I have a ‘thing’ about dog poo. Not a great dinner table conversation topic, but bowel functions are a part of all our lives, and that of our dogs.
Unsurprisingly, I get really angry with owners who don’t bother clearing up after their dogs as you might expect. I’m also paranoid about standing in the stuff. Digging out poo from the ruts on my shoes is my least favourite task ever. Even worse than cleaning out the fluff from the bottom of the tumble dryer – but that’s a story for another day.
Today I’m going to focus on why you need to keep an eye on your own dog’s poo.
My first dog, Ben, had bowel problems. He suffered from attacks of colitis, inflammation of the bowel. The first sign of an attack was that his poos went soft and bulkier than normal. Within a couple of days the poo would be almost runny, green-tinged, and there’d be lots of clear, viscous goo mixed with it or surrounding it. He’d need vet treatment and a very bland diet for a couple of weeks before it would settle. We had to try around 6 different types of food for him before we found one that suited him and reduced the attacks.
So I became a bit of an expert on poo-gazing and ever since then I’ve monitored all my dogs poo closely.
What your dog’s poo is like can give you a good indication of their overall health and whether the diet you’re feeding is suitable for them or not. So what do you need to look for?
Healthy poo is firm, well-formed and easy to pick up. Needing to clear up after your dog between one to four times a day is perfectly normal (as it is with humans) – adult dogs tend to produce their pile once or twice a day, puppies around four times a day. Many dogs “go” at similar times each day, too – I can almost set a clock by Gus’s two bowel movements each day.
If your dog has been exerting himself energetically, or the weather is hot, the poo may be smaller, hard pellets – this usually signifies your dog was a bit dehydrated over the previous hours.
Signs that the diet you’re feeding may not be the best type for your dog are when the poo is bulky and soggy, or is produced as a soft pile. If this describes your dog’s poos, then it might be worth thinking about changing to a higher quality diet, if possible.
Unformed splodges like cowpats, or watery puddles, are not a healthy sign – and are also very difficult to clear up. There can be many reasons – perhaps your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t out and about, or he’s had too much to eat – too much of his own food, too many treats, or too much rich human food. Rarely, food intolerance can also be a cause.
Check with your vet if you’re worried.
If your dog has diarrhoea or very loose stools but seems otherwise well, stare him for 12-24 hours then introduce food by giving well-cooked rice (cooked nearly twice as long as for humans, so it’s easy to digest for them) for one day then add an egg, or perhaps some chicken, from the second day and continue this until the stools re normal again before gradually re-introducing your normal dog food.
Back to some less gruesome topics next week!
Please tell your friends – you could pass this on this email if you think their stomachs can cope with it!
Keep training,
Carol