Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
Believe it or not, any wastes that come out of your dog’s body carry useful information. Gross is in the eye of the beholder. Our dogs feel about poop quite differently than we do. To a dog, poop can be a source of intel, a snack, as well as sometimes a source of missing nutrients. What can your veterinarian learn…
What else, other than color and consistency, should you look at when examining your dog’s stool? What does your dog’s poop contents tell you about their health? Mucus Healthy poop should not have any coating on it. Sometimes you’ll find poop covered by a slimy substance – mucus. Mucus is produced in the intestine to lubricate and protect the gut…
Healthy dog poop is typically brown. What makes poop brown is bile—fluid from the gallbladder. Bile aids in the digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. It also helps eliminate certain waste products from the body. There can be some variation in color depending on what your dog ate. You might notice that particularly when you’re feeding a variety…
Why does it matter what your dog’s poop looks like? Dog poop consistency is one of the most useful clues about your dog’s health. The longer I’ve been a dog mom, the more attention I’ve learned to pay to poop. It started with Jasmine who had ongoing poop issues from the day she came to us. After years of being…
Allie was a sweet, loving senior Maltese. She had not lost her appetite, and her weight seemed stable. However, Allie had been losing muscle. So much so that she looked like skin and bone. How could she be wasting away before her owner’s eyes and yet her weight remaining the same? I will not include a photo, but it was…