Here is some info:
(i was looking up "oppossum" on the internet because there is a daytime possum that wobble around here & i had thought maybe it had Rabies
, and then somehow i end up on this link which is possible of Interest to Boni's dog & their Behavioral proplems or else some Other, here,
who also has behaviroal problem.)
Info:
Theories on dogs
Coprophagia is a behavior sometimes observed by dog owners. Hofmeister, Cumming, and Dhein (2001) wrote that this behavior in dogs has not been well-researched, and are currently preparing a study. In a preliminary paper, they write that there are various hypotheses for this, although none have been proven:
* To get attention from their owners.
* From anxiety, stress, or having been punished for bad behaviors.
* They had been punished for having pooped in the past,and attempt to clean up out of fear to be punished again.
* From boredom.
* In an attempt to clean up in crowded conditions.
* When dogs observe their owners picking up feces, and imitate this behavior (allelomimetic behavior). This is highly improbable because the behaviour has also been observed in environments where owners never picked up the dog's (or other) feces.
* Because puppies taste everything and discover that feces are edible and, perhaps, tasty, especially when fed a high fat content diet.
* Because dogs are, by nature, scavengers, and this is within the range of scavenger behavior.
* To prevent the scent from attracting predators, especially mother dogs eating their offspring's feces.
* Because the texture and temperature of fresh feces approximates that of regurgitated food, which is how canine mothers in the wild would provide solid food.
* Because of the protein content of the feces (particularly cat feces), or over-feeding, leading to large concentrations of undigested matter in the feces.
* Due to assorted health problems, including:
o Pancreatitis
o Intestinal infections
o Food allergies, creating mal-absorption
* Because they are hungry, such as when eating routines are changed, food is withheld, or nutrients are not properly absorbed.
* Carnivores may sometimes eat or roll in the feces of their prey to ingest and exude scents which camouflage their own.
Some veterinarians recommend putting meat tenderizer in dogfood, since this makes the feces taste excessively bad to dogs. Several companies produce food additives that can also be added to the animal's food to make feces taste bad.
Due to the attraction of dogs to their feces, a popular Chinese idiom goes "A dog cannot change its habit of eating feces", which usually refers to a habit that is hard to correct.
Humans
Coprophagia is extremely uncommon in humans. It is generally thought to be the result of the paraphilia known as coprophilia, although it is only diagnosable in extreme cases where it disturbs one's functioning. From the medical literature, coprophagia has been observed in a small number of patients with dementia, schizophrenia[1] and depression[2].
who also has behaviroal problem.)
