One of the least satisfying tasks of being a responsible dog owner is picking up your dog’s poop. Whether in your garden, in the park or in woodland, most responsible dog owners scoop that poop! Raw feeding owners will find that their dog’s poo is the key to getting the balance of their food right and we have another article written specifically for this here
Not all poo is equal
You would think that dog poo is just dog poo, but that is certainly not the case. Read on for the scoop on your dog’s poop!
Colour
The perfect poo is usually chocolate coloured. It may have some minor deviations in colour due to diet, hydration, or dyes in his or her food, but you shouldn’t see a substantial amount of changes. Some of the abnormal colour patterns are:
- Black, tarry poo: bleeding high up in the digestive tract may result in a tar-coloured poo but more commonly, if you are raw feeding your dog, it can be a sign that you are feeding too much offal or rich meat
- Red streaks: this indicates bleeding in the lower digestive tract and is not usually serious. It is usually an indication of inflammation, particularly after a bout of diarrhoea or it can even be a small cut to the anus
- Grey or yellow stools: may indicate issues with the pancreas, liver, or gallbladder. Yellow or white stools can also be a sign of high bone content if you raw feed your dog.
- Brown with white spots like grains of rice: this could indicate the presence of worms. Consider purchasing one of our worm count kits to determine for certain if this is the case.
- Yellow diarrhoea - usually a sign of an intolerance to something in the diet (often grain)
Consistency
A change in the consistency of your dog’s poo can sometimes indicate a problem.
Constipation
Small, pebble like poos:
- Dehydration
- Lack of exercise
- Medication
- Not enough fibre in their diet
- Anal gland problems
- More serious health problems such as narrowing of the rectum and prostate problems in male dogs also cannot be ruled out.
- Too much bone in a raw food diet (often yellow/white in colour and/or crumbly)
Diarrhoea
Runny, hard to pick up poos that leave a mark on the floor. Some of the common reasons your dog has diarrhoea include:
- Changing dog foods too quickly
- Stress
- New medication
- Eating human food
- Eating something they picked up on their walk
- Drinking water from stagnant ponds or puddles
- Infection or disease
Smell
Dog poo smells. There is no doubt. But if your dog’s poo is particularly offensive to the nose, it could indicate an intolerance to the food there are eating.
So there is the scoop on your dog’s poop! Yes, it's not the most pleasant task to perform, but it is worthwhile and could be so beneficial in early detection of a problem with your dog’s health.
There is an actual poo scale out there if you would like a more in-depth poo explanation. It is called the Bristol Stool Chart. It is what vet’s use to determine the quality of a dog’s stool sample. It includes diagrams and close ups of various poo examples if you would like to study it in greater detail. (We didn’t post it on here just in case it was a bit too much information or as a precaution in case you are eating your dinner when reading this!) It is worth a look though.
Hope this was helpful.
With Woofs and Wags,
Laura, Dolly & Reggie