What your dog’s 💩 says about their health
Pooping. Everyone does it, yet no one talks about it. It remains the butt of childish jokes and at the top of the list of dinner topic no-no’s. Despite it’s taboo reputation, it happens to be a great indicator of your own and your dog’s health. But how? We like to remember the four C’s.
Consistency of dog poop
On the scale of dry to runny, normal consistency should be firm yet moist enough to pick up. Overly dry excretion is often a sign of dehydration. When it comes to soft poop, dog parents tend to panic but there’s no need. If there is soft poop with no mucus or blood this could be due to a dietary change or your dog consuming a food that’s not right for them.
Watery diarrhoea, on the other hand, could be an indicator of stress in your poor pup.
Contents of dog poop
We are firm believers in the phrase “you are what you eat”, and the same goes for your dog too. When examining the contents, try to keep an eye out for anything extremely unusual such as worms or fur.
You can also look out for foreign materials along the lines of grass, plastic and even money. If you find anything concerning you might want to get in touch with your vet to ensure they don’t have anything stuck in their digestive tracts.
Coating of dog poop
As you can guess, dog poop should not have any sort of coating. It should be easy to pick up without leaving any residue. A coating of mucus generally occurs because of large bowel inflammation and with diarrhoea.
Colour of dog poop
Healthy poop should be chocolate brown but it is not uncommon for your dog to have a different colour poop. Here’s what different colours could indicate.
- Black/Very Dark: May be a sign of an ulcer or blood in their stomach.
- Red (Streaked with red): This generally indicates that there is blood in your dog’s poop, unless your dog has been eating beets. If the bleeding persists, take your dog to the vet asap.
- Grey/Greasy Looking: This could be due to the expulsion of fat in your dog’s diet.
- White Specks: Uh oh, this is a sign of worms so time to get your dog ready with the worm tablets!
Whatever the case, if you are seriously worried about your dog’s health simply call up your vet just to be sure.