Poo eating in dogs

• Feed a highly digestible, natural, wholesome, hypoallergenic food which is high in complex carbohydrate and low in protein and fat. A highly digestible diet reduces the workload of the digestive system so that the digestive process is more efficient. I have found over many years’ experience that food which uses wholegrains as the mainstay of the diet gives excellent results but other ingredients such as potato and buckwheat can also be effective. Not every food suits every dog so it may be necessary to experiment with several foods to find the right one for your own dog.  This should be done with professional advice, for instance with our Nutrition Team. You can read more about food allergy/intolerance in my Veterinary Guide to Natural Healthcare (pp. 9 -10)
• Just as important as the right type of food, it is vital to get the feeding amount right too. This is where many pet owners fall down.  Too much food reduces the efficiency of the digestive system.  Manufacturers’ recommended feeding amounts should not be followed religiously. Every dog is an individual with different needs from all others and must be treated as such.  Food should be fed as sparingly as possible, especially in the early stages.
• A bonus of digestible food fed in small amounts, is that less material reaches the lower bowel, meaning less dog poo to clean up!
• Overfeeding, even good quality food, also contributes to the toxic burden of the system which can lead to other health problems. Many pet owners believe that they cannot be overfeeding as their pet is not overweight. Very often that is not correct; excessive weight gain is not the only health-related outcome of overfeeding. (See John Burns’ Veterinary Guide to Health and Nutrition “Development of Disease Stage 1)

The Burns Health and Nutrition Team (see back of leaflet) can give you individually tailored advice on finding the right food and the right feeding amounts for your dog

See Daily Feeding Amounts.

When trying to eliminate poo eating, it is important, initially, to have as little variety in the diet as possible, i.e. no treats, other pet food brands, fruit or even homemade foods containing meat and fat (vegetables are OK). Keeping it simple helps to identify what works best. Treats may be tried at a later stage once the poo eating has been resolved.

TIP:

• Weighing the food each time is more accurate and therefore more effective than going by eye.
• A healthy dog will not be attracted to eat abnormal items such as poo. Any measure which promotes good health will reduce the likelihood of poo eating.
• Production of waste is a normal part of the metabolism of the body. If excessive, this becomes toxic to the system.
  Keeping things simple avoids the build-up of toxic waste in the system.