In whelp eating Poop! - Page 1

I have a female that is in her 5th week post breeding. She has just started eating poop. As soon as she poops, she will eat it and after a while throw it up. After I realized what she has started doing , I remembered she did that the last time also, when I had leased her 2 yrs ago.. Has anybody experienced this before with bitches in whelp. She has always been on TOTW Pacific Stream food. She just started this a couple days ago.  I always let her out and when she is ready to come back inside she  scratches to come in.  I had noticed that the amount of poop I had to pick up was getting less, but never thought she was eating it.  Today she threw up and it came up just as she let it out, Nice and firm in a ball.  OMG Please help! Give me some ideas!!  NEVER had this happen before except with her.

I have a poo eater too. It always occurs after a heat cycle (false pregnancy, but not full blown) and if she is pregnant. It is
normal for her, though super gross to me.

Natural instinct is to keep the area clean, be it from puppy or from her.

Melissa

This is the only time she does that.  Now when she goes out, I go out with her until she does her pooping and I can pick it up right away. I use to pick it up after she came in.  Now I will pick it up at soon as it hits the ground.  

Ideas? Ok... this is a wild thought... Prager said pups should not be fed raw because they will eat the poop, something to do with the undigested bone... so maybe your girl craves calcium? If not calcium.... something.....? Preggers always meant extra calcium to me!

It is just an idea... run it by another breeder.... good luck.

My theory is she's hungry! Feed her more, 3x per day! All my females will do this 4 - 5th week and then I know they're pregnant even before their ultrasound! So I up their food and they’re happy, I’m happy and nobody is eating poop!:)

VTGSD, LOL. gotta laugh at that the thought she is hungry.  I do know the food needs to be increased as she gets closer to whelping. She is fed by controlled free feeding. This is not my first litter, by a long shot. But she is my first poop eater at this stage of the game.  

BEETREE, I would think your idea could be the most logic.  I never thought of that.  

Sorry I didn't mean to offend. I don't know you or any facts about whether you were a breeder or a first timer. I stated the obvious since it's often overlooked and generally the case. All my litters have been 10+ pups and my bitches demand for food is high, peaking at 16 cups of food a day along with raw chicken, greek yogurt, cottage cheese and raw eggs.

It's not at all uncommon. I might try adding some vitamins or enzymes (that should at least make the poop taste bad)--or maybe change the food just to see if it makes a difference

Christine

oh yea, i have a female right now that wants to poop eat , she has a  small litter and she did want to poop eat while preganat, yes its a hunger thing , they start to go into starvation stage, mine even went to as far as eating non food things, time to up her food, she is hungry.  it is very normal so dont worry just give her more to eat , should help some.

I think she is just getting in practice for when the
whelps need cleaning up after !  So long as you
are sure she's on the right diet & amount for her
at this time, try not to worry about it.  It is disgusting
from a human perspective - but just be thankful
she only does it while pregnant, rather than all the
time as some dogs choose to do