Your Dog's Poop

There is no nice way to talk about this, so lets just go for it…

 I’m sure every dog owner has at one point or another, looked at their dog’s poop, panicked slightly, googled colours and consistencies and then potentially panicked some more. Your dog’s poop, although probably the bane of your existence, is an excellent way to gage what is happening on the inside of your dog. It is also important as a dog owner to know what is normal and what deserves a vet visit.

So what influences a change in consistency and colour? Diet is one of the major factors of change when it comes to canine poop consistency, size and colour, especially following a diet change. Dog’s have a pretty poor judgement sometimes when it comes to what they put in their mouths. The consumption of foreign foods, plant matter and other items will also contribute to any changes you may see.

What is healthy and what isn’t?

On the whole, a healthy canine poop is firm, moist (ah that word) and has a mild odour. There is most definitely a noted difference between the stools of a dog fed a kibble diet and that of a dog fed a fresh food diet.

Typically speaking, kibble fed dog’s often produce large amounts of voluminous poop, usually with a fowl odour attached.


Kibble fed dog stool

The reason for this? Most kibble dog food manufactures add large amounts of ingredients that contain incredibly high amounts of fibre. According to Dr Karen Becker, “The normal fiber content of the ancestral diet is between 4 and 6 percent. The fiber content of many dry foods is greater than 15 percent, and most “diet” or “lite” foods contain more than 28 percent fiber.”

Healthy dog stool (Raw fed)

Raw fed dogs produce much smaller, firmer poop that usually begins to change colour (white) and disintegrate within 24 hours. Not only this but stools of a raw fed dog usually smell much more pleasant or as pleasant as they can be, right?

Is white normal?

 Stool of a dog fed too much calcium 

Dogs that are fed a diet too rich is calcium will eliminate white chalky stools. It is important to note that stools that change in colour to look like this are normal, however you don’t want your dog eliminating this straight off the cuff.

One of the most important types of poop to take note of is diarrhoea. Following a change or transition in diet may cause loose stools. However constant diarrhoea that does not clear up on its own within 24 – 48 hours is an indication that you may have to visit your vet. It may just be something your dog ate that didn’t agree with them, or it could be something a little more serious.  For a great breakdown of the different types of diarrhoea, check out Dr Karen Becker’s blog post here.

Over all, dog poop is actually fantastic. Apart from picking it up or stepping in it, dog poop is a great indication of what is going on inside your dog. Remember, what goes in, must come out.