On the veterinary group chat where I belong, there was a young man who got back from an outing and found that his dog had killed another dog that was kept in his possession, if the dog was only killed, he probably wouldn't have bothered much as it would have been assumed to be a fight for territory, but in this case, the said dog had not only killed another, but had eaten it up to the bone.
The sight was so scary, and he immediately feared for his life, he quickly thought of a way to kill the dog. It was a painful decision for him, but to see this dog he had groomed for years turn into an animal that could eat up another dog, his survival instinct instantly told him how unsafe he was, so he killed his dog instantly.
This got me thinking, what could make a lovely pet turn into a sudden cannibal, we know about the act of cannibalism amongst several other animals that we dare not keep as pets, but for a dog that has become man's best friend what could have gone wrong?
Dog cannibalism happens when a dog eats other dogs, It is an extreme case of canine behavioral disorder, it isn't normal at all, and it happens only in a small number of cases. While it is a rare case, it is also highly important to note that, it is not impossible, so we need to be aware of its surrounding possibilities and how we can further prevent it from happening. The act is more common amongst dogs that are left in isolation and dogs that are constantly fed appropriately.
Dogs that have been in captivity may practice the act of cannibalism, it is even generally believed that a dog may be practicing cannibalism simply because of the absence of nutrition and access to food. A dog that is eating high-quality food on a steady base supported with constant exercise, may not have a reason to eat other dogs. When a dog is however not getting the required nutrition from normal food, it is expected that he may resort to feeding on its kind for survival.
Some dogs are genetically predisposed to consume others like them out of hunger, but that is when they are down from a point of nutritional deficiency and intense hunger, other external stressors contribute to their eating habits.
There is also a place for genetics, there is a genetic mutation that happens in some dogs, causing them to show some form of predatory behavior especially when they are trying to hunt smaller forms of animals like lizards, now they do this normally, but when they get hungry, this wolf-like attitude would help them hunt for other source of food including even their likes.
If a pet is showing cannibalism behavior, it could also be a contributing factor of serious emotional distress, that could trigger the dog to eat something that it is scared of, which could be something that it is scared of. Asides from the story of an adult dog eating another, the possibility of a mother dog eating her own young;
- It could be out of an accident: At the point of birth of a puppy, it remains tucked in a sac from where it grows within the uterus, The mother has a function of licking and biting the sac to make the puppy come out. In a case where the mother is an anxious one, and she is trying to get the baby out necessarily, she might the puppy a little too hard.
She may also make the mistake of tearing the placenta from the umbilical cord, While it is necessary to have the placenta separated from the pup, she might also accidentally rip off the puppy's skin if done forcefully, leading to accidental disembowelment.
A mother dog who also has Mastitis, which is a breast tissue infection, could make the breastfeeding process extremely painful to the extent that she wants to attack the pup out of aggression, and of course, giving us a case of cannibalism.
It might also interest you to know that, there are situations where a mother dog would voluntarily carry out what we refer to as ''mercy killing'' on her pet, this situation may be triggered by the fact that she has noticed that the pup might be too weak or unhealthy to survive.
If at any point you notice that your dog has cannibalistic behavior, quickly report to a vet who will carry out a thorough examination on your pet to figure out what the problem could be, and then carry out treatments to get rid of the underlying conditions, on the other hand, provide nutritional supplements that would help with the restoration of the dog's energy and restoration of metabolism back to normal.
I wouldn't even blame the guy who reacted the way he did, After the awful state he found his pet, he was so scared that he may also be attacked by the the same pet, If you were in the same shoes what would you have done differently?
References.
https://welovedoodles.com/are-dogs-cannibals/
https://welovedoodles.com/dogs-eating-other-dogs/
https://dinoanimals.com/animals/cannibalism-among-dogs-and-cats/