Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker
As a dog walker in San Francisco, it’s clear I have a passion for dogs, but that passion extends beyond socializing them or helping them release their energy. I also have a passion for ensuring dog owners are equipped with the knowledge they need to keep their dog happy and healthy well into their senior years. Though it isn’t a glamorous topic, dog poop is a massively important to ensuring your dog’s health. Your dog’s poop talks to you far more than your dog can.
As an important reference point, you need to have an awareness of your dog’s typical poop. A healthy dog poop is decently firm and a bit moist. Once you understand the look and frequency of your dog’s typical poop, consistently monitoring your dog’s poop for irregularities becomes much easier. Here are three reasons checking your dog’s poop is so important to their health:
- Early signs of illness first present themselves in your dog’s poop. The way those signs present themselves can vary, depending on the ailment, but their poop is one of the first places the issue will appear. As a more dramatic example, your dog could have worms in their poop. That is certainly terrifying to see (occasionally looks like rice in their poop), but actually quite common, especially with puppies. Another signal of a potential illness is black, tar-like poop – a sign of potential internal bleeding in their stomach or small intestine. Both of those types of stool are cause for a trip to the vet immediately.
- Changes in your dog’s poop could be a signal they are experiencing anxiety. If your dog suddenly starts experiencing diarrhea, that may mean they are dealing with anxiety that was triggered by something new in their environment. Sometimes the cause can be something like a move, which may just take time to adjust, while other times, you may be able to remove the trigger from their environment. Either way, if you notice your dog is dealing with frequent diarrhea, you should be sure to keep them hydrated. Additionally, if the problem persists for more than 24-48 hours, it’s worth a call to your vet.
- Food issues or allergies appear in your pooch’s poop. Though the signals can vary, if there is something wrong with your dog’s diet, their poop is the first place you’ll notice the issue. As an example, if your dog’s poop is white or gray in color, that could mean they are getting too much calcium in their diet. If their poop is greasy, you may need to cut back on the coconut oil. Yellow poop is a sign of too much fat in their diet, while diarrhea after a diet change could mean your dog has a food allergy.
Every color, texture, and frequency change in your dog’s poop means something different. Being able to spot those changes is massively important to maintaining your dog’s health. Some issues can be monitored for a couple of days at home, while others signal an immediate vet visit. Regardless of the issue, spotting it early is always essential to keeping your pooch healthy and happy.
Now equipped with three reasons monitoring your dog’s poop is so important, it’s time to start examining your pooch’s #2!
Reference Links:
https://noochypoochy.com/what-dog-poop-is-telling-you/
https://torontodogwalking.com/monitoring-dogs-poop-important/
