Written by Gemma – founder of More Than Human, animal welfare advocate, BSc Psychology and MSc Human-Animal Interaction and Wellbeing.
If you’ve ever caught your dog eating poop or wondered why they do it – you’re not alone.
This behaviour – known as coprophagia (1) – is surprisingly common in dogs and other animals. (learn more about the science here)
While it might seem gross to us, it often tells an important story about gut health, stress or natural animal behaviour.
Let’s be honest, it’s one of those behaviours that makes every pet owner cringe. You’re out on a walk, your dog looks delighted about something, and before you can even shout “leave it!”, they’re tucking into… well, you know.
But before you gag, there’s actually a lot of fascinating science behind why do animals eat poop.
Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?
Why do dogs eat poop? There are a few reasons why dogs might eat poop – and no, it’s not because they’re gross or naughty.
- Nutritional deficiency
If a dog’s diet is unbalanced or they’re not absorbing nutrients well, they may instinctively eat faeces to top up on undigested nutrients or beneficial bacteria (2). This is one of the most common reasons animals eat poop. - Learned behaviour
Puppies sometimes mimic their mothers, who lick up after them to keep the den clean. Some dogs never quite grow out of it, especially if it’s been reinforced by attention (even negative attention) (3). - Stress or boredom
Dogs lacking stimulation, or those who’ve been punished for toileting, might eat faeces out of anxiety or confusion (5). Stress-related coprophagia is common in kennelled or rescue dogs (6). - Scent-driven curiosity
Some dogs are just intensely curious. poop is a scent-rich information source which tells them who’s been there, what they’ve eaten, and how healthy they are. Think of it as a canine newspaper.
If reading this is making you think more deeply about your own dog’s routines and wellbeing, you might find it helpful to explore our More Than Human pet care services. Our welfare-first approach focuses on enrichment, positive reinforcement and understanding behaviour.
Why Do Horses Eat Poop?
Like dogs, horses sometimes eat poop – a behaviour known as coprophagy in equines.
Foals often eat their mother’s droppings in the first few weeks of life and it’s actually healthy! It helps seed their gut with the right microbes for digestion and immunity (4, 7).
However, adult horses who eat poop might be telling us something’s off:
- Gut imbalance
If a horse’s microbiome isn’t functioning properly, they may try to reseed it. - Boredom or lack of forage
Horses are grazing animals; if they don’t have constant access to roughage, they’ll find other things to chew on. - Mineral deficiency
Occasionally linked to low salt or trace minerals, though this is less common with modern diets.
In most cases, it’s a behaviour worth monitoring but not panicking over.
Focus on diet, enrichment and gut health first.
Why Is My Dog Eating Horse Poop?
Many dogs seem obsessed with horse poop (Nelly included). That’s because horse droppings contain partially digested plant material that still smells (and tastes) appealing to omnivorous dogs.
To them, it’s basically a fibrous, fermented snack, rich in bacteria and short-chain fatty acids. While it’s not usually dangerous, it can cause tummy upset or, rarely, parasite transmission.
If your dog’s a serial offender, teaching a reliable “leave it” and keeping walks enriched with better rewards (like sniffy games) can help redirect the behaviour.
Other Animals That Eat Poop
Many animals eat poop as a normal part of maintaining gut health and digestion.
- Rabbits and guinea pigs must eat some of their own droppings, specifically the soft “cecotropes”, as they contain essential vitamins and beneficial microbes (4). It’s completely natural and vital to their health.
- Elephants are known to eat their own or others’ dung to aid digestion, especially in young calves still developing gut flora.
- Koalas feed their joeys a special form of faeces to help them transition from milk to eucalyptus.
- Hooded vultures in Tanzania choose to consume the protein-rich faeces of lions rather than a freshly killed carcass (8).
What It Really Means About Animal Behaviour and Health
Across species, coprophagia is rarely about being “naughty” – Why animals eat poop often comes down to instinct, nutrition or communication, it’s part of animal behaviour and health.
Eating poop is only disgusting to us humans, to other More Than Human animals it’s biological. It can be a sign of instinct, nutrition or gut ecology doing its thing (or trying to fix itself) (9).
As humans, our job isn’t to shame or scold, but to observe, understand and respond with curiosity. That’s what welfare-focused care is all about, looking beneath the behaviour to try and understand why it’s happening.
When your animal does something gross or annoying, can you pause and ask: “what are they trying to tell me about their needs?”
Support rescue animals and learn about animal behaviour with the 2026 More Than Human Charity Calendar, now available. It features a member of the More Than Human pack each month, a welfare fact and a reflective question. All proceeds go to Bath Cats and Dogs Home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dogs Eating Poop
Is it normal for my dog to eat poop?
It’s more common than you think! For many dogs, it’s a sign of instinct or stress rather than bad behaviour.
Can eating poop make my dog sick?
Usually not, but it can cause stomach upset or pass parasites. Keeping their environment clean and diet balanced helps reduce risk.
What can I do if my dog eats poop?
Focus on enrichment, gut health and positive reinforcement training – not punishment.
Sources:
- Coprophagy https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/coprophagy
- Evaluation of the Influence of Coprophagic Behavior on the Digestibility of Dietary Nutrients and Fecal Fermentation Products in Adult Dogs https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9783008/
- Canine coprophagic behavior is influenced by coprophagic cohabitant https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2018.07.011
- Coprophagy in animals: A review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1954740/
- The paradox of canine conspecific coprophagy https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.92
- Assessing the welfare of kennelled dogs—A review of animal-based measures https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2019.02.013
- The Establishment of Fibrolytic Bacteria in the Foal Gastrointestinal Tract Is Related to the Occurrence of Coprophagy by Foals https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13172718
- Coprophagy of Lion Panthera leo faeces by Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus: a case study in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. https://doi.org/10.4314/vulnew.v83i.5
- Why do animals eat their own poop? https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/coprophagy-animals-feces-nutrition
