Coprophagia is the medical term for the ingestion of feces. This unpleasant problem is more common in dogs than cats, and can be caused by a number of underlying issues.
Causes of Coprophagia
In most cases, coprophagia is thought to be a behavioral problem. Possible behavioral reasons for eating feces include boredom, scavenging behavior, curiosity, stress, and avoidance of punishment. Coprophagia may also be a learned behavior, as nursing mothers often consume the feces of their offspring.
Eating feces has also been linked with medical causes. These include underfeeding, a poorly digestible diet, nutritional deficiencies, parasites, and underlying health issues such as Cushing’s disease and diabetes.
Symptoms of Coprophagia
Many pet owners are alerted to coprophagia by observing their pet eating feces. Other symptoms include foul breath and vomiting. It is also possible for pets to contract intestinal parasites if they consume feces from an infected animal.
Diagnosis of Coprophagia
Your veterinarian will assess your pet’s medical history and ask you a series of questions to learn more about their environment, diet, and routine. They will then perform a thorough physical examination to evaluate your pet’s overall health.
Diagnostic tests such as bloodwork, a urinalysis, and a fecal examination may also be carried out to rule out underlying health issues.
Treatment of Coprophagia
Treatment of coprophagia will depend on the underlying cause of your pet’s behavior. If a medical issue is identified, your veterinarian will discuss appropriate treatment methods to address it.
Potential treatments for coprophagia include antiparasitic medications to eliminate parasites and dietary changes to correct nutritional imbalances. If coprophagia is thought to be caused by behavioral reasons, your veterinarian will advise you on behavior modification techniques.
Prevention of Coprophagia
There are several steps you can take to help prevent coprophagia in pets. Keep your pet’s environment as clean as possible and prevent access to feces from other animals. It’s also important to provide plenty of mental stimulation to help minimize negative behaviors.
Always feed a healthy, balanced diet that meets your pet’s nutritional needs. We also recommend speaking with your veterinarian about antiparasitic medications to help protect your pet. Finally, please schedule regular checkups with your veterinarian so your pet’s health can be continuously monitored.
