Everybody Poops...But Not Everybody Eats It

You know from my first post that Lily likes to pick up and sometimes eat a lot of random things. One thing I didn't mention, however, was Lily's love of poop. When you live in the wilderness-infused suburb that is Bethel Park, a lot of fauna frequents your 10x10 plot of land, including deer, bunnies, and raccoons to name a few. Lily loves to view the animals from behind our screen door (because we won't let her go any closer for fear of her chasing a deer and never returning or murdering a small, innocent bunny), but she loves it even more when the animals leave so that she can have a nice little snack. We try to prevent Lily from eating the various droppings that are left in our backyard or that she encounters on walks, but sometimes we just can't get there fast enough. I was afraid that this little habit of hers could infect her with parasites or transmit diseases, so I Googled the subject and found what I think is a good article. I've linked to the article below, but I'll also sum up the highlights for those of you that would like to stick to light reading for the day.

-Though some people think dogs eat feces because of malnutrition, there are many reasons why they may do it. It could be a hereditary behavior, something due to anxiety, or it may simply be that they like the taste.
-If your dog eats its own feces or the feces of of a household pet, there are products you can add to the animals' food whose poop is being eaten so that it will taste bad after it is digested.
-Dogs who eat herbivores' droppings do not have much of a risk of acquiring parasites since herbivores' parasites do not transfer to carnivores. However, dogs who eat other dogs' or cats' feces can be infected with parasites and should have regular fecal examinations.

Here's the article: Coprophagy: Preventing Stool Eating in Dogs and Puppies

I didn't verify all of the claims the article makes, so if you know anything else on the topic, feel free to share. Otherwise, I hope this article helps if you've got a poop-loving puppy like I do!