7 Natural Ways to Prevent Your Dog from Eating Poop

We talked about the potential causes for unsavory behavior like stool eating in our last post. We have oodles of experience with curbing poop- consumption at this point in our doggy-filled pet sitting lives. Of course, we favor natural, home remedies and prevention for most of our dogs’ worries and needs, and so we’re sharing what we’ve done for our pet sitting clients below.

How to prevent your dog from eating stool

Little Boots the Shih Tzu loves to eat his Acana Pacifica

1. Feed Your Dog a High Quality Food

Most important in changing his habit is choosing the right food. A high quality diet, as we see it, is essential for dozens of reasons. In this case, dogs with a poor quality diet won’t get enough of the good nutrition they need and will look for “supplements” in unsanitary places.

2. Prevention is Key

A no brainer! Pick up your dog’s droppings right after she’s done, and keep her well-supervised when on walks.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

Adult stool eaters may have a deficiency in hydrochloric acid. One possible solution is introducing apple cider vinegar to their food. You may add about one teaspoon of vinegar directly into food per 25 pounds of body weight. Another digestive aid: meat tenderizer and raw zucchini. We’d go with the raw zucchini first.

4. Digestive Enzyme Supplements

If your older dog is indulging, it could be a sign of some other deficiency, such as a digestive enzyme deficiency. To solve that problem, offer your pooch a digestive enzyme supplement like Prozyme. This will help break down the food so your pup can obtain more nutrients. Remember, an animal with poor digestion can’t assimilate food well and will supplement from other sources.

5. Mineral Supplements

Stool consumption can also be a sign of trace mineral deficiencies. We use kelp for our dogs, but bentonite can also provide minerals.

6. Pass the Pineapple

JJ Diaz of Animal Crackers also has a tip up his sleeve to help the dog that eats everyone elses’ stool and his own. If everything else is in tip-top shape, “the way you break that habit is to feed him pineapple snacks. It messes up the flavor with acidity and your dog stops eating it 90% of time.”

7. Pumpkin

Canned, unspiced pumpkin is a healthy supplement with a variety of uses. Add it to your pet’s diet to keep his tummy full. Added bonus? It helps with both constipation and diarrhea, and may even promote urinary tract health.

Remember, while vitamins, minerals, and enzymes are essential to your pet’s well-being, some of them in excess can be harmful. Always involve your veterinarian or dog care professional when adjusting your pup’s diet or seeking solutions to any problem! Make sure you know whether your pup has allergies to these foods or not before you use any of them. These natural remedies have worked for many of our pet sitting clients. Please let us know if they help you in the comments section below!

Frankie Berti

A founding member of the Equipaws family, Frankie can mostly be found working behind the scenes, helping co-create online branding, managing several social media accounts, designing brand collateral, writing copy, and managing events. She also fills in for pet sitters and dog walkers when needed in Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and South Miami. Her own small pack consists of Boots the Shih Tzu mix and Nutmeg the Chiweenie.