#it's most likely a simple case of (hard to diagnose) intestinal parasites

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Heaven 4ur Pet Pennsylvania

Handling your pet’s illness and      infections

Introduction

As a pet owner, dealing with a sickness that affects your pet is one situation that you might one day find yourself in.Pets can contract a myriad of diseases and infect you or your loved ones inadvertently. Therefore, there is a need for pet owners to be in the know as far as contagious diseases are and their respective signs. In this article, we will discuss these issues, with the focus trained on Cats, and Dogs. These two creatures form the bulk of pets in US households and will be at the center of discussion.

Warning signs

Simple behavioral changes such as lethargy, low appetite, or aggression can give early signs.  Your pet might appear to be ailing. Humans have evolved to gauge the health of others through simple observation. Other symptoms are more visceral and physical. Some common ones are: ● Abrupt weight loss ● Runny nose and eyes ● Fever ● Excess thirst or urination ● Diarrhea ● Difficulty urination ● Vomiting ● Blood in urine or feces ● Itchy skin ● Hair loss ● Coughing If you notice any of this on our pet, you should rush to the vet immediately. Pet to human infection

Dogs and cats are at risk of being infected with a wide range of diseases.  A large percent of these diseases are exclusive to their species, or family, but some can be passed onto the man.  Even though pets are important in our daily lives, our health is of priority.

You should consider the age and general health of your family members before getting a pet.  If one of your family members has a health history such as a poor immune system or cancer, you should not have pets near them.  They are at risk of catching serious diseases that spread from the pets to them. The diseases are discussed below;

Campylobacter infection

This is a disease that is spread through bacteria that is known as Campylobacter jejuni.  The bacteria is thought to be within the intestinal tracts of the pet or even a few farm animals.  It can be spread to people that contact contaminated water, waste, and ill-prepared meat and milk. The disease will lead to them having symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and high body temperatures.  More than two million of these illnesses occur in America only.  It can be controlled using antibiotics.

Rabies

This fatal RNA virus is spread by cats and dogs.  Other animals, like bats, foxes, and skunks might also spread the disease.  Humans who get bitten, scratched, or licked by animals that are infected may catch the disease.  The virus affects the nervous system, making the victim fear light and water. By the time these symptoms appear, the disease becomes fatal.  Treatment can be done immediately when one gets attacked by an infected animal.  Infected pets, tend to be aggressive, fearful, and drool persistently.

The two types of rabies include: ● Encephalitic rabies: The patient becomes hyperactive, aggressive, and hydrophobic. ● Paralytic rabies: The patient falls into paralysis. More than 75% of rabies cases in humans are of the first case.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever This is a disease that is spread by ticks that are infected with Rickettsia ricketsii bacteria.  These ticks are found in dogs, they lead to pain in the muscles, chills, headaches, fever, and rash. The rash afflicts your palms, ankles, wrists, shoulders, and trunk.

Ringworm

Fungi residing on the ground or on the skin of man and animals is responsible for this disease. One can contract this parasite by touching the infected skin of their pets. This causes affected skin to become dry, flaky, and red or swollen.

Cat scratch disease

This is caused by the Bartonellahenselae bacteria. Bites and scratches by an infected cat can land you this disease. Symptoms include swelling of the lymph nodes, headaches, fever, and tiredness.  Doctors may prescribe antibiotics if you have this disease but in most cases, it eases without any medication.

Toxoplasmosis

This is spread by a parasite called Toxoplasmosis Gondii.  You can contract this disease when they contact the waste of a cat. This disease causes muscle pain, fever, swollen glands, sore throat, and rash. It is particularly malignant to pregnant women, and their fetuses.  Children may be born blind and other serious ailments. It might even cause premature death or miscarriage.

Besides these diseases, bites from cats or dogs can cause infection and bleeding.  A bite from a cat is more serious considering their greater depth. For these reasons, pet owners should take adequate measures such as vaccination, cleanliness, and pet hygiene.

Psychologically coping with pet illness

Seeing your pets hurting due to sickness is not easy. It is important to psychologically steel oneself throughout the ordeal. Do not place guilt on yourself. Guilt is counterproductive and generally misplaced. Don’t torment yourself if you forget to give your pet medication one day. Let go of perfection.  It’s tempting to try every medication and therapy for your pet.  However, this is often not viable due to financial and time constraints.

Ask around for help, and plan for your next action.  Don’t be negatively affected by the condition of the pet.  Avoid being stressed, and take care of yourself. Enjoy your pet, don’t let their illness overshadow the good times you’ve spent.

Caring for a sick pet

Follow the instructions and prescriptions given by your vet to the latter. Keep the pet in a quiet environment.  Don’t let it play with the kids at that time. Ideally, isolate them in a separate room of your house. Let everybody in the household be aware of the dietary needs of the pet. Otherwise, they may unwittingly sabotage your pet’s recovery.  Give your pet all the physical attention it needs. It may just be thirsty or need to urinate.

Finding care providers

If you notice any of the above illnesses in your pets, don’t hesitate to take them to the vet. Make sure the vet is accredited with the AAHA, and the clinic is equipped to diagnose the illness.

