This is What Your Dog or Cat’s Poop Can Tell You About Them

A discussion around your dog’s poop sounds repulsive and unpleasant, but it’s a very important one. Since our dogs and cats cannot tell us when they have gastric issues, cramps or an upset tummy, it’s up to us to stay alert for signs of trouble. The best way to do this is to monitor not only what goes into your pets, but also what comes out of them. Your dog or cat’s poop can tell you volumes about their health. Let’s see why it’s important to #PeepThePoop.

Whether you take your dog out to do his business, have hired a dog-walker or he goes out on his own to relieve himself in the backyard, it’s important to keep an eye on his poop. The quantity of urine and feces, the color, texture, smell, and the presence of mucus or blood – are all indicators of how well (or not) your pet’s body is performing. For cat parents, it’s important to keep an eye on your feline queen’s litter box. Any unusual signs must be noted and reported to your pet’s nutritionist or the vet immediately.

A healthy dog or cat’s poop must be minimal, moist but firm, and has little to no odor.

Think about it! A car shall produce minimum exhaust if the engine is healthy and the fuel is clean and pure. Excessive smoke or fumes from your car usually indicate either a faulty machinery or adulteration of the fuel that you put into it. Similarly, when your dog or cat catches an infection or is not eating a balanced and nutritious diet, it shows in their poop or feces. Let’s see what different changes in your pet’s poop translate to:

While pet food companies would want to make you believe that a harder, larger quantity of stool is a sign of good health, logic says otherwise – if your dog is excreting a sizable portion of his food as waste, doesn’t that mean that only a small portion of that food is really ‘useful’? A balanced and nutritious diet will produce minimum waste, hence only a small amount of poop.

While pet food companies would want to make you believe that a harder, larger quantity of stool is a sign of good health, logic says otherwise – if your dog is excreting a sizable portion of his food as waste, doesn’t that mean that only a small portion of that food is really ‘useful’? A balanced and nutritious diet will produce minimum waste, hence only a small amount of poop.

So When to See the Vet for a Poop Problem?

First of all, it’s important to understand that diarrhea is not a health problem, it’s a symptom of a problem. As described above, different types of diarrhea could indicate different health issues – from diet change, to allergies, to parasitic, bacterial or viral infections, to tumors or even something more serious.
 
Most pets (like us humans) experience an occasional episode of loose motions or diarrhea that usually resolves on its own within 12 to 24 hours. The underlying issue in most of these cases is indiscriminate or junk eating or stress. If your dog exhibits normal behaviour even after an incident of diarrhea, is playful and has the same energy level as usual – it’s safe to just keep an eye on him and wait while his stools return to normal in a day or so. For an adult dog or cat, withhold food (but not water) for a few hours and resume meals with a bland diet. At all points, ensure your pet has a fresh and ready source of water to keep him hydrated.
 
However, if your pet is weak, sluggish, has fever and doesn’t display an otherwise normal activity level after a bout of diarrhea, you should contact a vet. If the diarrhea is repeated frequently, or contains blood or anything that’s abnormal, contact your vet immediately.
 

How to Know if Your Dog or Cat has Diarrhea?

It’s important to understand that dogs with diarrhea may not always display the same symptoms as humans with diarrhea. Sometimes dawgie diarrhea causes strain on the dog’s colon, making it more like constipation than diarrhea. Diarrhea upsets the normal rhythm of the muscle contractions in your pet’s GI tract, giving him the feeling that he constantly needs to poop.
 
If you’re around your dog, you may notice signs of discomfort and unrest that he exhibits. At this point, you would obviously let him out to relieve himself. If you’re not around, you may come home to an accident on the floor. And in cases of Small Bowel Disease or chronic diarrhea, many dogs don’t have accidents in the house and don’t have fecal urgency, they simply always have loose, watery stools.
 
Other symptoms that can go along with diarrhea include fever, lethargy, malaise, loss of appetite, and dehydration – some of which can be fatal to dogs and cats, especially the young ones.
 

Small Bowel Disease in Pet Dogs & Cats

Small Bowel Diarrhea is a chronic condition where the first part of the pet’s stool is firm, followed by soft or very loose second half of the bowel movement. This type of diarrhea can be confusing to pet parents, because it can indicate a variety of issues including small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, maldigestion, malabsorption, food intolerances, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, dysbiosis, or an Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
 

 
If you think your pet suffers from chronic diarrhea, passes gas or farts often, poops too much or if his or her poop stinks too much – it may be a good reason to revisit their diet. Such symptoms put excessive stress on your pet’s digestive system and badly affect their overall health.

Normally, if your pet dog or cat is eating a balanced diet with proteins, vitamins, minerals and a right amount of dietary fiber from wholesome sources, his poop should be healthy and in minimum quantity. It’s a sign that his food is almost completely digested and utilized by the body. A species-appropriate meat-based diet keeps their gut healthy, and your furry darling jumpy and joyous!