When a dog eats his (some) excrement we speak of coprophagia. This eating disorder can have different origins:

• A purely behavioral origin, moreover coprophagia can be associated with pica (eating inedible things). The dog may eat his poop to attract the attention (even negative) of his owner, he may seek to eliminate his stool following punishment or stress. Finally, very young puppies can do it, in a normal way, by imitation of his master or his mother who eliminates the stool from the nest. Moreover, the mother who breastfeeds her newborn puppies will ingest the faeces of her young to keep the nest clean. In some cases this behavior is associated with a more severe behavioral pathology such as anxiety or disorientation in old dogs.
• An insufficiency of the exocrine pancreas, the pancreas is a digestive gland located near the stomach which secretes in the intestines juices containing enzymes intended to digest, among other things, the fat ingested by the dog. When the pancreas is not functioning the dog cannot absorb the fatty material which is completely eliminated in the stool. The stools are then bulky, smelly, clear (even yellow) and oily. This dog diarrhea is typical of this disease. The stool thus eliminated can be eaten by the dog because it still contains a lot of nutrients.
• Poor digestion, this diarrhea which is due to an imbalance in the dog’s digestive system which no longer digests normally is also rich in nutrients and this is why the dog eats his stool.
• Deficient in food, a dog that is malnourished or under-nourished will tend to eat whatever it finds but sometimes just its stool, because it is foraging. This happens, for example, in large breed puppies for which it is sometimes not known that they must be fed at will.
• Increased appetite associated with polyphagia (dog eating a lot). Polyphagia is often linked to hormonal diseases such as diabetes or strong intestinal parasitism. The hungry dog ​​can eat his poop if he does not encounter anything better.

A dog that eats grass does not necessarily have a disease. Eating grass in dogs in the wild allows them to provide fiber in their diet.

He can also eat it when he needs to relieve his digestive tract in the presence of gas or abdominal pain. Grass can make animals vomit by irritating the throat and stomach, again they relieve themselves by vomiting after ingesting something that does not pass (see article on the dog that vomits).

Sometimes ingesting the herb is associated with an eating disorder called pica. The dog will eat inappropriate and inedible items. Pica like coprophagia can be induced by malnutrition and deficiencies, increased appetite or the presence of parasites.

Consult your veterinarian to determine what causes your dog to eat inedible items and to choose the right treatment, after a thorough physical examination and looking for other symptoms. He will check that your dog is not suffering from poor digestion or the presence of worms. Animals with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency will receive a hyper-digestible, low-fat diet associated with treatment to replace the enzymes that are lacking. Your veterinarian may administer dewormer or treatments for the dog’s diarrhea.

In the young dog who eats his stool, make sure that he receives an appropriate diet in terms of quality but also in quantity. When very young (up to around 4 months) dogs should be fed ad libitum to meet their needs. You will also be careful to clean up quickly after the puppy has defecated but not in front of him so that he does not want to start over in the wrong place or imitate you by eating his stool.

For the dog who eats his poop to attract attention there are herbal medicines to make him feel less urge to eat his stool. In addition to the treatment you will have to distract him (by offering to play ball for example) when he tries to eat his poop. It will also be necessary to increase his activity to prevent him from getting bored and find this way to take care of him.

The dog who eats his poop because of stress or anxiety should be seen by a veterinarian behaviorist to relearn him to manage his stress and possibly give him medication to help him.