Dog eating Feces - Please Someone Help

[kdinel]

Hi everyone, we have a 6 month old Black Labrador and he is constantly eating his feces. Should I go outside with him when he is out for a bathroom break he will not touch it, but should I let him out by himself he will then snack on his feces. I have tried the pills which they sell at the pet stores called "Deter" it does not seem to have worked for him. Anyone have another solution.
Thanks for your help and advice
Kim and 6 month old Mac

[StaceyB]

The easiest and cheapest way to stop him is to clean it up as he does it. Then there will be none available for eating and if they are not doing it they are not learning to do it.

[kdinel]

Thanks for your advice Stacey i am usually out there with him but this morning i wasn't and when i did get out there he cleaned it up himself.

[lezzpezz]

Another angle to look at is to figure out why he is doing this. Could it be that he is not getting the required nutrients from his food and is still hungry?

You should check with your vet to see if the food you are giving him is the best diet with the right amount of nutrients needed for his growing stage, as well as suitable portions. He's a growing pup and just may need to have a larger portion to fill him up as he is growing, or a diet that contains more good stuff!

And Stacey B has the right idea: stoop and scoop as it hits the snow!!

[Prin]

Another angle to look at is to figure out why he is doing this. Could it be that he is not getting the required nutrients from his food and is still hungry?

It could be that he's missing something in his diet and whatever it is is excreted in his stool, so he smells what he needs and tries it again. Usually it's protein. If your food is full of corn or other fillers, he might be sending most of the nutrients out the other end.

[kdinel]

Currently he is on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy food. I feed him 2x a day the recommended amount that is on the bag based on his weight and age, guess I should up the amount of food he is getting.

[Prin]

No way! The amount on the bag is already a huge amount. I mean, the quantity is just enormous. I think you should think about getting a different food- one that is more dense and higher quality. You're already spending a fortune feeding this guy when you don't have to.

[kdinel]

Originally Posted by Prin

You're already spending a fortune feeding this guy when you don't have to.

You got that right 35.00 for a 20lb bag. What type of food do you recommend. He is almost 7 months old and getting close to 60lbs if he's not there already.

[Prin]

Hmm... Puppy foods are more expensive and the ones I'd recommend are even more expensive, but you'd feed less...
Look at these:
Wellness Super5Mix Puppy
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Merrick Puppy Plate

The Wolf Cub is about $71 for 33lbs, and the Wellness is about $35 for 15 lbs (Canadian). They're more expensive, but like I said, you should feed less and have a much healthier doggy... Just compare the ingredients. You'll notice how the three above have ingredients that we would eat? No byproducts and no corn? It's up to you, but just know there are way better foods out there if you decide to switch.

Personally I switched from Euk Lamb and Rice to Solid Gold Wolf King (the adult version of Wolf Cub) and my doggies are unbelievable. I never thought it would make such a difference but they're shinier, have more energy and we go to the vet a lot less than before.

[Prin]

Oh, and if you do switch, make sure you switch really gradually. Eukanuba is so full of digestive aids and when the doggy gets onto a more natural food, the body has to learn how to digest on its own. My doggies took 4 months to get back to normal, but they're extreme... Usually it takes a month or two.

[kdinel]

Thanks for your advice Prin on dog foods. I have to be careful with Mac as his uncle has an allergy to lamb and the breeder told us that its possible he could develop the allergy as well, that being said we have stayed away from any lamb products.

[SunGurl372]

I'll back Prin up on this one. I switched my girl from Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice to the Solid Gold Wolfcub, and the changes were amazing. Also, it has no lamb in it, just bison and salmon. Since these are less common ingredients that most dogs are not exposed to, the odds of a food allergy tend to go way down.

And my folks have a Basset on Iams that loves to eat his own poop, but won't even touch Harley's. More evidence that what's going out her system is just waste, and none of the good stuff dogs need!

[Prin]

Yeah, same with Jemma and Boo. The poopeaters at our park eat all the other poops but not Jemma's or Boo's.