Dog pooping is a big issue. This reads fun, but we mean it. Pet owners must take their dog’s poop seriously. Unfortunately, our dogs can’t tell us when they are sick or have a chronic illness, so we must be alert for signs telling us that something might be wrong with them, and their poop is undoubtedly a flag signaling that something could be affecting our loved canine friends.
A dog’s normal pooping cycle often depends on the food you give them and the feeding frequency, but generally, for a dog, pooping twice a day is considered regular. However, puppies’ metabolic cycle works faster, meaning they would poop after meals.
So, we recommend puppy owners be aware of this to potty train their little furry friends by taking them for a walk outside. And now that we mentioned having a short walk, like in the yard or if you live in an apartment close to the sidewalk, you must always remember to carry a bag and check your dog’s poop consistency.
Yeap, we know this isn’t a pleasant topic to discuss. Indeed, dogs are awesome companions and are incredible at making our lives happier, so the least we can do to return the lots of love they give to us is to nourish them and care about their good health, with actions like picking and checking their poop. Incidentally, did you know your dog’s poop is a primary indicator of its health?
Health? Yeap, that little act of picking up your dog’s poop can have an impact on their health. But why? Believe it or not, in some cases, dogs eat their own poop. This bad habit has a clinical term, “coprophagia,” and relates to behavioral issues, or your dog might be looking to replenish a deficiency in nutrients. Also, checking your dog’s poop consistency can help identify a potential illness.
So, now that you know a little bit more about how a small action can make a huge difference in your dog well being, can you imagine there are many other things your dog’s poop can tell us about their health. So let’s deepen our opening statement: Dog pooping is a big issue.
Stay with us. We will check some important facts about your canine friend’s poop that will help you provide better care for them.
How Often Should My Dog Be Pooping?
What are good bathroom habits in a dog? This question is important for dog lovers to help keep their furry friends under control. First, your dog’s pooping frequency (bowel movements) might vary according to the following factors:
Dogs Age
Puppies poop more often than adult dogs.
Diet and Eating Frequency
When you give your dog food more often, your dog will poop recurrently. Also, if you give your furry friend foods rich in fiber, it might also increase bowel movements and pooping frequency.
Activity Levels
Regularly taking your dog for walks improves their digestion. Conversely, a dog that doesn’t exercise might slower its bowel movements and might not go to the bathroom as much as they need.
In general, most adult dogs will poop one or two times per day. Some dogs may also do their business three times per day. However, take note of this; any more than four times pooping could indicate an underlying issue.
Note if your dog poops too many times or doesn’t poop regularly. This could be a sign of digestive issues, from intestinal tract problems to viral or bacterial infections with neurological consequences.
Indeed, consistent and healthy bowel movements are essential for a dog’s internal health and overall quality of life. To ensure your dog is defecating properly, it’s important to monitor their poop quality and frequency regularly.
How Long Can a Dog Go Without Pooping?
You might get a little confused here. A puppy might go to the bathroom as much as five times a day, but adult dogs might only poop once a day and sometimes after a couple of days. However, a prolonged time without pooping, which means exceeding three or more days, might signal a health problem.
Have you ever had surgery and had a hard time going to the bathroom? Your dog may experience the same occurrence and have constipation after having surgery. You will notice some progression after a few days. Also, some medications might make your dog feel sleepy, and some organs might be sluggish as well, making the gastrointestinal tract slow.
How to Deal With Dog Constipation?
Dealing with your dog’s constipation is quite easy in most cases. The answer is, “Take your dog for a walk.” Yes, walking your dog or helping them have a physical activity that will stimulate their organs and return your dog pooping back to normal.
How to Deal With Dog Diarrhea?
There are various factors that could cause diarrhea in a dog. Sometimes diarrhea occurs as an effect of a neurological disorder. To exemplify, here we use a complicated clinical term, “Myasthenia gravis.” Nerves in the anal sphincter no longer transmit signals to the brain, and this causes bowel incontinence and diarrhea in your furry friend. Unfortunately, other neurological disorders like a spine tumor can cause diarrhea or cause your dog to defecate while walking or even sleeping.
The first thing to do to deal with diarrhea in your dog is to have a lot of patience. You must understand your friend can’t control it. Then the most important thing is contacting Dr. Gorgi at Brightcare Animal Neurology Hospital to define the cause of incontinence. A neurological cause like a tumor or paralysis might require a lot of tolerance and help for your canine friend. Other causes might be more manageable and easier to handle and solve.