Conclusion

Above all, stay psychologically strong during these trying times, and follow the advice of your vet.  And, never ignore the infection that pets spread to humans, and take the needed measures.

Emergency vet services

Emergency vet services, animal hospital, pet treatments and vaccines, pet fracture and wound management, veterinary surgery and behavior therapy are all services that we currently offer. While we service the York area, we also service the following counties York County, Adams County, and Lancaster County. We work hard feverishly to save your pet. We help pets with fractured bones and offer pet diagnosis with treatment plans. Veterinary surgery is our specialty too.

Name: Heaven 4ur Pet Pennsylvania Address: 706 E King St, York, PA 17403, United States Phone: (717) 229-7419 Website: https://heaven-4ur-pet.com/areas-served/pennsylvania/york/

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Dog upset stomach: learn how you can help your dog when needed

Since dogs can’t talk, they are often unable to communicate to their owners that they’re sick. Sometimes your dog’s symptoms can make you think the condition he has is a lot more serious than it is. In terms of upset stomach in dogs, it’s not unlikely that your pet just ate something not meant for canines, such as contaminated grass, and that his symptoms will naturally resolve within 24 hours.

Just about everyone knows what it’s like to suffer from short-term gastronomical issues that seemingly come out of nowhere and our canine friend is no different. That said, there’s no harm in striving to keep your dog’s digestive system in the best condition possible, and do to so, many vets will recommend administering a daily canine digestive supplement.

If you are wondering what you can give your dog to soothe his upset stomach, read on. In this blog post, we outline some of the causes and signs of upset stomach in dogs, as well as some of the most effective at-home remedies.

What causes a dog to have an upset stomach?

The truth is that there can be many contributing factors to a dog’s upset stomach. In many cases, such a condition can be an early warning sign of more serious medical issues. That said, there are some very effective remedies out there to help alleviate some of your dog’s symptoms.

Acid reflux is perhaps one of the most widespread causes of stomach issues among dogs. Technically referred to as Gastroesophageal reflux disease, the condition occurs when strong digestive acids in the stomach somehow transgress the barrier linking the stomach to the esophageal pipe.

During a reflux episode, it not uncommon to hear gurgling noises coming from your dog as his digestive system seeks to expel the acid from the esophageal passage. Contrarily, it’s rare for vomiting to occur as acid reflux symptoms are typically confined to the esophagus. However, the lack of regurgitation does not mean that you won’t see other symptoms from your dog that signify he might be experiencing stomach pain and other gastrointestinal issues.

Here are some common symptoms of canine acid reflux:

Dramatic weight loss

Throwing up mucus

Suppressed appetite

Excess drooling

Chocking while eating or after a meal

Taking lots of breaks while consuming a full serving

The good news is that there are many effective treatments for acid reflux. In fact, it can often be resolved with a simple change in diet alongside some mild prescription antacids as needed. Feeding your dog food with low acidity ratings, eliminating foods containing processes fats, and severing up smaller portions throughout the day, can all go a long way to mitigating acid reflux.

At-home remedies

One of the best remedies to combat acid reflux is to put your dog on a bland food diet. Pet nutritionists and vets around the world recommend feeding dogs with upset stomach issues a bland diet consisting of things like rice and boiled chicken.

A low-fat diet that comprises of limited simple sugars is the easiest on the stomach. Consequently, the stomach stops producing excessive quantities of digestive acids, and acid reflux flare-ups are reduced.

An upset stomach can also be frequently caused by indigestion. This condition is the result of dogs consuming large quantities of foods that are not easily digested. Indigestion can cause nausea and heartburn.

Unlike sickness and diarrhea, nausea is difficult to diagnose in dogs, but gagging or dry heaving are common signs. Foods that can’t be digested cause the stomach to produce excess acid which results in acid reflux.

Indigestion symptoms

If the stomach contains too much acid, canine indigestion is inevitable as the gastric system seeks to alleviate some of the pressure into the esophageal tract. Dog’s suffering from indigestion offer experience gas pain, regurgitation, diarrhea, and bloating.

The best foods for dogs suffering from upset stomach

Arguably one of the best preventative treatments for doggy indigestion is canine probiotic chews. If you are looking for a quick at-home treatment, simply add a spoonful of unflavored Greek yogurt to your dog’s food.

Probiotics are essential for healthy gut health and they can help to prevent bacterial infections and viruses taking hold in your dog’s digestive tract. Furthermore, there are some studies showing that probiotics can increase energy levels and boost cognitive function, helping to alleviate many upset stomach symptoms, such as lethargy and foggy thinking.

Gastritis refers to inflammation conditions within the stomach. One of the key causes of stomach problems in dogs is their consumption items not designed for canines. Besides foreign objects, like Lego bricks, many foods can cause upset stomach symptoms in dogs such as nuts, milk, spoiled dishes, and more.

Upset stomach symptoms

In some cases, dog gastritis can be a one-off short term incident. However, in many cases, the condition can be a symptom of more serious digestive problems. Similar to most stomach issues, dog gastritis is commonly accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, decreased appetite, and gas.

How can I help my dog?

A great at-home remedy for gastritis in dogs is ice cubes and ginger. Feeding your dog ice cubes often instantly settles his stomach as the cooling effects of the cubes are anti-inflammatory in nature. Furthermore, ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory agent that can help to mitigate bloating.

