Are you familiar with the look of your dog’s stools and their elimination habits?
I have not yet had a conversation about dogs when we didn’t end up discussing dog poop sooner or later. There is a reason for that. What comes out of your dog tells the story about what is happening inside your dog.
Your dog’s stool indicates not only how well is their digestive system doing. Did you know that diarrhea or constipation can be symptoms of systemic medical issues outside of the digestive tract as well? Poop talk is about much more than intestinal parasites.
There is a lot you can see with your own eyes and there is a lot more your veterinarian can learn with their equipment.
What your dog’s poop can tell you about their health
Dog Poop Consistency
From Hard to Watery—What Does It Mean? Why does it matter what your dog’s poop looks like?
Dog Poop Color
Healthy dog poop is typically brown. What makes poop brown is bile, a fluid released from the gallbladder that aids in digestion.
Dog Poop Contents
The contents of your dog stools can sometimes provide an inkling as to what may have upset your dog’s digestive system.
Veterinary Fecal Analysis
Believe it or not, any wastes that come out of your dog’s body carry useful information.
Strange-looking poop
Polka Dog Poop
If your dog’s poop looks like somebody just had a birthday party in their belly, somebody did.. Cooties. In other words, parasites!
Elimination changes
Diarrhea/Runny Stools
Diarrhea is a medical term describing unformed, loose stools. Bowel movements can be larger or more frequent. The poop might contain mucus, blood, worms, and all sorts of other things.
Difficulty Defecating
Constipation does make evacuating stool difficult, but it is far from the only reason that can make your dog strain to defecate.
Real-life Stories
Blood in Dog Poop: Simple Case of Diarrhea? Boney and Clyde’s Story
Bloody Diarrhea in Dogs: Duke’s Bloody Vomiting and Diarrhea
Orange Stool in a Dog: When Everything that Could Go Wrong Does—Sunny’s Orange Stools
Swollen Abdomen in a Puppy: Tilly’s Story
Further reading:
Why Does My Veterinarian Want a Poop Sample?