What should a good dog poo look like?
Share
Rufus had a couple of terrible poos last week. The sort where a poo bag isn't really up to the job and I found myself wishing I'd brought a bucket and shovel instead. We also knew pretty much immediately what had caused them; we'd been rather too generous with the treats.
As unpleasant as the subject might be, that's one of the useful things about dog poo. We pick it up every day, which means we become very familiar with what's normal for our dogs and tend to notice straight away when something changes. It’s actually a useful early indicator when something might be wrong.
But while we're all pretty good at recognising a bad poo, what should a good one actually look like?
The sausage test
There are veterinary stool scoring charts that classify dog poo according to its consistency, but we've got a slightly less scientific description that's probably easier to remember.
Sorry for the unsavoury analogy but a good dog poo should be roughly the firmness of an uncooked sausage. It should be brown (like a cooked sausage, sorry) , well formed and hold its shape when you pick it up, while still having a little give when pressed through the poo bag.
It shouldn't be so dry and hard that it comes out as small pellets or crumbles, or so soft that it loses its shape and leaves half of itself behind on the pavement. In other words, you should be able to pick it up easily and cleanly. If you need a shovel or a hose, you're some distance from ideal.
Get to know what's normal for your dog
Consistency is probably the first thing we notice, but it's worth paying attention to colour, quantity and frequency too.
Healthy dog poo is generally some shade of brown, although exactly what it looks like can vary depending on what your dog eats. How often dogs poo and how much they produce can also vary, which is why knowing what's normal for your dog is useful.
An occasional change doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong. A different food, an unusually rich treat, stress or simply eating something they shouldn't can all result in the occasional dodgy poo. Rufus's recent experience is a good example.
There are some changes you shouldn't simply wait out, however. If you see blood in your dog's poo, contact your vet for advice. Black or tarry poo can also contain digested blood and should be checked by a vet. Persistent diarrhoea or constipation, unusually pale stools, large amounts of mucus or visible worms are also reasons to seek veterinary advice, particularly if your dog is vomiting, lethargic, seems in pain or has lost their appetite.
What goes in affects what comes out
Perhaps unsurprisingly, what we feed our dogs has a big influence on what eventually ends up in the poo bag.
Fibre is particularly important. Different types of dietary fibre can help regulate how food moves through the gut, influence the amount of water in the stool and provide food for some of the beneficial bacteria living in the digestive system.
That's one of the reasons we're big fans of whole-food sources of fibre. Pumpkin is naturally rich in fibre and can help support healthy digestion and stool consistency, while broccoli provides fibre alongside a wide range of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory plant compounds.
Both are included in The Veggie One, alongside reishi and lion's mane mushrooms. We created the blend to add a broader variety of whole-food ingredients to a dog's existing diet, with particular emphasis on supporting gut health and helping to fight inflammation.
Hydration matters too. Water is essential to healthy digestion and helps prevent stools becoming excessively hard and dry. And, as we discovered with Rufus, quantity and consistency matter. Suddenly introducing unfamiliar foods, rich extras or simply piling on too many treats can upset an otherwise perfectly happy digestive system.
The gut is also home to an enormous community of bacteria and other microorganisms, collectively known as the gut microbiome. These microorganisms are involved in digestion and interact with the immune system, while what a dog eats can influence the community living there.
It's one of the reasons we believe in adding a variety of whole-food ingredients to our dogs' diets. We tend to think about the benefits of a good diet through things we see over time, such as their coat, weight, energy and general health. Their poo gives us a much more immediate clue about what's happening in their digestive system.
Pay attention to the poo
Nobody needs to conduct a forensic examination every time their dog goes to the toilet. But it is worth knowing what their normal poo looks like.
It's one of the few clues our dogs give us every single day about what's happening inside them, and knowing what's normal makes it much easier to spot when something changes. And if you're still wondering what you're aiming for, just remember: brown, formed, easy to pick up and about as firm as an uncooked sausage. It's not glamorous, but it's useful.
