6 month German shepherd eats own

[jayneCKC]

We are getting a german shepherd at the end of the week, she is 6 months old but at her present address we have noticed that she eats her own poo and no idea why. Please help

[Natalie]

Its pretty normal as far as i know and its nothing to worry about, loads of dogs do it.

Apparently its due to the food not being completely digested so the pup will see nutrients in the food still and try to eat it. He should grow out of it or you can help the digestion along with supplements and stuff apparently. I wouldnt consider it a problem though.

[Princess]

Hi,
I would take the pup to the vets when you get him just to check there are no underlying problems first and ask their advice.
We had this problem with our eldest, and we were told giving him Pineapple juice to drink will stop it as it makes the poo taste really bitter (pretty sure it can't taste nice anyway??!) But i'm not sure i would recommend this for a pup as it might be a little do acidic.
I would also check what food the pup is on, just to make sure he is getting enough nutrition.
x

[nick_j007]

To say this isn't a problem and not to worry about it is somewhat dependent on wether it's your dog licking your chin after such an event

There are potential health issues in the eating of faeces (coprophagia), and I would set up a strict routine of immediate lifting after the event, and to keep a lead on the dog to prevent further occurences. Prevention will be a part of the cure.

Ensure the dog is on a good brand of food...James Wellbeloved often suits a GSD.

The dog must be supervised when in the garden during this time.

Nick

[Pisik]

Hi, so 8 years ago our neighbor had a dog who also was eating his own poo...it looks like very strange for me, because I hadn't dog at that time and also had no info. Now when I got a dog I start reading a lot about their food, care etc. So I think you will try to turn to vet, because in poo there are “useless”
substances and poison

[mac.]

surely a dog eating it's own poo is not normal, and should be checked, find out what the dog's current living standard, how much food is given etc. as said above there are nasty things in poo.

[Princess]

Well its not 'normal' because its very gross but it is quite a common problem.
X

[mac.]

i hadn't heard of it until i came across this thread.

[Princess]

just hope you never see it, it's even worse than it sounds.
x

[JBaker]

A dog eating its, or another dogs, poo is not ideal. Our dog did it once!
We had decided to give him dry dog food (healthier, or so we thought). Took him for a walk one day and he wolfed down another dogs poo!!
Answer. His diet was insufficient. A lack of meat probably resulted in him 'searching' for it and another dogs poo was the source he discovered.
We switched him to a mix of dry and tinned meat and he never did it again. I don't think him eating the other dogs poo did him any harm, just traumatised us - can still picture it now urgh.