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Eating poop and drinking mud
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Anyone have a weim that constantly eats poop (horse and rabbit not dog luckily) and drinks from the most muddy pools in the woods? Many believe eating poo is a sign of some soort of deficiency in their food. However, I feed a very well balanced raw diet and my vet says it’s just something some dogs “do”.
I am worried that he will get a mouth of horse poo that has had some kind of medicine that will make him sick. I also don’t think drinking out of muddy pools can be very good for him. He seems to do it out of habbit, walking all the way through a pool and “biting” at the water.
Any suggestions?
Winnie used to be absolutely terrible about picking up any piece of poop she came across (horse, rabbit, goose, dog). She doesn’t do it as much now, but she still has a tough time resisting goose poop and snacking at the buffet (what I call my parents’ backyard when all of my siblings’ dogs visit at the same time). I’m not sure if the slight improvement is due to finding a better food for her (it took a couple months & a few varieties before finding something that worked) or if it is because I’ve been diligent about not letting her actually eat what she picks up in her mouth during walks or runs (I squeeze the corners of her mouth & shake out anything she picks up…even bring along a pair of medical gloves in my pack to fish out pieces that don’t want to fall out on their own). I do think there is some truth to the idea that some dogs are just more inclined to do it than others: my brother has 2 non-weim mixes on the same diet…1 is a poop eater & the other is not.
Winnie does the same with mud puddles too. I have a water bottle that I bring on runs for her. I’ll stop to let her drink from it, and she’ll refuse. Two minutes later, we’ll come across a mud puddle & she’ll try to drink from it…go figure!? If it’s collected from recent rain water, it’s probably fairly safe organism-wise (though sediment can still cause some GI distress)…nevertheless, I try to keep her from drinking it. Non-moving, long-standing water is obviously at a much greater risk of contamination.
The only real tip I have is avoidance…try to see the temptation coming & attempt to stay away from it. Otherwise, I’m just letting you know that you’re not alone!
Athena used to be THE WORST when it came to eating poop. Thankfully she’s been doing much better since a few months or so. She still can’t resist horse poop though. I don’t know what it is, but even when we go on a walk with a big group of dogs, they all dive in. Same with drinking out of filthy pools. Several dogs in the group do this.
Forever Weimanamanama
Oh and the breath afterwards! Nothing helps it seems, Athena grew out of it a little but sometimes just needs to eat poop for some reason.
We tried the copper whatnot tablets too. No success at all! I always told Athena that Odin is not a vending machine. Often times his poo did not hit the ground and she was holding her mouth under him as he was pooping.
Sorry for that mental image!
Weimanamanama Weimaranermama
Yes we had horses and for some reason all dogs find it irresistible not just Weims. I did read somewhere that wolves in the wild eat the contents of the stomach & intestines of downed prey which are typically grazing animals. Maybe that’s how they get their veggies.
Regarding the water, I have a Koi pond in the back yard and all four dogs prefer pond water over tap water. A few seasons ago in early summer the pond turned to pea soup color and consistency due to an algae bloom not uncommon and resolves itself. During the pea soup period they just couldn’t get enough of that water, it was like they were addicted to it.
Regarding the mud, there is a spot in our yard where the dogs will scratch the ground to loosen it and then lick the mud. Naturally they need to chase that with some pond water. What is interesting to me is they have never done this before, nothing could have been spilled or dumped there and its; only that 1 foot diameter area that they lick.
It seems intuitively obvious to me that there is something they are trying to get nutritionally. After a rain horses will scrap their hooves in mud puddles and drink from them. The horse people believe they are getting minerals out of the ground. I’ve researched this pretty extensively and have never found a convincing explanation.
I do think you need to discourage poop consumption for obvious health reasons.
Enjoy.
Oh my gosh & I thought Skler was the only one to do this….She runs to eat our other dogs poop & believe me the same as Athena – Mya,,lots of time it never hits the ground..looks ridiculously funny her” poop fountain ”but totally gross… Out trainer said it is completly natural in the wild for the wolf etc to eat the more dominate wolves poop & many dogs do this as well..I think she just likes the taste myself..lol,,She also said to try feeding pieces of bananas throughout the day..
Lol banana, pineapple we tried it all. They just love the extra treats!
I am just happy that at 2 years old this behaviour is decreasing… Yuck
tina, an earthworm? Eeeeeeew
Weimanamanama Weimaranermama
Needless to say, almost every time Athena does eat poop, it makes her sick. Symptoms vary from a pretty intense case of the runs, to … poop scented vomit. Double the fun.
Forever Weimanamanama
Remember the poop scented vomit in the car? Oh right, you weren’t there. Eeeeeeew
Weimanamanama Weimaranermama
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