How to Stop Your Dog from Eating Cat Poop



How to stop your dog from eating cat poop you ask? This article will provide you with a plan of action…   

If your household includes dogs, and cats you may find yourself in need of tips on how to stop your dog, puppy from eating cat poop. Below I discuss reasons why your dog may be ‘indulging’ his/her self in your cat’s litter box. You can then choose the best course of action from the list of solutions, and ensure your dogs, puppy’s cat-poop eating habit is not a result of a dietary deficiency…

First Let’s Look at Why a Dog Eats Cat Poop
Take a look at the list below – you can check off which contributing factors apply to your situation…
  • Behavioral
    • Acquired habit
    • Habit developed by a mother dog cleaning up stools - a behaviour evolved to protect the young from predators
    • Due to anxiety and stress
    • Greedy eaters
    • Punishment for eliminating (pooping) in the ‘wrong’ place
    • Transferable behaviour - learning by example, watching another dog steal poop from a cat litter box
  • Breed pre-disposition
    • Some breeds have a pre-disposition to poop eating - i.e. Border Collies, Shelties
  • Environmental Factors
    • Enzyme deficiency
    • Inappropriate food
    • Your dog is fed a diet of dry dog food
      • End result is enzyme, and viable nutrient deficiency
    • Your cat is fed a diet of dry cat food
      • Cats that are fed a processed food diet tend to pass stools that are full of undigested matter - this can make the stool appealing to some dogs.
    • Insufficient diet - scarcity of food
      • i.e. dogs that have suffered deprivation - stray dog, puppy mill dog, neglected dog, etc.
  • Medical Issues
    • Gastrointestinal parasites
    • Mal-absorption of nutrients
    • Neutered males are more likely to ‘indulge’
    • Pancreatic Insufficiency
      • Pancreas is not producing enough digestive enzymes
Expectations,  Priorities and Determining a Corrective Course of Action
Once you have identified the possible triggers that cause your dog to eat cat poop, it’s time to formulate a corrective course of action…

Don’ts

Punishment/Discipline – NO
Don’t punish your dog for eating poop. Punishment will simply result in an escalation of anxiety. Doing so will simply create anxiety and will not resolve the issue.

Monosodium Glutamate – NO
Do NOT add monosodium glutamate (MSG) to your cat’s or dog’s diet in an attempt to stop poop eating. MSG is a known inflammatory agent, a trigger for dementia, and a carcinogen. In fact many brands of dry cat (or dog) kibble and / or canned wet food already contain MSG hidden in the ingredient food additives. Vaccines also contain MSG. By adding more MSG to your cats (or dogs) daily diet you are increasing the risk of inflammatory disease and dementia.
Meat Tenderizer - NO
 Do NOT add commercial meat tenderizer products, i.e. - Adolph's Original Meat Tenderizer, to your cats (or dogs) diet. Adolph's contains three health deteriorating ingredients - GMO sugar, GMO corn starch, and refined salt. 
  • GMO corn is a known allergen, gastrointestinal tract disruptor, toxin and is proven to cause the growth of tumors.
  • Sugar contributes to metabolic disease, diabetes, obesity, oral health issues, cancer and other inflammatory disease. 
  • Salt in a dogs and cats diet should be obtained naturally from real whole fresh foods - not from refined salt. If your cat or dog is on a diet of dry kibble, or wet canned food, and highly processed treats - his/her refined salt intake may be too high. Salt added to pet food products and non-organic meat tenderizer can be contaminated with heavy metals, particles of plastic and other toxins.


‘For-Bid’ “Stool Eating Preventative” - NO
Do not use products such as ‘For-Bid’ “Stool Eating Preventative”. For-Bid contains MSG and wheat gluten. MSG is a health hazard as noted above. Wheat gluten is an allergen. The wheat gluten used in ‘For-Bid’ comes from wheat treated with glyphosate prior to harvesting. Glyphosate is a known carcinogen. The residue from the glyphosate remains on (and absorbed by) the wheat after harvesting. Once in the body, glyphosate acts as a transportation agent for toxic substances like aluminum and non-organic arsenic. If you vaccinate your dog, feed your dog CAFO chicken, non-organic rice in combination with glyphosate treated food ingredients you increase your dog’s likelihood of acquiring dementia. Glyphosate also interferes with nutrient absorption. On March 20, 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released its findings on the herbicide glyphosate, concluding that there is “sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity” based on laboratory studies. You can read the World Health Organization (WHO) report on IARC’s findings be going here. I recommend forbidding For-Bid from your dog’s diet!
Time for a Health Check on Your Dogs Diet

Add Real Fresh Raw Food Digestive Enzymes  
 
Viable digestive enzymes are necessary for optimal absorption of nutrients.

