Millie's Dirty Little Secret

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A few months ago, I noticed Millie had some rather foul breath and couldn't figure out why. And that's when I saw her munching on something something very, very naughty. That's right, Millie's got it bad for poop. So gross! The accepted term for poop-eating is technically called coprophagia, and it's a very disgusting habit that many dog-owners (myself included) struggle with. It turns out, there are several reasons why they do this:

• Boredom
• Hunger
• Stress
• Attention
• Illness
• Nutrient deficiency
• It just tastes good
• Or they be sneaky little delinquents trying to hide evidence!

When I learned of the causes, I could rule out hunger (because Millie would eat poop even if her bowl was full). I could rule out illness and probably nutrient deficiency, because she's on a strict regimen and has regular vet checkups that gave her a clean bill of health. I could discount the evidence hiding, because I've never known Millie to be concerned with misbehaving. In fact, I think that's her MO. And I could rule out attention, because this dog certainly gets more than her fair share. So that left boredom and stress. Maybe. And then there's the fact that some dogs actually think it just tastes good (!?!?). Bingo. I had some leads. So what to do? I consulted the web's wealth of information, and here are a few options it suggests trying to curb coprophagia:

1. Talk to your vet to rule out any health issues.
2. Supervise potty time. Closely. And remove any poop from your yard immediately to eliminate the opportunity for mischief.
3. A vet can prescribe an additive for your dog's food that is supposed to curb the nasty habit, or you could try a similar over-the-counter product from PetSmart or the like.
4. Try a higher grade dog food. The lower-grade foods may not provide the nutrients your dog needs, and as gross as it sounds, experts say that for your dog, it tastes pretty much the same going in as it does coming out.
5. Keep your dog busy with puzzle toys that make them work for a treat. It will keep their energy focused on anything but poop, and then they might be too exhausted to get into mischief.
6. And last, but not least, try putting pineapple in their food at every meal. Most dogs love the flavor of it in their meals, but it's not as tasty on the other end.

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I can say I have tried all of these options, and thus far, there's really only one that has worked for us so far - crushed pineapple. It's a simple solution, and has worked so far in the 2 weeks we have been adding it to Millie's meals. And it helps that Millie LOVES pineapple. Her breath now smells like pineapple (thank goodness) and we haven't had an incident in 2 weeks. Hooray!

For more information about coprophagia, check out Animal Planet's Victoria Stillwell (of It's Me or the Dog) take on the behavior.