Natural Remedy for Dogs who Eat their Own Feces

Coprophagia is the name given for when a dog that eats its own feces. This is a disgusting habit in the eyes of many pet owners, but perfectly natural among dogs. Some breeds, such as the Dachshund, seem more prone to engage in eating their own stools.



A long standing myth has been that dogs eat their stools because their food is low quality. We now know this is not true, dogs eating poor quality food are not going to get any additional vitamins or nutrients in their stool. However there has been a link made between dogs with vitamin B deficiencies and coprophagia.

A dog fed a good quality food is likely to engage in coprophagia simply because there can be some undigested bits in their poop, and quite honestly, their poop might even smell yummy!

A dog with worms might be getting fed enough but the worms are eating their share of the dog's food and making digestion difficult, as such the dog may still feel hungry and eat its feces as a result.

Mother dogs eat the stools of their pups as a way to keep the den area clean. In the wild dogs might also eat their own feces around their den as a way to keep the area clean. In puppy mill situations a bored dog might even eat its own stools as something to do, or as a way to fill its empty stomach if underfed.

Owners who leave their dog out in a dirty backyard with very little mental stimulation, may find that their dog picks up coprophagia as a habit.

How to Stop a Dog from Eating its Stools

The first thing an owner can try to do is to be more proactive in regards to cleaning up after their dog. As coprophagia sometimes starts when the dog is a puppy, while house training an owner can pick up after the pup immediately and give the pup a small treat reward so that it never even thinks about turning around to eat its poop.

Some people have found that adding canned pineapple or meat tenderizer to the dog's food can help as they may make the dog's stool taste bad after the fact. This is a home remedy that works for some dogs, but not others. Dogs that have been eating their own stool for some time will have

There are also products available in stores and online that can help with this nasty behavior. Not all of these products are any good, and some use questionable ingredients, so always look for an “All-Natural” product when dealing with any sort of concern like this.

Save 5% on your first order at Only Natural Pet Store! Coupon code CJ15.

Only Natural Pet Store has a terrific product, Only Natural Pet Stool Eating Deterrent

screen shot from only natural pet

The Only Natural Pet Stool Eating Deterrent product is a pill that contains:

• digestive enzymes (to help improve digestion so fewer yummy bits are left in the stool), 
• cayenne pepper (to make the stool taste bad), 
• vitamin B (to combat any deficiencies), 
• yucca (to reduce the smell of the stool),  
• and a few other natural ingredients. 

This product is made in the USA, and contains human grade ingredients. One bottle contains 90 pills.

Click here to learn more about this great product or to get it.

Concerned pet owners will always look for all natural solutions to any pet problem they have, noting that second to accidents, cancer is a leading killer of pets.



Read other articles on products from Only Natural Pet

What are Holistic Pet Products
Natural Ways to Control Fleas and Ticks
Vegetarian Dog Foods

Do Bearded Dragons Make Good Pets?

In recent years Bearded Dragons have become popular pets. I have never owned one myself but have met my share of happy owners, disappointed owners, and people who had their pet die within a few weeks of getting it.  This is often because they did not understand how to care for their pet correctly.  Others owners were not prepared for the size that their beardie grew.

How Big Do Bearded Dragons Get?

Bearded dragons originated in Australia. They typically measure about 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) when first purchased, but owners must be prepared for their Beardie to grow to 20 – 24 inches (50 – 60 cm), with females being slightly smaller. In most cases this means the vivarium (reptile enclosure) for a small bearded dragon will not be big enough for when they are mature.

What Kind of Enclosure  is Needed for a Pet Bearded Dragon?

A young bearded dragon may be kept in a 20 gallon enclosure, while a mature one will need at least a 40 gallon enclosure. The tank selected should be one that is made for lizards and is therefore long rather than tall, allowing for more floor space.

Young bearded dragons can be kept in groups but as they mature bearded dragons should be kept individually. It is possible to keep a male and female together, or two females, if the enclosure is large enough, but two males will fight.

Bearded Dragons are desert lizards their vivarium needs to be created to resemble a desert habitat. When young its best just to use newspaper to line their enclosure with, but later they can have 4 inches (10 cm) deep of calcium sand. They should have rocks, and in particular a raised “basking rock” on which to warm themselves for digestion, you can even buy electric heated rocks. They also need a shaded area in which to cool down.

The tank will need to be cleaned weekly. The lid must be well ventilated with proper lighting (a heat lamp and UVA/UVB light).

Humidity should be maintained at 20% to 30% and there are special humidity gauges to help you monitor the conditions of the tank. The tank must be kept warm in the day, and slightly cooler at night.

They should have a food dish and water dish. Some bearded dragons are reluctant to drink from the water dish so should be misted in the morning (in the wild they get water by licking the dew off their head), or have water sprayed on their food.

photo source

What do Bearded Dragons Eat?

