Dogs are loving, cuddly, and playful animals that make the perfect pet and companion. There is nothing like coming back from a long day of work and being greeted by your four-legged friend. Although dogs give us nothing but love, they seem to have certain habits and instincts that may be peculiar to us.
Since you have clicked on this article, one example of such behavior would be eating toilet paper with poop from the washroom dustbin. Why does your dog do it? The answer has many reasons – ranging from the fact that they can be stressed or hungry to the fact that it is just their natural dog instinct.
In this article, we shall discuss why dogs display this behavior and how to get them to stop this unhygienic habit.
Why Does My Dog Eat Toilet Paper With Poop?
Eating everything in sight comes naturally to dogs. Puppies try to taste everything as they are curious little creatures who also happen to be teething – hence, the desire to chew a lot as well as to explore.
Adults or adolescent dogs may do it due to a medical condition called ‘pica’ which makes them eat and crave all sorts of items. It is nothing that is untreatable, though, as it is a common disorder in dogs and can be treated with proper training.
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Your dog may most likely be eating toilet paper with poop because it is lured by the feces in it. Dogs also start chewing on inedible things like toilet paper when they lack zinc in their bodies. Although not a very unusual phenomenon, there are ways to fix eating poop with toilet paper.
Why Is My Dog Eating Poop?
Eating poop is a common phenomenon in dogs, but there can be many reasons for it, except just their natural instinct. Following are a few reasons why your dog must be eating poop.
1. Anxiety Issues
Anxiety in dogs can be caused by a lot of things like excessive punishment, isolation, or confinement. A dog may eat their own poop in order to hide evidence out of fear of being punished. Closed spaces and no interaction with other dogs also cause anxiety, leading them to eat feces.
2. Lack of Nutrition
Eating poop is sometimes a dog’s natural reaction to when its body is not getting enough nutrition. This can be dangerous as a lack of nutrients in the body can be from intestinal parasites, which absorb all nutrition from food. If lack of nutrition is the reason, you may also notice that your dog is hungry at all times.
3. Natural Instincts
Eating poop sometimes just comes naturally to dogs due to the condition ‘pica’ we discussed earlier in the article. It is very common in dogs and since they have their body system is different from ours, they can smell undigested fats, proteins, and other materials that smell appetizing to them immediately.
4. Hunger
I have noticed from personal experience with a busy friend’s pet. Since the owner was always busy, there was no proper feeding schedule for her pet Spitz. Sometimes the dog would be starving till the owner returned from work. Having a proper schedule is essential as it stops dogs from always being hungry.
Since, in some cases, eating poop just comes naturally to dogs, they will see nothing wrong with going ahead and consuming excretion when they are hungry.
5. Attention Seeking
Sometimes, the reason behind your pet eating poop is just to get your reaction. It is a given that you will be shocked or surprised to see your pet eating feces, and for dogs, any type of attention from you is good attention. Hence, if you see it happening, try not to give it react too much.
Is Eating Poop Harmful For Dogs?
A dog eating its own poop is not potentially harmful. However, eating the poop of other dogs and species can lead to a lot of problems, such as hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, Coccidia, and Giardia.
The poop on the toilet paper is probably human feces, and consuming them can be very harmful to your dog as they contain strains of bacteria and sometimes residues of the food humans consume which are already not very compatible with dogs. Therefore, it is a must that you bring this habit to a stop.
How To Stop Your Dog From Eating Poop?
Eating poop is very common in dogs, and the reasons can range from natural instincts to health issues. No matter what it is, I understand that it is not a sight one would want to look at, nor a habit that should be encouraged. You need not worry as there are many ways to treat this common condition in dogs.
1. Distract Them
Once you find out about this habit of your pet, try to supervise him for some time if you can. The moment you see your dog trying to eat their poop or dirty toilet paper, distract them by calling them out and reward them when they listen to you.
Try to give them more treats than just one, as the reward should seem more appealing than the poop. This way, you can train them not to consume excretion.
2. Develop Good Nutrition and Exercise Habits
Make sure that you do not become lax with your dog’s feeding and exercise schedule. When your dog develops good eating and exercising habits, its system will stay healthy, and internal problems like parasites or pancreatic insufficiency will not happen.
3. Use Additives To Food
There are certain taste-aversion products that can be added to food to make your dog’s poop smell disgusting to them. They can make their stool less appealing and prevent your pet from consuming it.
4. Don’t Leave Poop Around
Make sure to lock your bathroom doors or have the dustbin where you throw used toilet paper out of your dog’s reach. If your pet makes an accident by pooping in the house, clean up immediately so that your dog does not have a chance to eat it.
3. Give Dog Supplements
If your dog has nutrient deficiency in their body, it is a good idea to start giving supplements like dog multivitamins to them. Giving supplements in general is not a bad idea as they keep nourishment in check.
Final Thoughts
Seeing your beloved pet consume feces is one of the most disgusting sights to see – trust me, I understand. However, dogs will be dogs, and since they cannot tell right from wrong, it is your job as the dog parent to make sure they do not consume anything harmful.
I hope this article has been of help in making you understand your adorable puppy’s somewhat odd behavior.
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