Dog Ate Rabbit Poop

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Dogs will eat the most disgusting things, and that includes rabbit poop. While unpleasant, this behavior is common amongst canines. The technical term for it is coprophagia and is triggered by a number of factors.

Dogs will eat rabbit poop because they enjoy the taste and smell. It’s usually harmless, but parasites in rabbit feces can cause sickness and diarrhea. Sickness caused by rabbit feces can lead to kidney and liver problems if left untreated. If your dog is prone to eating rabbit poop, make sure there’s enough fiber and complex B-vitamins in its diet.

Most dog owners will want to discourage their pets from consuming rabbit feces. Fortunately, there are some effective training techniques that you can try to make this happen. Puppies or dogs with a compromised Immune system should stay away from rabbit droppings altogether.

Why Do Dogs Eat Rabbit Poop?

As with any question regarding the motivations of dogs, we can’t ever know for sure why they do the things they do. But we can be reasonably sure that rabbit-poop-eating behavior often occurs because of one of the following reasons:

  • Curiosity. Humans tend to explore our world via our sense of sight, but dogs tend to use their senses of taste and smell instead. So, when they encounter a small pile of rabbit poop, they give it a taste.
  • Nutritional deficiencies. Some nutritional deficiencies can trigger dogs to consume strange items in an attempt to obtain the nutrients they require. For example, rabbit feces is often rich in fiber and B-complex vitamins.
  • Pica. Pica is a condition in which dogs consume inedible (or mostly inedible) items. This problem can be caused by medical problems, but it can also result from compulsive disorders.
  • Hunger. A hungry dog may try just about anything that smells vaguely food-like, and some dogs appear to simply like the taste.

    • Of course, while it isn’t a very satisfying answer, it isalways important to remember that dogs do weird things – just like their owners(although, hopefully, your weird behaviors don’t include scavenging rabbit poopfrom the yard).

    Dog Ate Rabbit Poop

    Why Do Dogs Eat Rabbit Droppings?

    To a dog, the poop of another animal will always smell really interesting, so it is not unusual for dogs to pick it up and swallow it! Poop contains a wide variety of aromas, even for humans. Just imagine how aromatic it is for a nose as sensitive as a dog’s!

    There are the smells of the content itself, its bacterial life, and the smells of the rabbit to explore. It even comes in a convenient size for a dog to eat and is often found away from where their pet parent can take it away from them! All of this makes rabbit poop a perfect snack for a dog.

    My Dog Ate Rabbit Poop: What Now?

    If Fido just recently ate some rabbit feces, there are a few steps you can take. By following these steps, you’ll be sure that your veterinarian has all the information they need, and that your pup will be in a good place to take whatever action your vet recommends.

    Get your pup away from the source of the rabbit droppings so that no more can be swallowed. Try and remove any from your dog’s mouth if it is safe to do so.

    Try and work out roughly what’s been eaten and make a note of the time. For example, it is useful to know if it is pet rabbit droppings or wild rabbit droppings that have been eaten.

    Follow the advice of the veterinary clinic. They may advise you to continue managing your dog at home. But if the symptoms are concerning, or if your dog has pre-existing health conditions like a sensitive tummy, then the professional advice may be to come in and have a health check with the veterinarian.

    Monitor your canine companion closely over the following 24 hours. You can treat them as normal, but if any symptoms of ill health develop then contact your local veterinary clinic for advice.

    Rabbit poop can contain various nasty germs that can upset a dog’s stomach. In the week after rabbit droppings are eaten, you might see your dog become lethargic, eat less, and have vomiting and diarrhea. This is more likely if they have a sensitive stomach or other pre-existing conditions like pancreatitis. If any of these symptoms start after eating rabbit feces, make sure you contact your local veterinary clinic for advice.

    In general, the tummy upsets associated with rabbit droppings are likely to be short-lived. Your pup will likely be ill only for a few short days. Most dogs will recover without trouble. That said, some of the bugs and parasites in rabbit feces can cause prolonged problems. These problems may include chronic diarrhea lasting several weeks or more.

    These infections are rare and are not associated regularly with rabbits, but theoretically rabbit poo can pass on various bugs that can cause longer-term issues. Bear in mind many of these infections are “zoonotic”—they can pass to people too, so take care over hygiene.

    FAQ

    Is rabbit poop toxic for dogs?

    Dogs will eat rabbit poop because they enjoy the taste and smell. It’s usually harmless, but parasites in rabbit feces can cause sickness and diarrhea. Sickness caused by rabbit feces can lead to kidney and liver problems if left untreated.

    What do you do if your dog eats rabbit poop?

    Despite the fact that rabbit poop is typically harmless to dogs, you should always contact your vet if: Your dog eats rabbit poop and begins throwing up. Your dog eats rabbit poop and starts experiencing diarrhea.

    Why does my dog eat rabbit poop?

    They are high in fiber and low in odor. Some simply enjoy the taste, and the excitement of finding “treats” in the grass. Some dogs may be missing something in their diet that they try to find in poo. Rabbit poo is high in digestive enzymes and in B vitamins.

    Can a dog get leptospirosis from eating rabbit poop?

    Dogs can get coccidiosis or leptospirosis from eating rabbit feces. In the case of leptospirosis, dogs can also be infected from ingesting the urine or eating the feces of rodents, skunks, possums or already-infected dogs.