to heal the intestinal lining and is recommended especially if your pet has had giardia.

It is common for pets that have stool eating habits to be missing sufficient protein and other key nutrients.  They may also suffer from digestive problems such as diarrhea, acid stomach or malabsorption. Avoid feeding grains and dry food as they are loaded with carbohydrates which can often be "empty calories".  Just like us, if we fill up on carbohydrates, we end up feeling hungry soon after due to the insulin spike from the empty carbs.  

Using these essential digestive support supplements in conjunction with the proper diet can alleviate the problem.  If you include what you are feeding your dog on the order form at checkout, Ask Ariel will provide a diet suggestion on the packing slip that comes with your order.