What is Coprophagia?

Coprophagia is a condition in which animals consume their own feces, or those of other animals. There are three different types of coprophagia: acute, intermediate, and chronic.

• ACUTE - This develops in young animals, and has occurred for 1-3 weeks. For-Bid”™ is 99.99% effective.
• INTERMEDIATE - Animals 3-5 years old that have had coprophagia for 1-3 months. "For-Bid"™ is approximately 95% effective.
  
• CHRONIC - Animals 5-6 years old, that have been eating feces for 1-3 years. This is not coprophagia, but a bad habit. Here "For-Bid"™ may not work. If it doesn’t, we recommend obedience training, or the possible use of a muzzle.

Why does it occur?

Coprophagia may be a result of various medical problems, including exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, pancreatitis, intestinal infections, malabsorptive syndromes, and over-feeding, especially high fat content diets (Hofmeister, Cumming, and Dhein, 2001). However, there may be other factors which play a role in this behavior, as well. Such factors include:

• Attempts at getting attention from owners
• Lack of exercise causing boredom
• Puppies' curiosity may lead them to consume feces in their environment
• Modeling behavior of other animals
• An environment in which the feces are not often removed by the owner
• Minimal food consumption, which may lead dogs to hunger or nutrient deficiency

Coprophagia Between Animals

This occurs when a dog eats another dogs stool, or those from a cat’s litter box. We recommend treating both animals with "For-Bid"™ to curb this habit.