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Molly's Mom
07-09-2002, 01:50 AM
Sorry in advance that this is going to sound gross, but I really need some advice.

Does anyone know how to stop a dog from eating poop? You'd think it was candy the way our dachshund Molly eats it. We try to keep it picked up, but she'll get to it as soon as it hits the floor. Doesn't matter whose it is, as we have another dog as well. (Sammy, a pekingese doesn't touch the dog poop.)

To top it all off, we have a cat, and recently *both* dogs have discovered the kitty litter box. It's usually kept out of their way, as they are restricted to one room of the house where they can play. However, when they go outside, they make a beeline towards the litter box. Now, not only does Molly eat it, but Sammy has been joining in as well. I'm guessing there is something about the kitty litter that is attracting him to it as well, since the dog poop doesn't phase him.

We can't really move the litter box because our cat is used to it there, and she an old cat that doesn't like change. We've tried scolding the dogs when we see them go near the litter, and they know that isn't acceptable behavior. They stop for a minute to consider the consequences, but usually run and grab some anyway.

Not to mention how gross this is, I can't see it being all that healthy for them either. Is there anything else that we haven't thought of to make them stop? Please help!

Mrs.F
07-09-2002, 05:32 AM
Hi Molly's Mom,

My Maggie has the same problem. There are products that you can buy to sprinkle on your pets food to make their feces less appetizing. I know of at least one dachshund owner that rushed around putting red pepper on fresh droppings to accomplish the same thing. Many have had good results after a fairly short time. Maggie did not seem to be discouraged
by either method, but she also eats dirt and wood if we're not really vigilant. (She has pica, a side effect of her liver problems.)

We've just become the world's quickest pooper scoopers. Lots of "NO Maggie" and "Drop it" have made her sneaky enough to leave things alone when a human is right there, although she'll still go right after anything she finds if no one is watching her. It was a nuisance at first but now it's just second nature and it's really nice to not have to do major clean ups in the dogs' fenced in yard now.

Kitty litter can be a REAL problem for your dogs. The litter that sticks to those tasty treats Molly and Sammy love can cause bowel obstruction. (Unfortunately, it's a farily common occurance - our vet cautioned us about the litterbox when we took our first dachshund Penny in for one of her puppy appointments.) At the time we had 2 elderly cats and like you, we hesitated to move their litter box because they 'were here first'. I found it impossible to train Penny to stay away from the box, so I finally ended up moving it to the front hall and keeping the hallway gated 24/7. The cats didn't like it and they howled and fussed so much that we lifted them over the gate quite a bit at first, but they did adjust and even forgave us for it!

Good luck,
Heidi

Rusty's mom
07-09-2002, 07:50 AM
We have the same problem with 2 of our dogs - one of them only eats the cat feces. The other two dogs eat each others feces - really gross!! We get this stuff called Forbid from our vets and I mix it in with a little peanut butter and give it to them. It makes the feces taste so bad that they won't eat it - like it doesn't taste bad enough already?? Anyway, we use it one every 2 to 3 weeks and it works great for our guys.

Kathy- mom to Rusty, Duffer and Hobbs

Molly's Mom
07-10-2002, 12:30 AM
Thanks for the advice about the stuff to put on their food. Looks like I'll be getting some next time we go to visit the vet's office.

Shannon