Why does my husky eat its poop?

If your husky has been eating its poop you’re probably wanting to know why and what you should do about it.

This post will show you a number of reasons why your husky might eat its poop and what you can do about it.

So, why does my husky eat its poop? Possible reasons are that it is not getting the right nutrients in its diet, illness, stress or that it does it for the attention.

There are actually a lot of reasons that your husky might eat its poop but there are also a number of things that you can consider that will help you figure out the exact cause.

Why your husky eats its poop

Each of the different reasons that your husky eats its poop will likely come with a number of clues in the way that it does it.

Below, I will show you a number of possible causes and what would make them more likely.

Boredom

Huskies are meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis in order to be fully stimulated. When they do not get enough exercise it can cause them to behave abnormally and it could be the reason why yours will sometimes do things such as to eat poop.

Generally, it is recommended to give your husky an hour of exercise per day. If it is not getting that much, it would help to make sure that it does.

Nutrition

Worms and other parasites can cause nutrients to leach from a dog’s system (source). The reason why your husky does it might be to satisfy nutritional deficiencies this would be more likely if you have noticed that it tends to eat dirt as well.

If it has been getting hungry a lot more than usual, it would help to take it to a vet to make sure that worms are not the cause.

Illness

It could also be the case that illness is the cause. This would be more likely if your husky has started doing it suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of illness such as fatigue or vomiting. If it does seem like illness might be the cause, the best option would be to take it to a vet.

Stress

The reason why it does it might be that it is stressed. This would be more likely if it does it more in situations where it might be stressed or anxious such as when you leave it for long periods or if it has started doing it after another pet passed away.

Attention

The reason that it does it might be that it has realized that eating poop causes you to give it more attention. This would be more likely if you do tend to give it more attention when it does it and if it does it when you have not been giving it much attention.

In this case, it would help to follow the tips below and to try and redirect its focus when it seems like it might be about to eat poop.

To make itself throw up

It’s not uncommon for huskies (and other dogs) to throw up after eating poop. This leads some people to think that they eat it due to having an upset stomach that they want to alleviate by throwing up.

However, some people disagree with this saying that dogs aren’t smart enough to do that and that most dogs don’t actually throw up when they eat poop.

Things to consider

When your husky first started to eat its poop

It would help to consider when your husky first started doing it since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.

If your husky started doing it suddenly it would make it more likely to be due to things such as an illness, stress, anxiety or a change in its diet. It would help to consider what else changed when it started eating poop.

Whereas, if it has always done it, things such as boredom, hunger or wanting attention would be more likely.

When it does it

It would also help to consider the timing of when it does it.

For example, if it tends to do it more when you have not given it more attention or exercise it would make it more likely that it is either understimulated or looking for attention.

How to get your husky to stop eating poop

Below are some things that you can do about your husky eating its poop.

Exercise

As mentioned above, it is important to give your husky lots of exercise by walking it yourself or getting a dog walker to do it for you.

A good way to get it to wear itself out, even more, would be to train it to play fetch.

Make sure that its diet is right

As was also mentioned above, it could be the case that there is an issue with its diet. You can look here to see what you should and should not be feeding your husky. It would also help to check with the vet when you see one next that you are feeding it correctly.

Give it other things to chew on

In addition to the above, it would also help to give it other things to be distracted with so that it does not feel the need to eat poop. Things that you could give it would include chews, bones or toys.

Take it to a vet

If you cannot figure out why your husky has been doing it, you cannot get it to stop or it seems to be ill or injured the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to ensure that illness is not what is causing it to do it and you will be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular husky.