The main reason why treating excess stomach acid in the early stages is so important is that over the long term it can cause painful stomach ulcers in dogs. Ulcers occur when the excess acid has time to start eroding the stomach lining. Paining sores develop and the compromised stomach tissue becomes extra sensitive.

Why does my dog have stomach ulcers?

In most cases, stomach ulcers are the result of a bacterial infection or excessive medication use. Ulcers can also become aggravated when preexisting digestive issues, such as regular acid reflux, are thrown into the mix.

What are the symptoms of canine stomach ulcers?

Hard dark stools accompanied by bloody vomit are common signs of stomach ulcers. That said, sometimes symptoms are less obvious, such as unexplained weight loss, avoidance of food, and increased lethargy.

Canine stomach ulcer treatments

Dogs with stomach ulcers often avoid many foods as they learn that the intake of food exacerbates the pain.

It will typically take around 8 weeks to treat stomach ulcers in dogs, but in some cases, curing the ulcers may not be possible and pain management becomes the treatment protocol. In most cases, a dog with stomach ulcers will be prescribed painkillers and antibiotics until the stomach tissue has healed.

During that course of medication, however, your dog will probably still avoid food. Canned pumpkin often becomes a staple for dog owners concerned about their pets losing too much weight while stomach ulcers are healing. Pumpkin has a low-glycemic value, which means it doesn’t aggravate stomach lining abscesses. What’s more, most dogs like the taste of the food and welcome it as a savory treat.

Parasites & viruses

Just like humans can pick up viruses like the flu and stomach bugs, dogs can also pick up infectious diseases. Viruses are relatively common among dogs, but some virus strains have the potential to cause serious stomach issues. In addition, parasites can become unwelcomed guests in your dog’s digestive system and lead to gastrointestinal problems.

Your dog can easily pick up parasites or viruses if they ingest items contaminated with fecal matter while outside. While there are other ways your dog can be introduced to such pathogens, such as eating spoiled food, it’s more likely that your dog acquired the infectious agent while outside.

What is the function of viruses and parasites?

One of the most common dog viruses is parvovirus and mainstream vets typically insist that all the dogs they see are vaccinated against the said virus. The reason parvovirus is so dangerous is that it attacks a dog’s small intestine. And, by doing so, it’s able to enter the bloodstream and eventually target bone marrow and white blood cells.

When it comes to parasites, dogs are most likely to be affected by worms. Both tapeworms and roundworms find their home in the intestines of dogs where they absorb all the nutrients in the food your pet intakes, robbing him of vitality. Parasitic worms can cause weight loss, dehydration, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and in server cases, neurological problems.

Signs to look for

When it comes to both parasitic worms and parvovirus, looking at your dog’s stools can often give you all the information you need. If your dog has bloody diarrhea, this could be an early warning sign that your pet is infected with parvovirus and requires veterinary treatment. The good news is that the virus is easy to treat as long as it is caught early.

When it comes to worms, you will often be able to see visible evidence in your dog’s stools. However, some worms are small and other times stools only contain microscopic eggs, so it’s always worth sending a stool sample to a lab for analysis. Fortunately, most worm infections can be easily treated.

Dehydration can cause a wide range of illnesses and can be a major stumbling block when it comes to treating viral infections and combating parasite. So, we advise you to give your dog Pedialyte. The supplement is basically like a Lucozade or an electrolyte drink for dogs and it can work wonders. Some dogs might not like the flavor or be too ill to drink it unaided, so you may need to administer Pedialyte via a syringe. If you want a natural alternative, bone broth works a treat as long as you add enough salt.

Now that you are more informed about some of the key causes of stomach issues in dogs, here are 9 simple tips to help you help your canine if he is suffering from an upset stomach:

1. Seek first to identify the main source of the stomach problem. While detection work is not always easy, doing it will ensure that you give your dog the best treatment. Think back, is it possible your dog got excited and ate something he wasn’t supposed to?

2. Get dog food out of the equation. Once your dog has stomach problems, give him water only and slowly reintroduce food as his stomach begins to regain control.

3. Monitor your dog’s condition. Keeping an eye on the situation is key. Look for any signs of further deterioration. Initial distress signs aren’t always a cause for concern, but if your pet’s condition worsens, don’t hesitate to take further immediate action.

4. Never put off a vet’s visit. The moment you see that your dog’s condition is getting worse or failing to improve, it’s time to take him to your vet. At the clinic, his condition will be professionally diagnosed and you may be able to get your hands on some essential medications that are not available without a prescription.

5. If your dog has been prescribed any medication, be sure to strictly follow all the instructions. If you deviate from the treatment plan laid out by your vet, you risk prolonging your dog’s suffering.

6. Get your dog onto a bland food diet. Canned pumpkin, rice, and boiled chicken are stable foods for a sick dog. Be sure not to overdo the quantities.

7. As your dog’s condition improves, slowly reintroduce more foods. Don’t just give him a full bowl of commercial dog kibble the moment he looks better. You need to slowly wean him off the bland diet to avoid causing further stomach distress.

