Like its ancestor, the wolf, the domestic dog is an opportunistic scavenger and may navigate towards the smell of faeces, particularly those containing remnants of undigested food.

The plant-based pet food company, Omni, is offering to pay dog owners more than $6,000 to smell their pet's poop for two months — participating pet parents have to be willing to change their ...

A plant-based pet food company in Britain is offering to pay a dog owner $6,685.82 to switch their canine's diet for two months and keep track of the pet's poop smells.

Why would a dog eat something that could harm it? Don't dogs have an incredible sense of smell? Why would a dog eat poop, which isn't even food?

If dogs are often kept alone and away from humans, they may eat poop. Similarly, dogs put in tight, small spaces – like overcrowded kennels – might consume feces.

Just like research on human microbiomes, these results could affect how dog-food makers approach their recipes, he says, enabling us to give our pups better digestive health.