Why on earth would any animal eat its own poop or that of another animal? This bizarre canine behavior has often puzzled many pet owners who think that it is detrimental to their dogs.

There are a variety of reasons for coprophagy in dogs. First, it can be a learned behavior when puppies observe their mother cleaning up after them by eating their feces. Aside from keeping her puppies and the den healthy, cleaning up after her litter is an age-old survival instinct. In the wild, predators can easily get to the location of a litter when they catch a whiff of their feces. Even today, canine mothers continue to do the same thing, even though predators are no longer a threat.

Another important cause of waste-eating in dogs is a nutritionally-deficient diet or when a dog is not being fed enough. Hunger can fuel a dog’s instincts to seek out another source of food which often means feces or the garbage bin.

For more information about your pet’s dietary needs visit your Pooler, GA veterinarian. Visit this website to know more about pets and their basic needs.