Healthy stool

12-10-2021

We regularly receive questions from our customers about their dog's stool, especially after they have switched to a different food and see a change in the poop. In this article we will briefly discuss what healthy stool is and what you should pay attention to.

Let's get one thing straight; there is no such thing as the ideal poo. This mainly has to do with the food the dog is given. And even then, the stool can differ from dog to dog.

So what do we like to see when we have a poop bag in hand?

A fairly firm turd that is slightly moist and dark brown in color. You want the poop to be easy to pick up, but not hard to the touch. Sort of like Play Doh, soft clay. It should be fairly moist, but not too dry so that it falls apart or too liquid to the point of diarrhea. We will come back to this later.

The food your dog is fed has a big impact on the color of the poop. Fresh meat often gives a very dark brown color and carbohydrate rich kibble often gives lighter poop. 

Now, it is not the case that if the stool looks different once, that there is immediately reason to worry. Our dog Stitch sometimes eats grass, which results in slightly greener stool. Or when he has been given a calf's foot or beef bone as a snack, his stool sometimes falls apart a bit because of the eaten bones and is a lot lighter in color. And most of us have experienced what seawater can do to stool...

If the abnormal stool persists for several days or if the dog starts to behave differently, such as being lethargic, listless or having a fever, we always recommend contacting the vet. 

Have you recently switched to a different food? This can lead to diarrhea. The stomach and intestines then still have to get used to the new food. To prevent this, you can mix the old kibble with the new kibble. It is important that it is the same type of food, so from cold-pressed to other cold-pressed kibble. Is the dog currently getting baked kibble and are you switching to cold-pressed kibble? Then it is wise NOT to mix the two, but to switch to the new food in one go. 

It is also possible that the bowel movement will start better when you switch to our cold-pressed kibble. Some customers have indicated that the dog poops larger amounts. This is normal, because our kibble consists of 60% meat and also contains a lot of fibers such as carrot and apple. Fibers ensure that the intestines move well and that more moisture is absorbed, which in turn gives smooth stools and more volume. 

Tip: 

To keep your dog's intestines healthy, you can consider adding a supplement to their meal. We offer a natural product in our webshop, Ultimaflor Probiotica from Groene Os. It can be used to support the immune system and it helps with digestion. For more information, click here .

But which color of poop is abnormal and should you contact the vet?

• Yellow poop: may indicate a problem with the bile ducts; 
• Red poop: can be caused by bleeding in the digestive tract. This can be caused by parasites, inflammation, a foreign body in the intestine, an infection or a tumor;
• Black poop: can be caused by bleeding in the digestive system (such as a stomach bleed) or there can be a tumor. Usually this poop also has a pungent odor;
• Slimy and often red stool: may indicate stomach and intestinal problems;
• Gray poop: may be an indication of problems with the pancreas.

Finally, we recommend that you deworm your dog regularly. Worms can cause stomach and intestinal complaints. Also ask your vet for advice.

Source:

The Green Ox

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