Things to Look for in Your Dog’s Poop

Okay, so the fact is that examining a pile of your dog’s excrement isn’t exactly an exciting chore. Most people don’t even enjoy picking up their dog’s poop, let alone digging around in it in order to make sure their dog is healthy. However, the fact is that your dog can’t talk, which means if your dog has something going on in its digestive tract the animal’s poop pile might provide a source of clues. That is why it is best to look at your dog’s poop on a semi-regular basis in order to make sure your dog is in good health.

Baseline Poo
You need be familiar with what your dog’s poop normally looks like. That means you need to determine what the normal size of the poop pile is, it’s smell, the color of the poop, and its consistency. The reason why you need to know these things is because you are checking for things that are not normal. For example, if you dog normally poops solid, but one day you notice that it is runny, that means something is going on with your dog’s health. If the poop smell is only mildly strong, but now it is overwhelming, this could be a cause for concern as well.

Parasites
Parasites are one of the biggest reasons why you will want to look at your dog’s stool. Even for a healthy dog, it is a good idea to bring a sample to the vet on an annual basis just for a check up. However, during your regular poop inspections, you will want to look for either white or tan specks in the dog’s poop. If you see them, then bring the sample to the vet right away because this is a result of worms. Your vet will be able to confirm if your dog has such a condition.

Look for Changes
Turd colors that are anything from a dark green to a yellow mustard are a cause for concern. Also if you see a tar like substance or lots of blood in the poop pile, that could be an indication of an infection or parasites. Make sure you take your dog to the vet if this happens. The black tar is an indication of bleeding the upper intestines, while red is an indication of bleeding in the lower intestines. These sorts of issues can indication a serious problem.

You will also want to look for changes in the poop density. If your dog normally poops solid, but is now leaving behind a runny or slimy stool, this might be an indication that your dog has eaten something that it shouldn’t have. Also, if you find that your dog normally leaves large droppings, but is now only leaving small droppings or no droppings at all, your dog might be constipated. Dogs are known to eat things that they shouldn't such as floss, garbage, or even used feminine care items. All of these items can clog your dog up. That is why it’s best to check your dog’s stool on a regular basis.