Is Your Dog’s Poop Normal? 5 Signs It’s Not

Have some questions about your dog's poop? You're in the right place. I'm Dr. Gabrielle Fadl and this is Tory. It's no one's favorite topic, but your dog's poop can say a lot about their overall health. Some things to look out for are irregular stools, like blood in the stool, loose stools, mucus in the stool, or painful defecation. Basically, you want to look out for changes in color, content, or consistency. Normal stools should be light or dark brown, should be firm, but not too firm, and should be the same on the outside that it is on the inside. Make sure that you're not seeing any worms. A lot of things can cause changes in your dog's stool consistency. Changes in their diet, parasitic infections, or eating something that they shouldn't have, like getting into the garbage. Signs of unhealthy stool include diarrhea, mucus, blood, worms, or any foreign material. Sometimes dark or tar stools can also be a sign of a bigger issue. If your pet has one or two episodes of abnormal stool, you can try feeding them a bland diet for a meal or two. However, if it's happening more frequently or is accompanied by any other signs like vomiting or not eating, it's best to have your pet evaluated. Probiotic supplements are also a great idea. These can be used shortterm for diarrhea that's happening for a short period of time or in dogs that tend to have a sensitive stomach where they're experiencing soft stool or diarrhea frequently. Once your dog's stool is normal, here's a couple things you can do to keep it that way. Trying to keep their diet as consistent as possible. I would also avoid changing their food too suddenly. So, doing so over 5 to sometimes 7 days to avoid any diarrhea or soft stool related to the diet change. Lastly, avoiding too many treats can help keep diarrhea under control. Thank you so much for watching. I hope it's been helpful. We'll see you next time.