8. Shower your dog with love and allow him to have as much rest as needed. When your pet is sick, don’t try to engage him. Instead, let him rest, relax, and heal. As soon as he’s better, he’ll be full of energy, so don’t try to rush his recovery.

9. Every dog owner has to deal with a pet suffering from stomach distress at some point, so don’t automatically assume you did anything wrong. There are now lots of effective upset stomach remedies in the marketplace, but, that said, you should always remember that a professional is in a much better position to devise a treatment plan for your beloved pet than yourself. So, don’t ever hesitate to take your sick dog to the vets.

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Food Posioning

Every year, millions of people receive medical treatment for food poisoning. Millions more cases go unnoticed because they are not reported or diagnosed. Basic food poisoning symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. While most people can weather minor food poisoning without permanent harm, it poses a greater risk to groups with risk factors that can make it serious or even fatal. High-risk groups include infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and chronic disease sufferers. Individuals with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable. Some very serious forms of food poisoning, like botulism, can be deadly to anyone. Food poisoning ensues after a person eats something which has been contaminated by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It is also a risk when people eat foods that have been improperly or incompletely prepared or handled incorrectly during the preparation process. Most people can expect to experience food poisoning more than once in the course of their lives. Symptoms to watch out for include diarrhea, vomiting, and cramps. You may experience general weakness or fatigue and possibly have a fever. Food poisoning symptoms generally last for 24 to 48 hours. Food poisoning shares its symptoms with illnesses like 24-hour stomach viruses. Food poisoning often gets mistaken for other conditions because different people respond to food-borne bacteria and other contaminants in different ways. A perfectly enjoyable restaurant meal with your family might have no ill effects on you but leave a relative in agony. Your immune system and its capacity to fight off infection play a large role in determining how serious food poisoning is to you. It’s not a condition to take lightly; even relatively mild cases could have serious health consequences. Fortunately, this common problem is relatively easy to avoid. A few common-sense steps will go a long way toward protecting you and your family from the dangers of food poisoning. Even though America has one of the world’s safest food supplies, the nation still sees approximately 76 million cases of food poisoning every year. This is not hard to understand when you look at the prevalence of potential causes. It’s estimated, for example, that 60 percent (or more) of the raw poultry sold in the United States has some type of potentially-dangerous bacteria. Food poisoning is a distinct possibility for anyone who consumes contaminated foodstuffs. Health conditions, age, and other factors can increase or decrease one’s susceptibility to food poisoning. Pregnant women, the elderly, children, and people with immune deficiencies are the groups of highest concern. Food poisoning is generally brief and non-life-threatening when the sufferer is in good health. The situation is entirely different for people suffering from pre-existing health issues or those in higher risk groups. This is why food poisoning causes roughly 5,000 deaths each year. Obeying a few simple rules in buying, preparing, and handling food will make it much easier to protect your family from food poisoning. Food Poisoning: The Causes Bacteria Over two-thirds of food poisoning cases can be ascribed to the presence of unwanted bacteria. The most common problem germs are Salmonella, Bacillus Cereus, and Staphylococci Clostridia. Virtually all foods, regardless of how carefully they’re prepared, contain some bacteria. The question is just how many bacteria the human immune system can handle. Heavily-contaminated foods are more likely to overwhelm the body and cause a case of food poisoning. There is no hard and fast threshold beyond which food poisoning is inevitable, and individuals in higher-risk groups may succumb to food poisoning eating the exact same food as healthier individuals who experience no symptoms. Viruses Viruses are the simplest creatures on Earth, consisting solely of genetic material in a protective shell. Viruses have to rely on living cells to provide the environment and raw materials they need to reproduce. This means they can’t multiply in food. Viruses are capable of surviving Food Poisoning Symptoms in food and infecting people or creatures that consume it. Though viruses cannot survive the high temperatures used in ordinary cooking, they can still cause food poisoning if you consume raw food or food that comes into contact with an infected individual after being cooked. Chemicals There are many chemical contaminants that can cause food poisoning symptoms, including pesticides, detergents, food additives, sterilizing compounds, packaging, and paraffin. These materials typically only cause food poisoning when they are mixed into food by carelessness food preparation http://firstchoicemedicalclinicnaperville303.bravesites.com at home or in a restaurant or through improper industrial procedures at a food packaging facility. Poisonous Plants Some plants can cause food poisoning symptoms if they are accidentally mixed in with foods (particularly vegetables) intended for human consumption. Examples include hemlock, black nightshade, rhubarb leaves, undercooked red kidney beats, and toadstools (frequently mistaken for edible mushrooms). Most plant toxins are unaffected by the cooking process. Though it is extremely common, food poisoning is an extremely distressing problem at best. In adverse cases, it can even pose a life-threatening danger. After contracting a food-borne infection, individuals can be completely free of symptoms or experience a wide range of problems including (but not limited to) intestinal discomfort, bloody diarrhea, and severe dehydration. The cause of food poisoning is eating food that has been contaminated with harmful organisms or compounds. Germs that can cause food poisoning include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and more. The most common problem foods are chicken, fish, raw meat, and eggs, but food poisoning has been linked to every sort of food imaginable. Food left outdoors, food exposed to open air, or food that has been stored too long all present increased odds of causing food poisoning. One common vector for food poisoning is when food is handled by individuals who don’t take adequate steps to clean their hands prior to preparing it. Most cases of food poisoning are relatively mild, with symptoms resolving themselves in a few days at most. The recovery process is largely a matter of having patience and letting your body’s natural defenses clear away the contagion. Certain forms of food poisoning are more serious and may require professional medical attention. Diarrhea is most often the first symptom of food poisoning you’ll notice. Nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps are also common at the onset of the condition. In certain cases, you may experience a high fever or see blood in your stool. The severity of the symptoms you experience is largely dictated by the exact nature of the contamination in the food you’ve eaten and how healthy you are overall. Many of the symptoms of food poisoning – particularly diarrhea and vomiting – force your body to lose a great deal of fluid. This makes dehydration a serious problem to watch out for. Food poisoning strikes mainly at your stomach and intestines, i.e. your gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea is typically the first symptom to present itself, followed by vomiting, nausea, and cramps in the abdomen. Not every case of food poisoning causes all of these symptoms, and the ones you experience may be more or less severe. Additional symptoms that may accompany food poisoning include numbness, weakness, confusion, and tingling feelings in the extremities (hands, feet, and face). The gastrointestinal symptoms attached to food poisoning are not exclusive to this condition, and you may contract them from organisms that did not enter your body via your food. Personal contact or water contamination may also cause food poisoning symptoms. Parasitic contamination (e.g. with the organism Giardia lamblia) is also spread in this fashion. Whether the organisms affecting you came from your food or from some other source, the symptoms and problems you experience tend to follow the same course. The onset of symptoms typically occurs hours or days after the contaminating organism gets into your body. Most organisms do not begin to cause symptoms until they reach your intestines, attach themselves to the lining, and start to reproduce. Some organisms restrict themselves to living in the intestines, while others introduce toxins to your bloodstream or attack body tissues directly. The precise nature of the symptoms you experience and their severity will depend on just what sort of infection you are suffering from. Similar symptoms (like vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps) can be caused by a very wide range of different organisms. These diverse organisms tend to cause diarrhea and vomiting because these are integral parts of the body’s defense mechanism; it is attempting to purge itself of harmful substances. Identifying the responsible organism in a case of food poisoning is usually difficult or impossible except in cases of major outbreaks. Food Poisoning Risk Factors Pregnancy Youth Old age Immune-system-impairing diseases like diabetes Eating meat, poultry, eggs, fish, or shellfish (clams, scallops, mussels, oysters, etc) raw or undercooked Eating milk, milk products (e.g. soft cheeses), juices, sprouts and other foods which have not been pasteurized Traveling to a developing nation Consuming food that was handled, processed, or prepared in a careless fashion When You Need To See A Doctor: Dehydration: Symptoms of severe dehydration includes passing little or no urine, dry mouth, sunken eyes, fast heartbeat, feelings of dizziness or lightheadedness, and confusion. You suspect botulism after consuming canned food. Symptoms include trouble swallowing or breathing, muscular weakness, and blurred or double vision. You experience severe diarrhea for more than two days. You experience frequent vomiting for more than one day. You experience sudden, severe belly pain. You suspect toxoplasmosis exposure during pregnancy. Any symptoms persist after a full week of home treatment. Contact your local Poison Control Center if you think you’ve eaten contaminated food. You’ll find a suitable number along with the other emergency contacts in your telephone book.

