Are you squeamish about picking up after your dog? How often do you bend down to examine your furry friend’s feces? Your pup’s poo might not be the most pleasant thing to look at, but it can tell you a lot about their health – especially their gut health.
One key indicator of your pet’s gastrointestinal tract’s health is what comes out of it. Checking your dog’s poop is one of the most important — and least glamorous — jobs a pup parent has.
Knowing how to observe and interpret your pup’s poo can help you ensure that their digestive system is functioning properly and keep inflammation from running wild.
This article will unpack the perhaps unpleasant but necessary particularities concerning your dog’s poo. You will learn about eight different stool types and what each tells you about your furry friend’s gut health, inflammatory markers, and overall well-being. Let’s get down to business!
Know what to look for
When examining your canine companion’s stool, there are several aspects that you should pay attention to including color, texture, size, frequency, consistency, and presence of worms.
A healthy poo should have an even brown shade with no visible blood or mucus. It should be firm but not overly hard or mushy. The size and shape of your pup’s poo can vary depending on their breed, diet, and digestive health — but generally, it should look like a log. An abnormal poo is soft, mushy, and very hard to scoop.
The frequency of your dog’s bowel movements is also important to monitor. Most dogs defecate 1-3 times per day; however, this can vary with age and activity level. If you notice significant changes in frequency or consistency, it might suggest an underlying issue that needs to be addressed by a veterinarian.
Poo profiles
Here are eight poo profiles. Keep these in mind when checking your pup’s stools.
Type 1: Watery poo – AKA diarrhea
Is your pup’s poo often watery, especially when they first start pooping? This type of poop is impossible to scoop and has no shape other than a puddle.
Many different things can cause diarrhea in dogs. It can be due to something they ate, a rapid change in diet, a bacterial or viral infection, parasites like worms, parvovirus (especially if bloody and foul smelling), or other intestinal issues.
Some dogs are more sensitive to changes in their environment such as bringing a new pet or even a new baby into the house. These environmental changes may result in anxiety which leads to an upset tummy and diarrhea.
If your pup takes medication or a new supplement, watch for possible side effects like loose stools.
Monitoring your dog’s stools if they have been experiencing diarrhea is essential. If your dog suffers from watery poops for more than a day, it is time to visit your veterinarian and get things checked out.
Type 2: Soft but scoopable poo
This type of stool is soft and loosely formed, scoopable with some effort, but far from what is considered normal. The sudden onset of soft stools may result from a few things.
Have you introduced a new diet or food type? A slow and gradual transition to a new diet is always recommended to not upset your dog’s stomach lining. The irritation causes inflammation, and inflammation causes pain leading to soft poops.
Have you given your dog a new type of treat or bone that they don’t typically consume? This will have the same impact as changing food too quickly, and some dogs have intense sensitivities and even allergic reactions to ingredients found in treats and bones – especially those with fillers and grain.
If your pup does not seem otherwise unwell, and you have introduced new foods or treats, scale back and do so slowly, ensuring you feed only high-quality products.
Type 3:Hard, pebbly-like poo
Dogs, like humans, can experience bouts of constipation. Although it is not usually a sign of anything serious, this issue must be resolved promptly.
One of the foremost reasons dogs experience constipation is that they eat a diet comprised mainly of dry kibble. Because most kibble is high in fiber and doesn’t contain much water, it can be strenuous on the digestive system. Sadly, some kibble manufacturers use sawdust to bind the food making the lack of moisture an even more significant problem.
Is your pooch isn’t drinking enough water or exercising a ton without consuming water? Like humans, dogs need to stay hydrated to keep things moving! If you are out and about with your dog, hiking, or doing other strenuous activities, always carry water to keep them hydrated.
A lack of exercise can also cause pebbly poops. Dogs should exercise daily to regulate digestion. Even a walk around the block after a meal can help to keep your pet on a regular pooping schedule
More serious reasons for hard, pebble-like stools include infection in the anal glands or foreign objects stuck in the intestinal tract, including bones or gravel.
If the issue does not resolve in a day or so and you have ruled out the above causes, seek medical attention for your furry friend.
Type 4: Super stinky poo
If you are a dog owner, you have likely experienced the overwhelming “super stinky stool”. A one-off nasty is not too bad, but if it happens consistently, it is a good idea to investigate why it might be happening.
If your pet is eating food with lots of preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, or other additives, it can cause their poop to give off a foul odor.
Not all bacteria are harmful – some are necessary for digestion – but too much of the wrong kind of bacteria can make your pet’s poop smell pretty bad. The wrong type of diet can kill beneficial bacteria pretty quickly and when the bad guys take over it gets foul.
Additionally, if your pet is stressed out or ill, this can also cause an unpleasant smell.
Seek the help of your veterinarian if the odor continues for several days.
Type 6: Mucus poo
Mucus in or around your dog’s poo may be due to inflammation of the gut or colon. Parasites or parvovirus can also cause stools to contain mucus. If mucus issues don’t resolve in a few days, visit the vet.
Type 7: Bloody poo
Seeing blood in your dog’s poop is worrisome, but not all blood spells major trouble. When stools are hard, your pooch may strain to cause irritation and bleeding. Worms or parasites are a more concerning reason your pet’s stools may contain blood. This type of infestation causes wounds within the belly, resulting in bloody stools. Prolonged episodes of blood may be due to ulcers or tumors. (see more about blood below)
If the issue does not resolve within a couple of days, take your dog to the clinic and try to take a sample of poo to help with diagnosis.
Type 8: Wormy poo
If you see creepy crawlies in your dog’s poo, it is most likely an intestinal worm infestation. TRoundworms are the most common and are long and shaped like spaghetti. Short, rice-like creepies indicate a tapeworm infection. Both types of worms require a de-worming treatment to resolve.
What about frequency issues? Loads of poo or not enough poo
If you suddenly see an increase in the amount your dog is pooping, it could mean that they are sneaking extra treats or someone is double feeding. If you have a kitty, could Fido be helping himself to the kitty’s dinner?
Voluminous amounts of poo can also point to absorption issues caused by inflammation due to introducing a new diet or illness. Some infections may cause more fluid to be secreted into the gut resulting in a higher stool volume.
Dehydration, an obstruction in the gut, or a change in diet may result in a lower-than-normal stool output.
What about colors?
Healthy dog poo is consistently brown – shades of brown are ok, but stools should always be brown. A color change may result from several things depending on the color.
Green: Greenish-colored poop indicates a condition known as rapid bowel transit when things in the digestive tract are moving too fast. Some dental bones and grass may also cause green discoloration.
Orange: Do you feed your dog carrots? This is often a cause of orange-tinted stools. Orange may also indicate inflammation of the pancreas – known as pancreatitis.
White or grayish: Liver and gallbladder issues often cause stools to turn white or gray. Barium, given for x-ray contrast studies, can also cause stools to turn a whitish color.
Red: Beets are the only food that will cause a dog’s stool to turn red. Bright red blood comes from the stomach or small intestine. If you see reddish streaks, the blood is most likely coming from irritated anal glands or the lower intestinal tract.
Black or maroon: This dark color is representative of digested blood, most likely coming from the stomach or small intestine.
Pink or purple: If the stool also looks like jam it may be a sign of life-threatening hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. This requires immediate medical care
The bottom line
Make it a regular habit to check your dog’s stools and keep an eye out for anything unusual. Catching serious conditions early on is important and having eyes on your pup’s poop can help you provide the best care for your best friend.
