Pet Behavior You Should be Worried About

Pets are known for exhibiting strange behavior. Whether it is a crazy cat side leap or inexplicable dog laps around the furniture, our pets sometimes leave us scratching our heads. While the majority of strange behavior can be chalked up to humans not fully understanding other animal behavior, there are some actions that you should be aware of.

Have you ever noticed your pet pressing their head against the wall repeatedly? According to Rebecca, a Veterinarian on JustAnswer, head pressing or putting the head against a wall and pushing as if trying to move the wall, can be a sign of serious illness. Potential diagnoses can range from brain disease to liver disease. That said, you don’t need to run out to your vet if you see your pet rest its head against the wall with no signs of pushing or pressing.

Does your dog have a tendency to eat its own poop? Coprophagia, or the eating of poop, is a fairly common behavior in dogs. According to Dr. Drea, a Vet on JustAnswer, this act, although disgusting, rarely indicates a health problem and typically is just a behavior that some dogs exhibit. The dogs most often affected are generally very food motivated, greedy, eaters. Occasionally, it can indicate that the dog is not getting enough nutrients but if your pup is being fed a commercial dog food diet and is otherwise healthy, this is unlikely.

The best ways to get your dog to stop doing this are listed below:

– Clean up feces immediately after he uses the bathroom to limit access to feces.

– Make the eating of feces unpleasant, such that he learns over time to dislike it. This can be done by adding taste deterrents to the feces, such as black pepper or hot pepper, tabasco sauce, or bitter apple spray. It is important to note that if ingested in significant quantities these things can cause an upset digestive tract so still do your best to clean up the feces.

– Try a taste deterrent that you can add to his food. These have a similar effect as the above but are added to his food before consumption. They can be purchased at pet stores, or, you can try adding a couple chunks of pineapple to his food, which works with some dogs.

No matter what your pet’s issue might be, Vets on JustAnswer are on call 24/7. Connect with a Vet Now >