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What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool?

Did you know there are rating systems for the quality and consistency of dog stool? Becoming familiar with the normal consistency, texture and color of dog poop is one way of gauging a dog’s digestive health and recognizing when there might be a problem. There are a couple of different approaches and charts for measuring canine excrement. Popular charts issued by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and Purina describe similar ranges by shape and texture. The Waltham guide has nine categories and the Purina chart has the familiar seven-point scale.

Whether or not you use a scorecard to rate your dog’s dung, being aware of what’s normal for your dog can give you useful information to share with your vet in the event of troubling alterations, such as:

Diarrhea in dogs

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop or other unnatural dog poop colors

Blood in dog stool

Small, hard feces or constipation in dogs 

Let’s look at some of the most common causes of abnormal dog stool!

Diarrhea in dogs

Diarrhea takes a number of forms, from loose stool that emerges long and snake-like to a messy puddle, and falls under two general categories, acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea in dogs is a sudden-onset condition, meaning that there is a rapid transition from solid, well-formed feces. To some extent, regularity is a function of maintaining habits, whether that’s being acclimated to a certain diet or a certain location.

Healthy stool varies in appearance from dog to dog. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

Any abrupt change in a dog’s food can lead to an episode of acute diarrhea. It is recommended that any such change be managed over the course of several days, during which the new food is combined with the old, giving the dog’s digestive system time to adjust. Anxiety can also cause fecal disruptions; a dog who is not prepared or unused to car or air travel may experience short-term diarrhea as a response to stress. In situations where food or motion is the cause, regular consistency should return within a day or two.

