161. Stool eating (Coprophagia) in Singapore

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

MINIATURE SCHNAUZER EATS STOOLS.

"When I wake up, I see a piece of her stool stuck to her beard," Mr Lee put his forefinger against his chin. This was the second time he did this as I was vaccinating his white Schnauzer puppies. "When I am around, she would not pass stools, unlike other dogs. She would wait for a few hours till I was at work."

There are a few cases of old dogs eating their stools even though they are provided with the best premium dog food and are unlikely to suffer from mineral deficiencies which are said to be a cause of stool eating.

Mr Lee asked, "What's the solution? Was it because the Schnauzer had been caged in the whole day at the pet shop?"

I could not comment or advise as the cause of stool eating in dogs is unknown. Some "causes" of coprophagia are said to be boredom, attention-seeking (getting scolded), learning from the dam or other dogs, insufficient nutrients (unlikely in dogs fed premium dog food).

"A friend asked me to put wasahbi, the hot pungent green Japanese paste onto the stools," Mr Lee suggested. "I have had tried all the pet shop products to solve this problem. None worked.

I asked, "An owner swore that adding slices of pineapples into the food resolved his problem."

"How many slices? Isn't acid in the pineapple risky for dogs? Grapes kill dogs, I believe. So will pineapples kill my dog?"

I could not tell him the dosage used as this was anecdotal evidence. So, there was no solution to his problem.

Mr Lee was a publisher. Reading is so tedious nowadays, he said. "Why don't somebody produce a dog training comic so that it is fun and easy to read? Get a dog trainer to write in cartoon form. It is so gross to see real pictures of surgery with blood. All the gore frightened my wife."

He continued, "Every dog book has similar information on dog care and training. There is a book written by a Singaporean. It has the same information as others. Only that it has local legislation. How many Singaporeans need the import and export rules and regulations since they buy directly from the pet shop?"

I would not argue with the widely travelled man to tell him that not all dog books have the same information and that the Singapore Dog Book published locally have some useful dog information.

"What is needed is a good illustrator," I said. "What you wanted is called 'graphic novels or comics'. They are in high demand if there are good illustrations and a strong story. But good illustrators are costly."

Mr Lee said,"You are mistaken. Some illustrators want profit sharing. Some want their name. I know many of them." The difficulty in matching good illustrators with new writers is a reason for the scarcity of producing graphic novel writing books in Singapore. If there is one, a dog training book will be useful.

"It could be in serial form like Part 1 - Puppies for first 3 months and so on" Mr Lee suggested. Lots of ideas. No money to publish. Who wants to take the risk of publishing? Who wants to spend the time to write and illustrate?

It is always good to exchange ideas and sometimes new angles are seen by both parties. I mean, it would be an excellent idea to produce a graphic novel on just "Toilet Training for puppies." We love this idea. Make it appropriate for the whole world, not just Singapore, Mr Lee had said.

But can a graphic novel on toilet training of puppies sell? I think there is a demand but is there one? Mr Lee said, "You can get somebody to sell to the pet shops directly. Book distributors charge 30% of the sales price as commission."

30% is better than zero % for no sales, I kept my thoughts to myself. The problem was to find a good illustrator as a partner.

For example, I said to Mr Lee, referring to his stool-eating dog. There are at least 3 suggestions I read in the internet on how to solve your problem.

Solution No. 1. "Startle the dog. Shoot water with a water pistol at the dog as it opens its mouth to eat the stools. But don't let it see you doing it as it will not eat stools while you are around."

Solution No. 2. "Startle the dog. Drop a can of small stones onto the dog."

Solution No. 3. "Startle the dog. Make a very loud noise e.g. use a hand-held air horn as it starts to sniff its stools."

All these to be done without the dog knowing it is done by the owner.

Mr Lee closed his eyes, "How the hell can I do these things without the dog knowing I am the culprit?"

Excellent question. Who has the answer? Email to drsing_98@yahoo.com your experiences.

I suggested, since Mr Lee is in the electronics business, "Install a video cam pointing at the dog's cage. You watch her from your office. A remote control to active the water pistol when she sniffs her stools. Or a pulley system to drop the small pebbles from a can or to activate the air horn."

Impractical and expensive advices showed on Mr Lee's face. Don't expect him to have the time to do this. Neither should I expect his wife to perform such task. The domestic worker would not be any better.

So, there are solutions but no time to implement them. It would be good not to cage the Schnauzer for long hours. Bring her out to exercise an hour or more a day. Will this method work? Or just another impractical solution? Over 6 months have passed and the dog is still eating faeces. It would be good to follow up closely. But as usual, vets do not have the inclination or time to do it.

So, the Miniature Schnauzer keeps on enjoying its stools. And other animal's stools too. Readers with any ideas to resolve this problem, e-mail drsing_98@yahoo.com. Your help is in great need. Illustrators are wanted too.


Dr Sing KOng Yuen.
www.toapayohvets.com


The Internet has one article as follows:

Nobody is absolutely sure why dogs eat their own feces. Some feel there are ingredients in the feces that have nutritional value. It is unlikely there is a deficiency in a dog’s diet if he is being fed any name brand food.

Some puppies left confined in crates or cages for long periods may eat their own feces due to boredom. Puppies should not be left in a crate all day. If a puppy cannot be taken out of his crate to eliminate during the day, he should be confined to a small room with his cage door open. Place newspapers on the floor so if he has to eliminate he can leave his crate and go on the papers.

If your puppy is eating his own or another animal’s feces, you must catch him in the act and try to startle him as soon as he even sniffs the feces. I prefer to use a hand-held air-horn. You can also use a can with pebbles or a loud noise to startle him. Don’t let him know you are the one making the noise. If he associates you with the noise, he will wait until you are not around to eat the feces. Picking up the feces before he has a chance to reach them is the best prevention.

Why Dogs Eat Faeces?
Today's Breeder. Issue 48. Nestle PUrina PetCare Company.

Nobody knows. May be 3 reasons.
1. Stools are tasty to the dog.
2. Some dietary deficiency. Not in dogs fed premium dog food.
3. Behavioural problem like being bored or wanting to control their environment.

Any harm to the dog? Yes, if it contains intestinal parasites or parvovirus. Some puppies eat faeces of other puppies and cats too.

Best advice: Do not let them eat stools. Pick up the stools immediately.


Stool eating puppies are not a common complaint. I estimate around 1 out of 30 puppies will love to eat stools. I have cases where adult dogs continue eating stools. The owners seem unable to prevent them doing it as the dog eats the stools only when the owner is absent.