As we all know, dogs will often eat anything that they see as appetizing. Whether it is the excrement of other dogs, plastic cartons, or tree bark, your dog will tuck into anything, even if it is inedible!
If you are a fan of walking your dog near the lake, then you’ll probably be aware of goose poop that is littering your dog’s path. No doubt it will already have investigated this delicious treat and might be already eyeing it as a potential snack.
Very often, puppies will be the main culprits when it comes to ingesting goose poop. This is because puppies are naturally a lot more inquisitive than a lot of other dogs. They will certainly not be aware of any of the risks that goose poop might pose to you and your favorite poochy pal.
One of the main reasons for this will simply be that your dog likes the taste of goose poop.
However, your dog gobbling up goose droppings might be the cause of a more serious issue, such as the lack of vitamins and minerals in its diet or the fact that it is suffering from an undiagnosed medical condition.
You’ll want to rule out whether your dog does have a serious eating condition first and foremost.
You’ll also probably want to encourage your dog not to engage in this behavior simply because it is not the most hygienic thing in the world to do, and you might not want your dog licking your face after it’s eaten a fistful of goose poop!
So what is the best method of stopping your dog from eating excrement? What could the main causes of this be? How can you be sure when goose poop consumption has reached dangerous proportions?
Well, if your dog has started this worrying habit, then we would recommend that you read on. We cover all your goose poop-eating woes with our top 7 reasons why your dog might do this and how you can stop them.
Then we’ll cover veterinary interventions, as well as other situations.
How Often Will Your Dog Eat Goose Poop?
The proper medical term for poop eating is coprophagia, and the good news is that it’s not an abnormal behavior in dogs. Around 16% of all dogs have gone through a period of poop-eating, according to studies.
One-third of studies on dog behavior have shown that dogs love to eat their own stools, whereas a smaller portion of that has been seen to eat the stools of other dogs. However, this does not rule out the cause being some dietary deficiency.
The 7 Reasons Why Your Dog Might Eat Goose Poop
Now that we’ve discovered the fact that this might not be abnormal, we need to isolate some of the reasons why your dog might be doing this. Here goes our list of some of the top-rated reasons why a dog might consume goose poop.
1. That Delicious Taste
One fact that might be hard for us to comprehend is the fact that dogs have a different sensory system from us. They simply might find the smell and taste of goose poop very appealing.
They might regard the texture and taste of goose poop as appealing in much the same way as you or I might regard a meal.
Dogs do not find the smell and taste of goose poop as a repellent, so all the more reason for them to get stuck into this mouth-watering meal. You’ll often see your dog attracted to all sorts of smells that a human would find very repulsive.
Dogs like to eat a whole host of things that are not just poop – bugs, bark, plastic, and berries are all on the list of potential snacks for a dog.
2. Puppies Are Very Curious
If you have a young dog, then it is perfectly natural that they will start exploring the world around them, and this includes dog poop. This natural curiosity should not be punished, so you can even let them eat an occasional dollop of goose poop.
The chances are that once your dog has reached 9 months old, it will lose this curiosity, as it has explored this avenue before and might not find it so appetizing next time around.
Fingers crossed that once your dog gets a larger level of calories, and will stop seeking out nourishment in dog poop.
3. Deficiencies In Diet
If your dog is not getting enzymes and nutrients from dog food, then it will start getting them from other sources – including poop.
Dog excrement is the place where a lot of unwanted enzymes from other creatures are processed, so if your dog is deficient in B12 or calcium, then it will straight away be craving places that contain these.
A lot of animals actually sustain themselves this way. If you stopped a rabbit from eating the poop of its friends, then it would soon start to develop illnesses and might even die.
One method of resolving this issue in your dog is by reading the ingredients of its dog food and trying to replace the deficiency. Make sure that your dog is getting plenty of organic nutrition from all the right sources.
4. Self-Medication
If your dog has parasites, then this could be a good reason why it is ingesting poop. Certain living organisms will actually change the behavior of your animal so that they will ingest more parasites.
Parasites can also drain your animal of nutrients, so this could be another reason why your dog is ingesting a healthy stream of poop from another animal.
5. Trying To Protect Other Dogs
There have been studies in this to suggest that one of the reasons that your pooch is consuming poop is to clear the area of parasites and other bacteria that might harm the other members of its pack.