When a dog experiences diarrhea on a regular basis over the course of two or more weeks, it is referred to as chronic diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea in dogs may indicate a number of potentially serious health issues, including organ dysfunction, parasites, and infection. Inflammation or irritation of key organs in the digestive tract, such as the liver, pancreas, or the intestines themselves, can cause extended periods of digestive upset. Chronic diarrhea also tends to present with additional symptoms or complications, such as vomiting, fever, weight loss, or abdominal pain.

Accidentally ingesting parasites or infectious agents can lead a dog to develop chronic diarrhea, and both are key reasons to keep your dog’s food and water dishes clean at home, and to pick up after your dog when you’re out in public. One of the most common parasites involved is the single-celled Giardia, which is found where infected feces contaminate and are ingested from a range of items, from grass to drinking water. Among infectious agents, parvovirus in dogs is particularly dangerous to puppies, and largely preventable with standard combo vaccines.

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop and other weird dog stool colors

Since there are so many potential causes of both acute and chronic diarrhea in dogs, it’s worth taking special note of the relative shape or shapelessness of the feces, as well as its content and color. When dogs poop, they’re not only excreting waste products and indigestible parts of food, but also eliminating internal waste. This internal waste includes dead red blood cells, which come out in feces in the form of bilirubin. In the process of digestion and excretion, bilirubin combines with bile, giving dung its typical brown color.

Sudden changes in dog poop color can be alarming. Photography by Joshua Ganderson on Flickr.

Discoloration in dog poop, particularly if the feces is yellow or green, can be caused by a variety of factors. Yellow stools that have a normal consistency and shape may indicate a simple short-term dietary shift. In cases like these, when things move too quickly through the digestive system to allow bilirubin to pass with feces, poop can take the yellowish tint of bile. Yellow poop can also be the result of liver, bile duct, or gallbladder problems. Green stool or dark green diarrhea may be a result of your dog eating too much grass or plant matter, or a result of ingesting a household toxin or rodenticide.

Dog pooping blood

As disconcerting as it can be to see your dog’s poop change colors, it is startling to witness an episode of hematochezia, or bloody dog stool. Here again, there is no easy answer, as the causes can range from eating a foreign object discovered in the litter bin to colon inflammation. The color of the blood can be an important indicator of the approximate area of the affliction; the more vivid the red, the more likely the source of the problem is in or near the colon. Darker, blacker blood indicates that the problem is higher in the digestive tract and has had time to be digested.

The amount of blood in the dog’s stool, as well as the relative consistency of the poop, are key signs in determining a course of action. For instance, a small streak of blood, seen once on an otherwise normally shaped piece of poop, but not afterward, could signify nothing at all. On the other hand, repeated incidents of bloody diarrhea in the course of a single day should certainly warrant a veterinary consultation. The more senior a dog, the more likely the cause is to be tumor-related; the younger the dog, the more likely the source of bleeding is parasitic.

Constipation in dogs

Any general overview of abnormal dog stool should take into account, not only degrees and colors of wet diarrhea, but also the appearance of small, hard poop. Since nearly 75 percent of normal dog poop is water, struggling to defecate, or producing dry stools with great effort, could be a result of dehydration. Dogs can become constipated by swallowing foreign objects, especially bones or hair. These items can also absorb available water and prevent normal poop formation.

If abnormal dog stool lasts more than a day or two, consult a vet. Photography by Shutterstock.

Regular exercise has an impact on normal stool formation and movement through the digestive system, as does a dog’s diet. Dogs who are overfed, or exclusively fed low-quality dry kibble, may be consuming more fiber and filler than their digestive systems can process. The longer a dog excretes dry feces, or none at all, the greater the chance that constipation can turn into obstipation. Obstipation occurs when difficulty defecating causes a logjam in the colon, and unmoved feces itself causes an intestinal blockage.

Is your dog’s poop normal or not?

It might sound unappealing, even repulsive, but regularly observing and cleaning up after your dog’s poop can be both intimate and comforting. The more familiar you are with the typical appearance and texture of your dog’s feces, the more aware you’ll be when it deviates from the norm. I admit to feeling a sense of satisfaction with my dog’s diet and exercise habits, and with myself as a dog owner, when she is in a good rhythm with her pooping.

Should you notice any of these changes in your dog’s feces for more than a day or two, resist the urge to treat your dog with human medications. Before you dose your dog with something as seemingly innocuous as Pepto-Bismol, consult your veterinarian. The more detail you can provide, including when the changes started and how long they’ve persisted, the better equipped your vet will be to diagnose and treat the underlying issue.

Read more about dog poop on Dogster.com:

13 Ways to Pick Up Dog Poop

All About Dog Gastrointestinal Issues — Diarrhea, Vomiting, Constipation and More

How I Taught My Dogs to Help Me Find Their Poop

About the author: Melvin Peña trained as a scholar and teacher of 18th-century British literature before turning his research and writing skills to puppies and kittens. He enjoys making art, hiking, and concert-going, as well as dazzling crowds with operatic karaoke performances. He has a two-year-old female Bluetick Coonhound mix named Baby, and his online life is conveniently encapsulated here.

The post What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool? appeared first on Dogster.

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What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool?

