Dog eats cat poop.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for a great question!

It's crazy how much dogs enjoy eating cat poop. I will never understand the mind of a dog.

There really isn't much of a concern about a dog eating a small amount of litter. In theory, if a dog ate enough litter it could cause a big clump that could cause an intestinal blockage, but in 12 years of practice I have never seen this happen, and I have seen a LOT of dogs that eat cat feces.

There could possibly be a concern for parasites. If the kitten had parasites such as roundworms these could be transmitted to the dog when he eats the stool. However, roundworms are only contagious if the stool has been sitting for 2-3 days. So, if you are cleaning the box regularly this shouldn't be an issue.

Other than this being kind of gross, there really shouldn't be a health risk.

There are some things you can do to try to stop this habit:

1. Stand hidden and watch your dog go towards fresh stool in the litter box. The moment he puts his mouth on it make a loud noise, such as shaking a can with rocks, or using a compressed air can that is made to produce a loud noise.

2. Booby trap some poop. What you do here is buy some bitter apple spray and spray it on top of your cat's poop. Then, when your dog eats it it will truly taste gross. However, if you do this, change the litter each time. You don't want your cat getting it on his paws and then licking it off.

3. Create a room where the door is only big enough for the cat to get through. You can do this by putting a chain on the door so that it only opens a crack (enough for the cat to get through), or by cutting a hole in the door that only the cat can get through.

Hope that helps!

Dr. Marie.


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