Content
- Types of dog feces
- Appearance of dog feces
- What should dog feces look like?
- dark or black dog feces
- dog feces with worm
- dog feces with giardia
- green dog feces
- Dog stool with yellow mucus
- white dog feces
- gray dog feces
- dog feces with blood
Although it may seem a little strange to you, analyzing your dog's feces is something you as a tutor should do every day. Be the color, consistency, frequency or quantity, any change in any of these parameters may indicate that something is wrong with your best friend.
As unpleasant as this topic may seem, it is extremely important that you know what the different types of dog feces can mean. For this reason, PeritoAnimal prepared this article. Keep reading!
Types of dog feces
Dog poop can be one of the first signs that something isn't right with your furry companion, that's why it's so important to know what types of stools and what they mean. Check out the different types of dog feces:
- Black;
- With worm;
- With giardia;
- Green;
- With yellow mucus;
- White;
- Grey;
- With blood.
In the next few sections we'll explain each of these types of dog poop in detail.
Appearance of dog feces
Surely you, better than anyone, will be the first to detect any changes in your dog's poop. Small changes do not always indicate that something serious is going on. Often times, it can even be a minor gastrointestinal derangement, just like with humans.
Anyway, you should remember that your dog doesn't talk to tell you he doesn't feel well. Therefore, you should be aware not only of his feces, but also of all other signs that something may be happening, such as changes in the urine (color, frequency, smell), behavioral changes, changes in appetite and other signs of pain in the dog.
What should dog feces look like?
You probably already know perfectly well the normal appearance of dog poop, as you are the one who cleans your pet's feces every day. Anyway, there are 4 parameters that veterinarians use to assess feces and that you should be aware of, they are:
- Color: The normal color of dog feces should be a "chocolate brown", the color provided by the pigment called stercobilin. Changes in stool color can indicate a number of problems, as explained below.
- Consistency: Dog poop should have a firm consistency. Formless waste can indicate that your dog's intestine is not absorbing nutrients correctly, which leads to a dog shitting. On the other hand, very hard dog feces can indicate dehydration. If your dog occasionally has a change in consistency, this is not a cause for concern. If the change persists for more than a day, contact a veterinarian.
- Contents: The appearance of the waste must be uniform. However, you can observe from worms, foreign bodies, hair, etc. For this reason it is important to pay attention.
- Coating: Dog feces should not have a layer or coating around it. When you pick up your dog's poop in the street, there shouldn't be a trace of mucus left behind. The same applies to the presence of blood, this is not a normal situation and your puppy should be seen by a veterinarian.
dark or black dog feces
if you noticed dark dog feces, practically black, you should be concerned. Soft and black dog poop are common and usually indicate the presence of blood in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract of the dog. There are several possibilities that can cause blood in the dog's feces, in this case, especially a stomach ulcer.
Has your dog made feces of this color? You should consult your veterinarian as soon as possible.
dog feces with worm
If your dog's stool has tiny white dots that look like grains of rice or pieces of spaghetti, your dog's stool probably has worms. Internal parasites are often eliminated in the faeces, so you can watch for them when cleaning up your best friend's waste. You should also be aware of the dog's anus, as it is sometimes possible to directly observe parasites in this region.
If you've noticed dog poop with worms, your pet needs to be dewormed. Parasites consume essential nutrients for your pet and cause a drop in immune system defenses. For this reason, it is essential to comply with a deworming plan. They exist different parasites that can arise in feces of the dog. It is important that you take a stool sample so your veterinarian can analyze and choose the most suitable dewormer.
dog feces with giardia
Giardia in dogs is a disease that has diarrhea as one of its main symptoms. If your dog is infected with this parasite, you will not be able to see the parasites in his feces with the naked eye. These protozoa can only be observed with the aid of a microscope.
However, dog feces with giardia do not look normal, so you should be aware of possible dog feces with giardia. The consistency of dog stools in this case is soft to completely watery, sometimes green and with excess mucus. So, just watch if your dog is shitting soft.
Also, you should be on the lookout for other possible symptoms of dog feces with giardia:
- Weight loss;
- Loss of appetite;
- The dog may occasionally vomit, although this is rare.
If your dog has any of these symptoms, see a veterinarian.
green dog feces
As we've already mentioned, green dog feces can indicate the presence of parasites like giardia.It can also indicate the presence of other parasites or even be something as simple as your dog having ingested a lot of grass and now the stools are green for that reason. Another possibility is that it is a food allergy to some component of your dog's diet.
In any case, if you check your dog's green stool more than once, it is best to consult your veterinarian and take a sample of the dog's poop for him to analyze. Very often, the veterinarian asks for a new stool sample for a second analysis, since many parasites, such as giardia, are intermittently eliminated in the stool, hence the importance of repeating the tests.
Dog stool with yellow mucus
if you noticed mucus in your dog's poop or a kind of dog feces looking like jelly yellow, can be indicative of different types of problems, for example:
- Food allergy or intolerance;
- Parasites;
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
To learn more about the causes of yellow stools in dogs, read this PeritoAnimal article.
white dog feces
White dog stool may indicate that your pet is eating a high calcium diet. This situation is more common in puppies fed a BARF diet that eat large amount of bones. Another possible reason is that your dog is ingesting things he shouldn't. Some dogs, due to stress or other reasons, ingest, for example, rocks, paper or other objects, a condition called bites.
Pay attention to your dog's behavior and if you notice that he is ingesting something he shouldn't, consult your veterinarian because your dog may have lack of any nutrient or present a problem of behavioral origin that may require intervention from an animal behavior specialist, ie, an ethologist.
gray dog feces
Gray dog feces are also a cause for concern. This type of stool can indicate liver (liver), pancreas and gallbladder problems. Some possibilities for triggering problems are:
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: the pancreas is not producing enough digestive enzymes and for this reason dog feces are not brown as they should;
- liver problems: the liver is not working properly;
- bile duct obstruction: When there is an obstruction, enzymes cannot pass from the gallbladder to the intestine and for this reason dog feces are gray and not brown.
dog feces with blood
There are a number of reasons you might have one. dog defecating blood. For this reason, it is extremely important that you visit your veterinarian as soon as possible, especially if your dog has a lot of blood.
These are some of the possible causes for bloody dog poop:
- Parvoviruses;
- Parasites;
- Foreign body in intestine;
- Cancer;
- Injury to the anus.
As you can see, there are a number of reasons for a dog to defecate blood. From something simple, like him eating garbage and some object causing damage when passing through the anus, to something more serious like cancer. You should try to remain calm, consult your veterinarian and, if possible, bring a stool sample to the clinic. If the bleeding is heavy, don't wait until your dog starts to defecate again. The sooner your dog is diagnosed and treatment is started, the better the prognosis.
Read this PeritoAnimal article about blood in dog feces to learn more.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.