Dogs that lack access to viable digestive enzymes may attempt to self-medicate by seeking out alternate sources of enzymes - cat poop may contain left-over digestive enzymes.

Your dog will benefit from having good source digestive enzymes added to each of his/her meals. The following list provides some examples of real, whole food source digestive enzymes:
  • Avocado – the flesh only, not pit and skin.
  • Fermented vegetables– such as fresh organic sauerkraut, and kimchi.
  • Fresh raw green tripe
  • Honey  and / or bee pollen - use only raw unpasteurized, 100% natural honey, pasteurized honey is just sugar water. Not for puppies under 1 year of age.
  • Kiwi
  • Pineapple
  • Papaya
  • Other fresh, raw fruit and vegetables – select from this list and make sure you prepare the fruit and vegetables as directed in the article.
  • Mushrooms – i.e. reishi, portabella, etc.
Add Real Fresh Whole Food Probiotics
Viable (live) probiotics are another important element in the digestion of food. Don’t count on the probiotics included in processed dry dog food - the heating and processing kills the probiotics rendering them useless. Most probiotic supplements are junk, and yes that includes many probiotics products sold by veterinarians (conventional and holistic).  
Don’t forget Real Fresh Whole Food Prebiotics to Feed the Probiotics
  • Apple Cider Vinegar - organic, unpasteurized, unfiltered
  • Asparagus
  • Banana
  • Dandelion greens
  • Dark leafy greens
  • Garlic
  • Honey
  • If you are incorporating greens into the diet – make sure you prepare the greens as per my instructions here.
Vitamin B and Potassium From Real Fresh Whole Food 
 For example:
  • Banana
  • Bee pollen
  • Garlic
  • Mushroom
If you choose to use supplements rather than real fresh food as a source of digestive enzymes, probiotics, vitamins and minerals - be very careful about the products you use. Supplements are a popular go-to, aggressively marketed by the supplement industry, conventional and holistic veterinarians, dog-health magazines, etc. A shocking number of supplements contain allergens, toxins, dementia triggers, and carcinogens. Sadly, the supplement industry is just as corrupt as the food and drug industry.

If you don’t know what to avoid, and how to identify hidden ingredients, choose real food instead. I see MANY clients whose holistic veterinarian prescribed supplements that contain allergens, toxins and, carcinogens. I remove and all such items from my patient’s health regimen, and replace with minimal clean supplements and real foods.

If you have worked on improving your dog’s diet, and on training (reducing / resolving anxiety, teaching attentiveness, and recall), and your dog still eats cat poop - you need to relocate your cat’s litter box.

Options for Relocating Your Cat’s Litter Box

Litter Box in a Closet or Room with a Door
Move your cat’s litter box to a closet or room with a door. You will need to install a chain and eyelet on the door and frame, or install a cat door in your closet door.

This option works well for dogs that are larger than a cat. If you dog is the same size, or smaller than your cat, your dog will slip through the restricted door opening.

You can purchase small lengths of decorative chain at a hardware or lighting store – look in the light fixture accessory section. You will need about 1 foot of chain, two metal eyelets, and 2 snap hooks. Install a metal eyelet in your door and door frame. Use one of the snap hooks to attach the chain to one of the eyelets. Attach the other snap hook to the loose end of the chain. You can adjust the length of the chain to suit the size of the door opening you require. You can then keep the door open just enough for cats to get in, but not your dog. 

Place the Litter Box Behind a Baby Gate
If your dog is small he / she will not jump a baby gate. Many large dogs won’t jump a baby gate either – for these dogs, a baby gate is a psychological barrier. If your dog fits one of these scenarios you can put your cat’s litter box in a closet or room and block your dog’s access to the space with a baby gate.

Elevate Your Cat’s Litter Box
If your cat is not too elderly, and the other options above won’t work for your dog – you can locate the litter box at a height that your dog cannot reach. For example - place the litter box on top of a horizontal surface like a high dresser or cabinet that your cat can easily jump onto.

Holistic Diet, Nutrition, Wellness Services Tailored to Your Individual Dog and Cat
 
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My holistic behavioral services are available locally in-person and worldwide via video session.
 
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Article and graphics by Karen Rosenfeld

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