Ever Wondered Why Our Dogs Don't Mind Eating Poop?!

For many people – well, almost everyone in the world – eating poop is unthinkably disgusting and incredibly unsafe. Many dog parents can’t seem to wrap their heads about why their dogs are eating his or her own feces, and for good reason.

Two veterinarians from the Laguna Hills Animal Clinic, Dr. Megan Dunas and Dr. Bernadine Cruz, have the answer we all are looking for. Yes, eating your poop is gross, but sometimes it can be very natural for dogs to do.

Dr. Dunas explained that for many young puppies, their mothers will lick the rear ends of their little ones to help stimulate bowel movements, which lead to accidentally ingesting some feces. So, for many dogs and even cats, licking or rubbing their rear ends to expedite their digestion is a learned behavior.

Puppies and kittens are not born with different bacteria in their GI tracts, so eating their own feces may actually help their bodies develop a regular amount of this bacteria. As this is a normal action sometimes, eating too much can be dangerous. Apart from learned behaviors, your dog might be eating its own feces due to malnourishment, diabetes, intestinal diseases, and even dementia.

Other reasons such as anxiety, boredom, and stress can also onset this act as well. If you find this to be happening often, dog parents need to be more on top of cleaning up after their dogs and picking up feces from the yard. Creating a feeding schedule as well, with all the proper nutrients your dog needs, is crucial to stopping this from happening.