If your dog has started eating poop while taking prednisone, the timing can understandably make you wonder whether the medication is responsible.
Prednisone is a corticosteroid commonly used in dogs for inflammatory, allergic, and immune-related conditions, and changes in appetite can occur during treatment.
Dog eating poop on prednisone does not necessarily mean the medication is causing a problem. However, prednisone can increase appetite, and a stronger appetite may make a dog more likely to scavenge or eat feces.
The underlying condition being treated, changes in digestion, and the dog’s previous behavior can also play a role.
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Dog Eating Poop on Prednisone: Why It Happens
A dog may eat poop while on prednisone because corticosteroid treatment can increase appetite and food-seeking behavior.
Coprophagia, the veterinary term for eating feces, has both behavioral and medical contributors. Veterinary sources specifically identify treatment with steroids as one possible contributor to increased appetite and stool eating.
This does not mean prednisone directly makes every dog want to eat poop; rather, the medication may make an existing scavenging tendency stronger or create a new opportunity for the behavior in a dog that has become unusually hungry.
Prednisone can also affect other aspects of metabolism and, particularly with longer-term treatment, can contribute to increased thirst and urination and other corticosteroid-related effects.
Dog Eating Poop on Prednisone: Common Causes
Increased Appetite From Prednisone
One of the most important connections between prednisone and coprophagia is increased appetite.
Corticosteroids can stimulate appetite, and prednisone is also used in veterinary medicine as an appetite-stimulating drug.
A dog that previously showed little interest in feces may become much more food-focused while taking the medication.
This may be especially noticeable if the dog is suddenly scavenging, begging for food, searching through the yard, or trying to eat things it previously ignored.
Related: Dog eating poop side effects (Potential side effects)
A Preexisting Coprophagia Habit
Prednisone may not be the original reason your dog eats poop. Some dogs already have a tendency to eat feces because of scavenging, exploratory behavior, or a learned habit.
If prednisone increases appetite, the behavior may simply become more frequent or noticeable.
Puppies are particularly prone to coprophagia, and some adult dogs continue the behavior.
When a dog is otherwise healthy and has normal stools and weight, behavioral coprophagia may be more likely.
The Underlying Disease Being Treated
It is also important to consider why your dog is taking prednisone. The condition requiring treatment may itself affect appetite, digestion, bowel movements, or overall behavior.
For example, a dog being treated for gastrointestinal inflammation may have digestive abnormalities that contribute to stool eating, while a dog receiving prednisone for an allergic condition may simply develop increased food-seeking behavior from the medication.
Therefore, the timing of the poop eating should be considered alongside the original diagnosis and other symptoms rather than automatically blamed on prednisone.
Gastrointestinal Upset
A dog eating poop on prednisone may also have a digestive problem unrelated to the medication.
Gastrointestinal disease can cause diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal discomfort, abnormal stools, weight loss, and changes in appetite.
Some digestive disorders can also interfere with nutrient absorption and contribute to unusual food-seeking behaviors, including eating feces.
If the poop eating is accompanied by persistent digestive changes, the underlying problem may need further investigation.
Related: Dog eating poop and throwing up (Why it happens)
Poor Nutrient Absorption
Malabsorption occurs when nutrients are not adequately digested or absorbed.
Dogs with malabsorption may lose weight despite having a good appetite and can sometimes develop coprophagia or other unusual eating behaviors.
Long-term diarrhea is common, but diarrhea is not always present.
This is less common than increased appetite from prednisone or a simple behavioral habit, but it becomes more relevant when a dog is losing weight or producing consistently abnormal stools.
Intestinal Parasites
Parasites can also contribute to abnormal appetite, digestive problems, and stool eating.
Some intestinal parasites cause diarrhea, poor growth, weight loss, or other gastrointestinal signs, while infected dogs may sometimes have relatively few obvious symptoms.
Fecal testing can help determine whether parasites are contributing to the problem.
Because coprophagia itself involves exposure to fecal material, persistent stool eating can also increase opportunities for exposure to infectious organisms.
Related: Dog eating poop and has diarrhea (Causes and what to do)
The Dog Finds the Stool More Appealing
Some dogs are attracted to feces because of its smell, texture, or undigested food material.
If the stool contains substantial amounts of undigested food, it may be particularly appealing to a scavenging dog. This can be more important when a dog has a digestive or absorption disorder.