Bearded dragons are omnivores, they need a variety of food. When they are younger they need a balance of 75% insects to 25% plants, but as they mature this becomes more of a 50/50 thing. The insects can be live gut loaded crickets, meal worms, or wax worms. You can also buy dried crickets, or prepared foods and see if your beardie will eat them. The plant matter can be kale, collard greens, spinach, dandelion leaves (assuming no chemicals sprays were applied), shredded carrots, pears, and chopped up zucchini.

Additional Information on Keeping a Pet Bearded Dragon

Bearded dragons can be picked up and held but care should always be taken that they are not dropped. If not use to being held they may puff up but over time they can become “tame”. People need to wash their hands before and after handling their pet. Soap should not be used before handling the pet (just wash with water) but should be used afterwards. Bearded dragons are considered one of the more relaxed types of lizards as pets.

A bearded dragon can live for 10 to 12 years, so it is important for an owner to decide if they can provide a lifetime of care for their pet.

Note that as they get larger bearded dragons are not as “cute” as when they are small, and for some people (kids in particular) that can be an issue. Again it is very important to consider the mature size of a bearded dragon before getting too committed to getting one as a pet.

If you are serious about getting a bearded dragon as a pet you may want to get some supplies and set up your vivarium first.

Pet Warehouse has a Reptile section with proper lighting supplies, sands, accessories, grooming aids, medication, thermometers, food, and so forth.  Check to see their huge range of Reptile Supplies

Information on Reeves Turtles as Pets

My daughter recently got a new pet, a Reeve's Turtle. In my area many turtle species are illegal to buy or sell (such as the red-eared slider) but Reeves are allowed. I was surprised to see turtles for sale that so tiny, her turtle was maybe 2 inches (5cm) at most.  In the USA this would not be legal as the trade of turtles whose shell is under 4 inches is illegal.  

I was quite worried about getting her, but my daughter is 18 so it was her decision.  

 
The Reeve's Turtle is also known as the Chinese pond turtle, they are found in China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan; they are considered to be an endangered species particularly in China. The biggest threat to them comes from being hunted for use in Chinese medicine, however they breed well in captivity.

Turtles are not good pets for first time pet owners, they have very specific needs and a person should never get a turtle unless they know they can care for it for its lifetime in relationship to how big it will eventually grow, which is 6 inches. They can live over 40 years.

Housing for a Reeve's Turtle

A small Reeve's turtle needs at least a 10 gallon tank, and 20 gallons (or more) when mature.  We are using a 15 gallon tank made for turtles, frogs, or salamanders, it is not tall but offers a lot of "floor" space.

The water should be 4 inches deep (see more below about water) with a rock for basking coming up out of the water. Other large pebbles can be placed at the bottom of the tank and a land area should be constructed at one end of the tank. A shallow container set on top of rocks can be filled with bark for reptiles and placed in the land area. Anything added to the tank should be sold specifically for use with reptiles.

A water heater and filter are important and should be selected for the size of the tank. An air pump is not required as turtles breathe air from the surface.

Live aquarium plants may be eaten but plastic plants can be used to provide some décor.

The water itself must be free of chemicals or chlorine. If you live rurally on well water there are usually no issues, but city water often has chlorine added. This can be removed by leaving the water out for 24 hours or by buying a product to remove the chlorine. Water conditioner for turtles should be used in either case. As young reeve's turtles may not be great swimmers the water for small turtles should be no deeper than 3 inches, with lots of things for them to climb up on. As they get use to their tank, and get bigger, a depth of 4 inches is fine.

The tank should have a screen lid. If you have other pets (such as cats) a fine screen is best as it will not only keep out the pet but pet hair and fur that will clog the filter system.

You will need two lights, one for UV and another for heat. The heat lamp should be above the basking rock. The lights should be on for 12 to 14 hours a day.

How Often do Turtle Tanks need to be Cleaned?

You should try to clean your turtle's tank once a week. This is best done by siphoning out about 1/3 of the water, getting under rocks with the siphon. Add warmed water that has had the chlorine removed. The filter itself should be cleaned once a month.

Feeding a Reeve's Turtle

Reeve's turtles are omnivores. They will eat small fish, crickets, worms, and so forth. They may eat romaine lettuce or dandelion leaves (only give in small amounts and only if washed very well and no chemicals were used), pear, and cantaloupe. They can be given turtle pellets. When the turtle is small and if the pellets seem long, they should be broken in half. In regards to fish a small turtle will have a hard time catching fish but a few small minnows or young feeder guppies can be kept in the tank.

Turtles can be fed at anytime but should not be fed just before bedtime.  My daughter feeds her turtle a pellet or two first thing in the morning and a cricket later on around noon.  She also has fish in the water and a few other crickets loose in the cage. 

