Have you tried all the methods, but still can’t keep your dog away from your litter pan? When you have a dog and a cat at the same time, for some reason, your dog will always play cat poop. It’s disgusting and bad for the dog’s health. Science shows that dogs eat cat poop because they are attracted by the protein in cat poop. Research has also shown that the lack of proper nutrition in dogs may be the reason behind this annoying behavior.
Whatever the reason, we must stop this behavior so that your dog can stay healthy and your cat can have some privacy. Read on to learn all the tips and advice to keep your dog away from cat poop.
Why Do Dogs Eat Cat Poop?
There are two main reasons why dogs eat feces. Most cases involve behavioral reasons, but there are also some medical reasons. You may be interested in Can Dogs Get Sick from Eating Deer Poop?
Medical Reasons
Although this is not very common, the medical cause of dogs eating cat poop is often diagnosed.
The most likely cause is often malnutrition, where the dog’s diet cannot meet all of its nutritional needs. Most often, we see dogs fed a homemade diet or food not certified by AAFCO to meet all the nutritional needs of a particular animal (this information can be found on the label).
Other causes may include intestinal parasites, intestinal malabsorption, and certain types of hormonal or endocrine imbalances. Sometimes, older dogs who suddenly develop this habit may suffer from cognitive impairment.
The good news is that if your veterinarian determines the medical cause of dog food rot, you can deal with the potential situation to prevent more serious problems. This treatment also helps eliminate the urge to eat shit.
Causes Of Behavior
Unfortunately, for many dogs, perhaps most, eating poop has become a habit. In fact, some dogs seem to like it very much. This may become a habit that is hard to break. Every time your dog gets a “prize” (a dirty litter box), they will get something they like as a reward, so they will have the motivation to try again in the future. Just as we know that potato chips are not a healthy snack, but we will still grab potato chips, dogs will also be attracted by the litter basin, although they know they shouldn’t.
Boredom is another common cause of pups starting to eat poop. Because they use their mouths to explore the world, garbage pots are no exception, and then they find the food hidden there, which keeps them coming back. Dogs with plenty of playtimes, plenty of exercise, and time to interact with their families are less likely to suffer from fecal eating.
Another surprising reason why some dogs start eating poop is that they have an accident at home. If you punish your dog in some way (even yelling or scolding), they know that their accident will be punished, so some dogs will eat it to hide the evidence. This is one reason why you should always use active toilet training techniques and never punish your dog for accidents. Once they find that they like the smell of feces, this situation will also spread to the litter pan.
Finally, some dogs start to eat feces when they are stressed. Just like people eat comfort food, dogs also use what they liked when they were young to relieve stress. For some dogs, this may include scavenging.
Why Do You need To Stop Your Dog Eating Cat Poop?
Certainly. Eating cat excrement can not only cause indigestion in dogs but also become a source of intestinal and other parasites. Ouch, disgusting!
If you suspect that your dog may have eaten cat poop, please pay attention to these signs
- Lack of interest
- A painful abdomen
- Reduce energy
- vomit
- diarrhea
- bad breath and cat litter between your teeth
Can Dogs Get Sick From Eating Cat Poop?
Unfortunately, some people worry that dogs will eat the feces of other animals.
First, if other animals have intestinal parasites or some harmful bacteria, such as E. coli or Salmonella, your dog may be infected with these diseases.
One aspect rarely considered is that if the cat is taking medicine when the dog takes the medicine, the drug residue may still be in the cat’s feces, which may affect the dog.
Of course, anything your dog eats can be spread to your family through their kisses and saliva. Wash your hands after interacting with your dog and try to avoid kissing, especially if your dog likes to bite the litter pan.
8 Ways To Stop Your Dog From Eating Cat Poop
Keep Them Away With A Fence
The indoor fence outside the room can prevent dogs from entering the space. There are many indoor fences on the Internet. Choose the right dog according to the size, height, and temperament of your dog.
However, when you buy them, make sure that the space between the fences is wide enough for cats to pass but narrow enough to prevent dogs from passing.
Instead, you can install a small door on the bathroom door so that your cat can enter the bathroom while your dog can’t.
Keep Your Dog Busy
Your dog may be attracted to your cat’s private affairs out of sheer curiosity. When they have nothing to do, they prefer to eat and play with cat shit.
To avoid this, you must keep your dog busy with other healthier options. Keep them busy with toys and games. Give them something to do so they don’t get bored and start looking for strange things to do.
Buy Stool Deterrence
Another way to prevent your dog from eating cat POOP is to provide them with a fecal deterrent. They are specially made for dogs who constantly eat cat poop, other dog poop, or their own dog poop.
You don’t want to kiss a dog when his mouth is full of poop. Therefore, it is good for you and your dog to invest in anti-poop agents because some products have the function of “fresh breath”, which can freshen their mouths.
On the other hand, the fecal insect repellent specially designed for cats will make dogs lose their attraction to their feces, so they will stay away from them.
Clean The Dustbin As Soon As Possible
A good way to prevent dogs from eating cat POOP is to clean the litter basin as soon as the cat is finished.
If the litter bowl is clean, there is no reason for the dog to get close to it and eat its feces. By doing so, you can also prevent the unpleasant smell of feces from spreading throughout the house.
If it is impossible to clean every time, you can invest in a self-cleaning litter box, which can clean and refresh the bedpan by itself.
Buy Dog-Proof Dustbins
Now you can find the litter box with the lid. The enclosure property of the litter bowl prevents the odor of feces from occupying the whole house.
More importantly, these dog-proof litter boxes can prevent dogs from entering the litter box and give your cat the privacy it needs. They may have self-cleaning features and built-in odor protection. Some of them have perspective layers so your cat doesn’t feel claustrophobic or trapped in a box.
Teach Your Dog To Learn The “Let Go” Command
If your dog is always invading cats’ privacy, it’s time to teach them the “leave” command. Here’s how you taught them this command-
Be very diligent in this respect. Whenever you see your dog wandering around the cat’s bedpan, you know what they are doing. Say “leave it!” to your dog in a firm tone
If they listen to you, treat them. If they don’t listen, say it again, but louder. Dogs don’t need to understand your vocabulary; They can feel your orders.
The first few times may not work, because your dog is the first time to execute this command. But it will soon catch up with you. Keep repeating.
Give Your Dog Proper Nutrition
Your dog is likely to be interested in cat poop because it provides nutritional value. This is because your dog does not get enough nutrition from the current diet.
If so, it’s time to change dog food. Check the ingredient label on the back of the package and determine which ingredients your dog needs most. Your veterinarian can help you understand this.
When changing their dog food, make sure you give them the right food every day. You can also feed them human food, but only with the permission of the veterinarian.
Add Black Pepper Or Chili Sauce ToThe Litter Box
To keep your dog away from the litter, you can add some black pepper or chili sauce to the litter. Dogs will hate it!
As long as your dog gets close to cat poop, the smell of chili sauce and pepper will drive them away. This will definitely make cat poop unattractive to dogs.
You can check out more information we have on How Do You Stop Your Puppy From Eating Cat Poop?
Final Thoughts
It’s fun to have a dog. They have their own personality and temperament. They keep your life full of passion.
Think about it. Have you ever thought that you would study how to prevent your dog from eating cat shit? No, that’s right! But you are here to learn as much as possible about your lovely dog’s family.
Moreover, the recommendations here are not even so challenging. In fact, they are very interesting! So, best wishes.
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