It is worth remembering that dogs are pack animals and actually work in tandem with other canines to remove the number of threats in the area. This is innate in most animals and should not be discouraged.
So, in short, poop-eating is, in part, part of your dog’s genetic makeup, and discouraging it may prove harder than you first gave it credit for.
6. Goose Poop Looks Tasty
Like we have mentioned before, eating goose poop might be too delicious for your dog to resist. It may not even be considered as a substitute for your dog’s meal, more of a snack that your dog simply cannot say no to.
As a human, you should know how irresistible a certain treat is. Imagine when you are on your walk, that the path is laced with cakes and other sweet treats. Would be hard for you to resist, wouldn’t it? Well, imagine how difficult it is for your canine pal!
7. A Very Hungry Pup
If you are taking your dog on a walk just before its evening meal, then this might also be a reason that it is finding it hard not to eat goose poop.
If you have noticed that your dog is finding it harder not to eat goose poop before dinner, then perhaps consider switching your dog’s mealtime to before its walk.
Remember that puppies need a lot more calories to sustain their growth. If you find your puppy snacking on poop, the chances are that it is not getting the right amount of calories. You can rectify this by giving it an increased amount of food every morning and evening.
Is It Bad For Your Dog To Eat Goose Droppings?
There won’t be too many negative consequences from your dog eating too much goose poop. However, this doesn’t mean that it should be encouraged in any great quantity.
There are a few negative consequences you’ll be looking for with your dog’s poop, one of the two main reasons being bacterial infection and intestinal parasites.
Your dog can contract salmonella and campylobacter from ingesting too much excrement from other animals. This will all depend on how long your poop has been sitting outdoors.
Poop that has been allowed to sit in the sun can gather all kinds of bacteria and other harmful additives.
However, before you go rushing to the vet, it is worth noting that your dog has a very strong intestinal tract, so be wary of keeping it on too tight a leash.
It’s all about moderation, the more poop that your dog ingests, then the more parasites and other bacteria that it will consume.
The bottom line is that you should discourage your dog from eating too much poop, as if it ingests enough bacteria and toxins, then it will soon start to become very ill.
A way of minimizing this is to make sure that it has very little reason to eat the poop in the first place.
Another reason that you’ll want to stop your dog from eating too much goose poop is that the bacteria it has ingested from the poop is still in its mouth.
If your dog then goes to lick your face and mouth, then this bacteria will be transmitted straight away.
Needless to say that this kind of bacteria can be very bad for your health. You should be very careful when allowing your dog to lick your face after a walk, as you will not know where it has been poking its snout.
How To Stop Your Dog Eating Goose Poop
There are many handy things that you can do to trick your dog into staying well away from goose poop. A great method of doing this will be by spiking any goose poop that you find with something that will be really offensive to your dog’s taste buds. We would heartily recommend Tabasco sauce for this!
Another method is ensuring that your dog goes nowhere near this stuff in the first place. We would recommend that you take your dog on a walk on a different route. If it is the lake that you’ll find the most goose poop, then try taking a woodland or street path instead.
If you are walking your dog across your own land, then you can also erect fences. If you have some spare wire mesh hanging around, then you should put up some partitions that are at least two-foot-tall. This will guarantee that your dog will not be able to clamber over and get a mouthful of what it considers to be a delicious treat.
Our final tip for dissuading your dog from goose poop is by making sure that it goes for a walk on a full stomach. If your dog isn’t hungry, then it will be much less inclined to tuck into anything that is riddled with parasites and toxins. On a full belly, you can be sure that you will have zero inclination to eat bad things.
Another method to stop it eating is to improve its diet overall and make sure that it is getting plenty of nutrients and enzymes from other sources. If your dog has a very nutrient-rich diet, then the likelihood is that, if it’s an adult, then it will not take the bait.
How Bad Does It Have To Get Before Calling A Vet?
If you notice your dog has a lack of appetite and is appearing lethargic or sleepy for any reason, then you should take it to the vet. This way, you’ll be able to definitely rule out any long-term health damage.
We would also recommend that you take your dog to the vet if you notice that it is consuming too much goose poop to the extent that it is spoiling its main meal.
