the proof is in the poop 

#thatswhattheytellme

Some may tell you this – if you’re searching for clues about your dog’s overall health.

While poop doesn’t give you all the pieces to the puzzle, it CAN give you enough of a glimpse as to what’s going on. 

I know what your thinking and I kind-of agree, this isn’t the most pleasant blog post to read – but dog appointed “poop patrol engineers” is a job we’ve all acquired. 

Elimination is part of digestion – and since we gotta pay attention…

Why not talk about it!

THE SCOOP ON POOP –

During a routine wellness visit, I brought fecal samples for testing. 

I was chatting with the staff when the vet tech yelled from the back –

this is great poop!

Everyone laughed as I looked quizzically from one face to the other. It was later explained to me that this particular vet tech – prides herself on being the poop “aficionado” among the office technicians.

When she came to the lobby area, she asked me what I fed them. Of course I told her – Ollie – fresh human grade beef, veggies and fruit. For the next few minutes I learned more than I ever thought I wanted to know about poop and all the stories a sample can reveal.

WHAT DOES HEALTHY POOP LOOK LIKE? – 

Dog poop has four main “C” characteristics: color, content, consistency, and coating. The color of healthy dog poop should be chocolate brown. … Most people won’t see much of anything inside the poop without a microscope. Healthy dog poop should also be a little firm in consistency, like play dough.

hillspet.com

Color: optimum color should be chocolate brown. Anything else COULD mean there’s an underlining health issue brewing –

• Green – two much grass to sooth an upset tummy
• Black/Burgundy – sign of intestinal bleeding
• Red Streaks – another sign of bleeding
• Yellow – liver or gallbladder problems
• Orange – inflammation of the pancreas
• White spots – might be worms 

Content: When examining fresh samples, reach out to your vet if you see – 

• Worms – long skinny things that look like rice
• Fur – clumps could be a sign of over grooming, allergies or skin disease
• Stuff – things dogs shouldn’t but sometimes consume (like  rocks, string, plastic, sticks, etc) that may become ingestion issues

Coating: Once you’ve cleaned up after your dog, there should be no clues left behind. Sometimes (before feeding Ollie) Harley’s stool occasionally had a mucus coating which later erupted into diarrhea.  

Consistency: Did you know there is a numerical system to score pet poop consistency? #Ikidyounot

The scoring system ranges from 1 to 7 –

• 1 – pellets
• 7 – puddles

Most veterinarians view “2” as ideal. 

They describe it as – 

a firm segmented piece, caterpillar shaped, that feels like Play-Doh when pressed. Formless stool means the large intestine is not properly re-absorbing water; hard stool can be painful to pass and may indicate dehydration. The ideal dog stool is the consistency of Play-Doh, easily squish-able, and holds its form without melting into the grass.

PetMD

MORE IN AND LESS OUT – 

Over the years as I’ve learned more about the benefits of feeding the Boys a healthy and nutritious diet, I’ve become a believer in the correlation between diet and elimination.

Feeding them Ollie has given them a perfect score with the four “C’s” of perfect poop. In addition, the ratio of what goes in vs. what comes out is significantly different. 

Not only is their poop much less in size, there is no foul odor associated with it either. That right there has truly been a bonus. #itsthelittlethings

Hope you found this helpful – thanks for reading!

May your coffee remain strong and your Monday be short ❤️

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian nor a scientist. I’m a pet parent always interested in understanding more about my dogs.