About Handling your Pet Turtle

Always wash your hands before and after handling your turtle. Use only plain water (no soap) when washing before handling your turtle. You want to remove any salts, greases, or other contaminants from your hand. Washing afterwards is a good idea because turtles can carry salmonella.

Care should be taken not to drop the turtle (of course), but otherwise Reeve's turtles are fairly easy to tame.

When you put your turtle back into its tank, always put it on land.  Reeve's turtles might otherwise panic and dive without taking a proper breath of air first and have been known to drown.

Where to Buy Supplies for a Pet Turtle?

If you are lucky enough to have a store in your area that specializes in reptiles they will have a good selection of products for your turtle.  Most other pet supply stores carry basic supplies too.  If you are in the USA you might want to order some of your turtle's supplies from That Pet Place or Pet Health USA.  Here are some links to help you out. Click here to get reptile supplies from Pet Health USA, Get 5% Off Your Order with checkout code: PETHLTH Or Discount Reptile Supplies from the Largest Pet Store In the World: That Pet Place

Please do not get a turtle unless you are certain you can provide a good home for it with proper lifetime care!

Unique All Natural Pet Food Companies

Recently I was reviewing some pet food companies that I had previously not been aware of.  Two of these companies were specifically good for pet owners who want to cook for their pets but do not have the time, or who want to feel more involved in the preparation of their pet's food.

While both these companies offer choices for cat and dog owners, both have more selections for dogs than cats. 

These really cool pet food companies are Red Moon Custom Pet Foods and Sojos - Sojourner Farms - Pet Foods. 

Both Red Moon Custom Pet Foods and Sojos All Natural Pet Foods focus on healthy and natural ingredients.  They recognize that many other pet foods use cheap filler and some even contain ingredients (such as Ethoxyquin) that are linked to causing health problems.  These companies wanted to offer a better product in terms of healthy ingredients but went another step further.

Red Moon Custom Pet Foods went in the direction of allowing people to pick a base product and then to customize it with a list of ingredients that can benefit pets in different ways.  For people who are unsure what base to start with Red Moon Custom Pet Foods asks people a few basic questions about their pet, including its age and health concerns.  With dogs they also ask about its size.  They usually suggest a few different base products so owners can pick the type of meat they want.  Once owners have selected other ingredients to add the company makes the food and ships it out fresh.

Sojos All Natural Pet Foods took the direction of making a base product that contains all the harder to find ingredients that pets require to ensure they get their vitamins and minerals and so forth and sending that to the consumer allowing the pet owner to add raw meat and vegetables of their choice.  They also have a complete mix for people who do not want to add the meat and vegetables.  Their food is sold in a freeze dried form and is rehydrated with water so it is always fresh. 

Both of these pet foods are available in Canada and the USA.  While Sojos food can be found in some stores, online at their own site, or via other online suppliers such as Only Natural Pet Stores, Red Moon is custom made pet food so it is only available online.

Check here for coupons and deals on Sojos All Natural Pet Foods.
And check here for discounts and deals from Red Moon Custom Pet Foods.

Remember when you select an all natural pet food you avoid chemicals that can be linked to cancer and other problems that are so common in our beloved pets.

Walking Stick Insects as Pets

A few years ago my husband, daughter, and I, attended an Odd and Unusual Action (in Innsfail, Alberta) in which exotic livestock and pets are sold.  We came home with 3 jars of Northern Walking Stick insects, with 3 in each jar for a total of 9 new pet bugs.  After almost three years, we had more than 300 of the little creatures. 

Walking stick insects are great pets for people with limited space (we kept ours in a 10 gallon tank), or who have allergies to furry pets, or who want a cheap and easy pet.

click for pet supplies

In the summer we fed our pet insects leaves off our apple trees, in the winter we fed them leaves of romaine lettuce (other lettuce does not have enough nutrition).  We only had two bad experiences - once when we forgot to wash the store bought leaves and all the adults died, however a few weeks later we notice little ones in the tank, so clearly there were some unhatched eggs.  The other bad experience was when the mesh lid was not shut tight enough and a few insects escaped.  We found them on the walls and curtains for the following few days.

In addition to food they also require a water source, such as a wet sponge or damp soil.  We misted the tank several times a day.  In the picture you can see a larger adult on an apple leaf and a smaller adult on a stick.  They do require sticks so they can shed their skin.

Read more about Care for Walking Stick Insects

And another on Care of Walking Stick Insects

Read more about Cheap and Easy Pets


* Please Note in most areas it is illegal to set any unwanted walking stick insects loose into the wild.  If you have found you have more than you can care for you must dispose of them, by selling them, freezing them, or feeding them to lizards.