
Coprophagy
I have a 14-yr-old cocker spaniel that is on medication for incontinence, heart problems, thyroid problems and most recently an antibiotic for a vaginal infection. She has lost 4 lbs over the past month so I now add enzyme to her food. She has become a pooping machine. Being 14 years old, she has started urinating one or two times during the day, and I am up with her every 2-3 hours throughout the night. I can deal with all of this, but over the past two weeks she has begun eating poop out of the yard. It is difficult to clean up after her during the middle of the night. The next morning when I let her out she goes out and urinates and defecates, but then right to eating the poop in the yard. This is VERY disgusting, it makes me gag. She often then comes in and pukes within two hours. Any suggestions? I would appreciate any help. Thank you
: I am happy to see you are taking good care of your senior spaniel with so many problems. Coprophagy, the eating of feces, can be purely behavioral or it may indicate a dietary deficiency. In addition to cleaning up the feces as often as possible, there are several more things to do. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is sold in the market as a food additive, under different brands such as Accent(r). Put a pinch of MSG on her food every feeding. This will cause a very bad flavor to her feces. Supplement her diet with an iron fortified mineral product, such as VAL syrup. They will address any possible cravings for deficient minerals. B vitamin injections by your veterinarian may also help.
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Coprophagy

I have a 14-yr-old cocker spaniel that is on medication for incontinence, heart problems, thyroid problems and most recently an antibiotic for a vaginal infection. She has lost 4 lbs over the past month so I now add enzyme to her food. She has become a pooping machine. Being 14 years old, she has started urinating one or two times during the day, and I am up with her every 2-3 hours throughout the night. I can deal with all of this, but over the past two weeks she has begun eating poop out of the yard. It is difficult to clean up after her during the middle of the night. The next morning when I let her out she goes out and urinates and defecates, but then right to eating the poop in the yard. This is VERY disgusting, it makes me gag. She often then comes in and pukes within two hours. Any suggestions? I would appreciate any help. Thank you

: I am happy to see you are taking good care of your senior spaniel with so many problems. Coprophagy, the eating of feces, can be purely behavioral or it may indicate a dietary deficiency. In addition to cleaning up the feces as often as possible, there are several more things to do. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is sold in the market as a food additive, under different brands such as Accent(r). Put a pinch of MSG on her food every feeding. This will cause a very bad flavor to her feces. Supplement her diet with an iron fortified mineral product, such as VAL syrup. They will address any possible cravings for deficient minerals. B vitamin injections by your veterinarian may also help.

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