Here’s how you can tell a conspiracy theorist doesn’t have or understand dogs.
Dogs can sometimes engage in coprophagia — the scientific name for eating poop. There’s numerous theories about why dogs decide to snack on doo doo, but this conspiracy theorist takes the cake.
Twitter user Michelle Tandler sparked a head-turning tale about why people are fleeing San Francisco. She claimed there’s an epidemic of dogs becoming addicted to meth because they’re eating meth-laced poop.
“Last night at a party I met a woman who left San Francisco after her dog walker told her the dogs were getting addicted to meth-laced feces,” her tweet began. “Apparently they were running around the parks looking for it and then getting high.”
Doctors — and the Los Angeles Times — had a field day with the viral thread. Some even went into detail about how meth is metabolized to debunk this claim. For those who are curious, medical toxicologist Ryan Marino says, “Amphetamines are excreted in URINE (after being metabolized into other breakdown products).” He also encouraged Tandler to “get help.”
So, consider the myth busted that dogs can become addicted to eating meth-laced poo.
As for why dogs eat poop, dog trainer Chelsea Nelson says on her Canine Curiosity blog that while there’s no real explanation, there are four main theories. Poop eating can be a sign of anxiety, a deficit in certain nutrients, a medical condition or a leftover impulse from their pre-domesticated ancestors.
Nelson adds 49% of dogs will eat poo sometime in their life. Yummy.