Prednisone-related hunger may make the dog more likely to investigate something it might previously have ignored.
Dog Eating Poop on Prednisone but Acting Normal
If your dog is eating poop while taking prednisone but otherwise seems completely normal, the medication-related increase in appetite may be a reasonable explanation.
An active dog, maintaining weight, eating normally apart from increased hunger, and producing normally formed stools may not have an additional digestive disease.
Still, the behavior should be monitored. If it continues after the prednisone course ends, becomes increasingly frequent, or is accompanied by other symptoms, the veterinarian should reassess the situation.
Dog Suddenly Eating Poop After Starting Prednisone
A sudden increase in poop eating after starting prednisone can fit with the medication’s appetite effects.
If your dog began scavenging soon after prednisone was started and is also noticeably hungrier, begging more often, or searching for food, there is a plausible connection.
Steroid treatment is recognized as one potential contributor to increased appetite and coprophagia.
However, timing alone cannot prove that prednisone is the cause. The underlying illness, dietary changes, stress, access to feces, and other medications should also be considered.
Dog Eating Poop on Prednisone and Drinking a Lot of Water
Increased thirst and urination can occur during corticosteroid treatment, particularly with longer-term use.
Therefore, a dog taking prednisone may drink and urinate considerably more than usual while also becoming hungrier.
These effects can be expected corticosteroid-related changes, but significant or persistent changes should still be discussed with the prescribing veterinarian because the dog’s underlying condition and treatment plan matter.
If increased thirst is accompanied by weight loss, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, or other concerning changes, further evaluation may be appropriate.
Dog Eating Poop on Prednisone and Having Diarrhea
Diarrhea should not automatically be attributed to prednisone or the poop eating.
Digestive disease can produce diarrhea and may also contribute to abnormal appetite or coprophagia.
Some dogs with gastrointestinal disease have additional signs such as weight loss, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, dehydration, or changes in stool appearance.
If diarrhea is persistent, severe, bloody, or accompanied by other concerning symptoms, contact your veterinarian.
Related: Old dog eating poop (Causes and what to do)
When to Call or Visit the Vet
Contact your veterinarian if your dog begins eating poop after starting prednisone and you notice other changes, particularly:
Significant or persistent weight loss
Persistent or severe diarrhea
Repeated vomiting
Blood in the stool or black, tarry stool
Poor appetite rather than increased appetite
Marked weakness or lethargy
Abdominal pain or swelling
Signs of dehydration
Very abnormal or poorly digested stools
Excessive hunger accompanied by weight loss
A sudden major change in behavior
Symptoms related to the original condition that prednisone was prescribed to treat
If your dog develops severe weakness, repeated vomiting, significant abdominal swelling or pain, collapse, or other rapidly worsening symptoms, immediate veterinary assessment is needed.
Gastrointestinal disease can sometimes cause serious complications, and corticosteroid treatment can also affect susceptibility to infection and gastrointestinal health.
Dog Eating Poop on Prednisone: Treatment
Treatment depends on whether the poop eating is primarily a medication-related appetite change, a behavioral habit, or a sign of an underlying medical problem.
Your veterinarian may review the reason prednisone was prescribed, the dose and duration of treatment, appetite and weight changes, diet, and stool quality, and may recommend fecal testing or bloodwork when indicated.
If an underlying digestive or parasitic condition is suspected, additional testing may be needed.
If the dog is otherwise healthy and increased appetite appears to be driving the behavior, management generally focuses on preventing access to feces, promptly cleaning up stool, supervising bathroom trips, and redirecting the dog after elimination.
Prednisone should not be stopped abruptly or changed without guidance from the prescribing veterinarian, particularly after ongoing treatment.
Key Takeaway
A dog eating poop while on prednisone can be related to the medication, particularly because prednisone and other corticosteroids can increase appetite and food-seeking behavior.
A dog that becomes unusually hungry may be more likely to scavenge and eat feces.
However, prednisone is not necessarily the only explanation. If the behavior is accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, abnormal stools, poor appetite, or other changes, the underlying disease or another digestive problem may also be contributing.
If your dog otherwise seems well and the poop eating began after becoming noticeably hungrier on prednisone, the timing may be significant.
Continue following the prescribing veterinarian’s treatment plan and mention the new behavior at the next veterinary check, or sooner if other symptoms develop.