# Diagnosis: Poop



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

One of the reasons why I love reading this forum is learning how to diagnose different nutritional/feeding issues from a dog's poop. While I learned early on not to get too concerned when Mia's poop is off, it took me a lot longer to understand that poops that start hard but end soft can be a sign of overfeeding, and poops with an egg-white-like mucous are normal in transitioning dogs and are a sign of increasing intestinal health.

I spoke (corresponded?) with Natalie about gathering this information for her PMR site. She thinks it's a great idea (reading between the lines), but we need to add more to the list.

So, here's my question: what nutritional or food issues can you diagnose from your dog's poop? Or your dog's vomit? (E.g. vomit is yellow like an egg yolk = overfeeding; vomit is foamy = hunger pukes.) Or other behavior? (E.g. if a dog gets itchy after eating chicken, it might be an omega-6 imbalance; try cutting off some of the skin and/or adding omega-3 supplements.)


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## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

Interesting subject! And we all love to talk about poop here! :smile: 

Some things I have figured out by studying poop!

*Dark poop usually indicates that they've eaten red meat or had organ
*Yellow/light brown poop usually indicates they've had chicken or turkey
*A somewhat formed but somewhat soft poop usually indicates that I need to add bone to their next meal...they usually have this type of poop after a large boneless meal


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

What about if they have a fantastic poop (75 on that scale on the other thread) and you say YAY! and then 30 minutes later they have diarrhea? And no meal in between?


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

xellil said:


> What about if they have a fantastic poop (75 on that scale on the other thread) and you say YAY! and then 30 minutes later they have diarrhea? And no meal in between?


Usually indicates overfeeding....

ETA: I'd like to make this a blog post....so the more details the better!


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Usually indicates overfeeding....
> 
> ETA: I'd like to make this a blog post....so the more details the better!


Tobi has this every once in a while at the dog park, usually a nice one then after 15-20 min of running around a small squishy one. i usually chalked it up to running around etc. same thing or diff?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Don't forget the info on the chalky poop, not sure exactly how it's worded but I am aiming for poop that crumbles and turns white within a day.

rebel often has some diarrhea at the dog park - i think it's excitement, although there are alot of folks there who say it's "marking" and I don't really believe that. I could be proven wrong, but I don't think a dog marks like that with poo. He sure doesn't do that to mark OUR yard.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

A lot of people freak out when they see mucous in a BM. Mucous is a good thing, it means the intestines are doing their job to protect their lining from irritation. Mucous is usually seen in the transition phase to raw because a dog's gut isn't used to whole, raw, fresh foods. This doesn't mean one should panic if mucous is seen even years after the switch, it just means there is slight irritation to the bowels. 

Feeding eggs, ripe/passed date meat can produce gas and smellier poos than feeding fresher foods. This isn't a reason NOT to feed past due meat unless you can't handle the smell! 

Blood. This freaks most people out big time. Blood present is not something to worry about unless it's pouring out (ie hemorrhagic colitis). Usually people notice blood with really runny and even mucousy poos. This is just further indicator that your dog's guts aren't the happiest, or a minor case of colitis. Very rarely are meds actually needed for this. Just feed a bland raw diet of bone heavy chicken meals for several days after fasting the dog 12-24 hours. 

The darker the poo the richer the meal (red meats and organs)

The lighter the meal the blender the meal (chicken, turkey fish)


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Tobi said:


> Tobi has this every once in a while at the dog park, usually a nice one then after 15-20 min of running around a small squishy one. i usually chalked it up to running around etc. same thing or diff?


My reply was specifically to her context not specifying exercise between the BMs. But yes dogs do get looser stools the more exercise they get due to peristalsis (unconscious movement of the intestines). Heavy activity or play can trigger increased peristalsis.


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## Northwoods10 (Nov 22, 2010)

Tobi said:


> Tobi has this every once in a while at the dog park, usually a nice one then after 15-20 min of running around a small squishy one. i usually chalked it up to running around etc. same thing or diff?


Ours are the same....we call that an "exercise poop" at our house! :laugh:


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## Lisa_j (Apr 7, 2011)

The dark brown/black tarry poops are from to much organ here. Looks and smells like a GI bleed when it happens. When we first started feeding raw, I worried when this happened but found it was the norm for to much organ at once. Pale whitish chalkie or charcoal like is to much bone.


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