What Can Make Your Dog’s Poop Change?
You might remember we explained one little thing to do to care for your furry friend is to check your dog’s poop consistency. Now, it’s time to tell you why poops consistency changes and their reasons.
Watery Poo
A watery poo might be disgusting because you can’t pick it up, and, in some cases, you will have to clean it. So, in some cases, to avoid this, you might need to observe any changes in the food that might be producing diarrhea. Dogs might not adapt rapidly to changes in their diet. Here you can try feeding your dog a mix of new and old food and observe any changes. If deposition starts to improve, you might want to add more of the new food gradually and slowly.
Some other reasons that cause diarrhea in your dog might include the following:
- Water that is not suitable for consumption.
- Stress due to changes in their environment, like having a new family or a new dog coming to share space.
- Infections and medications.
An optimum approach for dog parents is to wait for a couple to three depositions and observe any changes. If, after assessing the poop’s consistency, it doesn’t vary, call your vet immediately.
Soft At Picking Stool
This one has a lot to do with dietary changes. First, it is important for parents to take their dogs to the vet and get recommendations concerning diet changes according to transitions in their age occur. Along your dog’s life span, they will need foods to balance their nutrition requirements.
Hard Like Little Stones
Hard poop is something you must observe carefully in your dog. A hard stool predominantly means your dog is dehydrated and needs water. Another reason for constipation refers to the kibbles having too much dietary fiber, making them dry. Finally, and most importantly, if none of the mentioned causes apply to your pet, try checking with a vet. Your dog might have a foreign object in the intestines causing these hard stools.
Lots and Lots of Poop
There are some processed kibbles containing too many carbohydrates or fibers. Your dog’s body absorbs only those nutrients they need and will defecate the excess carbohydrates. So, checking the food composition is essential to avoid obesity in your dog from poor food quality.
Stinky Poop
If you are feeding your dog with kibbles all the time, try some cooked foods for some meals and note the difference in the poop smell. Processed foods are sometimes harder to absorb and pass as poop instead of being fully metabolized, which makes them stinkier.
Bile Mucous Poop
This is a preoccupying situation in some circumstances. Mucosity on the poop might reveal your dog has some parasites or parvovirus. Occasionally, mucosity might also derive from gastrointestinal inflammation.
Pet parents might adopt a wait-and-see approach and observe the next two to three depositions. In some cases, as your dog evacuates, the mucous might also disappear after the third defecation. However, if this does not occur, call your vet for assistance.
Bloody Poop
Keep calm and remember seeing blood might be something occasional, but proper observation might help you determine if there is something to be concerned about.
First, your dog might have had a hard stool that could have caused a little bleeding to occur. Also, your dog might have parasites that could be causing intestinal lacerations. In any of both cases, we recommend you check if bleeding persists after the third deposition. If so, then immediately take your pet to the vet.
A more acute observation will help a specialist determine if the cause of the bleeding might be an ulcer or a tumor.
Dietary Changes
Just as humans have evolved for thousands of years, adapting to changing environmental conditions and improving our life quality, our furry companions did similarly by learning from some of our habits and getting accustomed to the comforts their human parents gave.
Also, both humans and dogs are omnivores which means our diets must comprise a balanced mix of meats and plants in the form of vegetables. A study revealed modern dogs’ diet requirements include plant-based nutrients and animal-origin proteins.
These are some of the nutrients of a balanced diet for your dog must include:
- Proteins.
- Carbohydrates.
- Fats.
- Vitamins.
- Minerals.
- Water.
Your dog’s nutrition should not include raw foods only. In fact, as we previously mentioned, the intestinal tract of modern dogs benefits from cooked foods preventing bacterial infections.
Use this information as a guide for dietary changes in your dog and consult with your canine’s vet about a scheduled diet according to your dog’s age.
Dog Neurologist in Mission Viejo
What causes sudden neurological issues in a dog? You might remember we’ve mentioned spine tumors or conditions like “Myasthenia gravis,” where nerves stop transmitting data to the brain, which can deteriorate your dog’s condition.
Neurological conditions impact other functional areas, including the gastrointestinal tract producing unexpected events like uncontrollable diarrhea episodes. Neurological issues in dogs must be taken seriously and professionally addressed in time.
Take some mental notes from this discussion and observe that neurological symptoms in dogs might reveal the need to schedule an appointment with a specialist. So, if you notice your canine friend having some difficulties that manifest, among many, with changes in its pooping frequency and consistency, schedule an appointment at Brightcare Animal Neurology the soonest as possible.
