Pet owners and our customers sometimes inquire about the significance of their dog’s poop. It’s widely understood that what comes out of a dog’s tummy is often influenced by what goes into it.
Below, we’ll explore some common poop issues and explain what they might indicate!
Types of Dog Poops
Diarrhea
One common issue is when your dog’s poop turns into liquid spurts. The cause can vary.
- Food related: Your dog might be struggling with a sudden change in diet. This doesn’t always mean the new food is bad; the transition might just be too abrupt. Try reducing the new food portion and mixing it with the original. If the poop solidifies after a day or two, gradually increase the new food. If not, stop the new food altogether.
- Inappropriate consumption: Your dog might have eaten something unsuitable. Identifying and eliminating the offending ingredient can help.
- Environmental factors: Stress from changes like a new family member or living conditions could be the culprit.
- Health concerns: In rare cases, it could be an early sign of a disease or infection.
Hard, pebble-like
Very hard stools are not ideal for your dog, but don’t worry—constipation is quite common.
One of the main causes is a dry kibble diet, which lacks moisture and often contains too much fibre. Some dry foods even use sawdust as a binder.
Here are common causes of hard stools:
- Food related: If you’re feeding dry dog food, it’s low in moisture and high in fiber, leading to hard stools. Feeding raw will help put moisture back into the body.
- Dehydration: Your dog may need more water. Encourage hydration with creative methods or feeding raw.
- Grooming issues: Matted hair near the rear can make pooping difficult.
- Lack of exercise: Lazy dogs or those that over groom may also have hard stools.
- Serious issues: Infections, or foreign objects like plastic, could be the cause.
Very smelly poops
If you’ve been feeding kibble, try switching to raw food and notice the difference in your dog’s poop smell.
Kibble-fed dogs often have stinkier poop because they struggle to digest large amounts of grains, starches, or “grain-free” options with peas and potatoes, which does cannot digest. When not fully absorbed, these foods are passed as smelly poop.
Mucus in or around
If your dog’s stool appears slimy with a mucus-like coating, it can be concerning. This could be due to an inflamed colon, mild gut inflammation, or potentially parvovirus or parasites.
While caution is important, the mucus often clears up after a few bowel movements.
If the mucus persists beyond that, it’s time to consider receiving help. However, you can give your dog 1-2 days to see if its body balances out on its own.
Blood in stool
If you notice blood in your dog’s poop, stay calm! The blood can appear fresh red or very dark red, with causes ranging from minor to serious.
A minor cause could be hard stools causing abrasions during elimination. More serious cases might involve parasites or worms causing internal wounds. In extreme cases, blood could indicate ulcers or tumors.
If the blood persists after 2-3 bowel movements, get help.
White stools
If you’re feeding a raw diet, white stools can be caused by having too much bone in your dog’s diet.
Try to lessen the bone content in your dog’s food, add more meat-only packages.
Worried about your dog’s poops, contact us today!