Did you know there are rating systems for the quality and consistency of dog stool? Becoming familiar with the normal consistency, texture and color of dog poop is one way of gauging a dog’s digestive health and recognizing when there might be a problem. There are a couple of different approaches and charts for measuring canine excrement. Popular charts issued by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and Purina describe similar ranges by shape and texture. The Waltham guide has nine categories and the Purina chart has the familiar seven-point scale.

Whether or not you use a scorecard to rate your dog’s dung, being aware of what’s normal for your dog can give you useful information to share with your vet in the event of troubling alterations, such as:

Diarrhea in dogs

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop or other unnatural dog poop colors

Blood in dog stool

Small, hard feces or constipation in dogs 

Let’s look at some of the most common causes of abnormal dog stool!

Diarrhea in dogs

Diarrhea takes a number of forms, from loose stool that emerges long and snake-like to a messy puddle, and falls under two general categories, acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea in dogs is a sudden-onset condition, meaning that there is a rapid transition from solid, well-formed feces. To some extent, regularity is a function of maintaining habits, whether that’s being acclimated to a certain diet or a certain location.

Healthy stool varies in appearance from dog to dog. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

Any abrupt change in a dog’s food can lead to an episode of acute diarrhea. It is recommended that any such change be managed over the course of several days, during which the new food is combined with the old, giving the dog’s digestive system time to adjust. Anxiety can also cause fecal disruptions; a dog who is not prepared or unused to car or air travel may experience short-term diarrhea as a response to stress. In situations where food or motion is the cause, regular consistency should return within a day or two.

When a dog experiences diarrhea on a regular basis over the course of two or more weeks, it is referred to as chronic diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea in dogs may indicate a number of potentially serious health issues, including organ dysfunction, parasites, and infection. Inflammation or irritation of key organs in the digestive tract, such as the liver, pancreas, or the intestines themselves, can cause extended periods of digestive upset. Chronic diarrhea also tends to present with additional symptoms or complications, such as vomiting, fever, weight loss, or abdominal pain.

Accidentally ingesting parasites or infectious agents can lead a dog to develop chronic diarrhea, and both are key reasons to keep your dog’s food and water dishes clean at home, and to pick up after your dog when you’re out in public. One of the most common parasites involved is the single-celled Giardia, which is found where infected feces contaminate and are ingested from a range of items, from grass to drinking water. Among infectious agents, parvovirus in dogs is particularly dangerous to puppies, and largely preventable with standard combo vaccines.

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop and other weird dog stool colors

Since there are so many potential causes of both acute and chronic diarrhea in dogs, it’s worth taking special note of the relative shape or shapelessness of the feces, as well as its content and color. When dogs poop, they’re not only excreting waste products and indigestible parts of food, but also eliminating internal waste. This internal waste includes dead red blood cells, which come out in feces in the form of bilirubin. In the process of digestion and excretion, bilirubin combines with bile, giving dung its typical brown color.

Sudden changes in dog poop color can be alarming. Photography by Joshua Ganderson on Flickr.

Discoloration in dog poop, particularly if the feces is yellow or green, can be caused by a variety of factors. Yellow stools that have a normal consistency and shape may indicate a simple short-term dietary shift. In cases like these, when things move too quickly through the digestive system to allow bilirubin to pass with feces, poop can take the yellowish tint of bile. Yellow poop can also be the result of liver, bile duct, or gallbladder problems. Green stool or dark green diarrhea may be a result of your dog eating too much grass or plant matter, or a result of ingesting a household toxin or rodenticide.

Dog pooping blood

As disconcerting as it can be to see your dog’s poop change colors, it is startling to witness an episode of hematochezia, or bloody dog stool. Here again, there is no easy answer, as the causes can range from eating a foreign object discovered in the litter bin to colon inflammation. The color of the blood can be an important indicator of the approximate area of the affliction; the more vivid the red, the more likely the source of the problem is in or near the colon. Darker, blacker blood indicates that the problem is higher in the digestive tract and has had time to be digested.

The amount of blood in the dog’s stool, as well as the relative consistency of the poop, are key signs in determining a course of action. For instance, a small streak of blood, seen once on an otherwise normally shaped piece of poop, but not afterward, could signify nothing at all. On the other hand, repeated incidents of bloody diarrhea in the course of a single day should certainly warrant a veterinary consultation. The more senior a dog, the more likely the cause is to be tumor-related; the younger the dog, the more likely the source of bleeding is parasitic.

Constipation in dogs

Any general overview of abnormal dog stool should take into account, not only degrees and colors of wet diarrhea, but also the appearance of small, hard poop. Since nearly 75 percent of normal dog poop is water, struggling to defecate, or producing dry stools with great effort, could be a result of dehydration. Dogs can become constipated by swallowing foreign objects, especially bones or hair. These items can also absorb available water and prevent normal poop formation.

If abnormal dog stool lasts more than a day or two, consult a vet. Photography by Shutterstock.

Regular exercise has an impact on normal stool formation and movement through the digestive system, as does a dog’s diet. Dogs who are overfed, or exclusively fed low-quality dry kibble, may be consuming more fiber and filler than their digestive systems can process. The longer a dog excretes dry feces, or none at all, the greater the chance that constipation can turn into obstipation. Obstipation occurs when difficulty defecating causes a logjam in the colon, and unmoved feces itself causes an intestinal blockage.

Is your dog’s poop normal or not?

It might sound unappealing, even repulsive, but regularly observing and cleaning up after your dog’s poop can be both intimate and comforting. The more familiar you are with the typical appearance and texture of your dog’s feces, the more aware you’ll be when it deviates from the norm. I admit to feeling a sense of satisfaction with my dog’s diet and exercise habits, and with myself as a dog owner, when she is in a good rhythm with her pooping.

Should you notice any of these changes in your dog’s feces for more than a day or two, resist the urge to treat your dog with human medications. Before you dose your dog with something as seemingly innocuous as Pepto-Bismol, consult your veterinarian. The more detail you can provide, including when the changes started and how long they’ve persisted, the better equipped your vet will be to diagnose and treat the underlying issue.

Read more about dog poop on Dogster.com:

13 Ways to Pick Up Dog Poop

All About Dog Gastrointestinal Issues — Diarrhea, Vomiting, Constipation and More

How I Taught My Dogs to Help Me Find Their Poop

About the author: Melvin Peña trained as a scholar and teacher of 18th-century British literature before turning his research and writing skills to puppies and kittens. He enjoys making art, hiking, and concert-going, as well as dazzling crowds with operatic karaoke performances. He has a two-year-old female Bluetick Coonhound mix named Baby, and his online life is conveniently encapsulated here.

The post What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool? appeared first on Dogster.

[stiles-wtf]

What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool?

Did you know there are rating systems for the quality and consistency of dog stool? Becoming familiar with the normal consistency, texture and color of dog poop is one way of gauging a dog’s digestive health and recognizing when there might be a problem. There are a couple of different approaches and charts for measuring canine excrement. Popular charts issued by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and Purina describe similar ranges by shape and texture. The Waltham guide has nine categories and the Purina chart has the familiar seven-point scale.

Whether or not you use a scorecard to rate your dog’s dung, being aware of what’s normal for your dog can give you useful information to share with your vet in the event of troubling alterations, such as:

Diarrhea in dogs

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop or other unnatural dog poop colors

Blood in dog stool

Small, hard feces or constipation in dogs 

Let’s look at some of the most common causes of abnormal dog stool!

Diarrhea in dogs

Diarrhea takes a number of forms, from loose stool that emerges long and snake-like to a messy puddle, and falls under two general categories, acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea in dogs is a sudden-onset condition, meaning that there is a rapid transition from solid, well-formed feces. To some extent, regularity is a function of maintaining habits, whether that’s being acclimated to a certain diet or a certain location.

Healthy stool varies in appearance from dog to dog. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

Any abrupt change in a dog’s food can lead to an episode of acute diarrhea. It is recommended that any such change be managed over the course of several days, during which the new food is combined with the old, giving the dog’s digestive system time to adjust. Anxiety can also cause fecal disruptions; a dog who is not prepared or unused to car or air travel may experience short-term diarrhea as a response to stress. In situations where food or motion is the cause, regular consistency should return within a day or two.

When a dog experiences diarrhea on a regular basis over the course of two or more weeks, it is referred to as chronic diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea in dogs may indicate a number of potentially serious health issues, including organ dysfunction, parasites, and infection. Inflammation or irritation of key organs in the digestive tract, such as the liver, pancreas, or the intestines themselves, can cause extended periods of digestive upset. Chronic diarrhea also tends to present with additional symptoms or complications, such as vomiting, fever, weight loss, or abdominal pain.

Accidentally ingesting parasites or infectious agents can lead a dog to develop chronic diarrhea, and both are key reasons to keep your dog’s food and water dishes clean at home, and to pick up after your dog when you’re out in public. One of the most common parasites involved is the single-celled Giardia, which is found where infected feces contaminate and are ingested from a range of items, from grass to drinking water. Among infectious agents, parvovirus in dogs is particularly dangerous to puppies, and largely preventable with standard combo vaccines.

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop and other weird dog stool colors

Since there are so many potential causes of both acute and chronic diarrhea in dogs, it’s worth taking special note of the relative shape or shapelessness of the feces, as well as its content and color. When dogs poop, they’re not only excreting waste products and indigestible parts of food, but also eliminating internal waste. This internal waste includes dead red blood cells, which come out in feces in the form of bilirubin. In the process of digestion and excretion, bilirubin combines with bile, giving dung its typical brown color.

Sudden changes in dog poop color can be alarming. Photography by Joshua Ganderson on Flickr.

Discoloration in dog poop, particularly if the feces is yellow or green, can be caused by a variety of factors. Yellow stools that have a normal consistency and shape may indicate a simple short-term dietary shift. In cases like these, when things move too quickly through the digestive system to allow bilirubin to pass with feces, poop can take the yellowish tint of bile. Yellow poop can also be the result of liver, bile duct, or gallbladder problems. Green stool or dark green diarrhea may be a result of your dog eating too much grass or plant matter, or a result of ingesting a household toxin or rodenticide.

Dog pooping blood

As disconcerting as it can be to see your dog’s poop change colors, it is startling to witness an episode of hematochezia, or bloody dog stool. Here again, there is no easy answer, as the causes can range from eating a foreign object discovered in the litter bin to colon inflammation. The color of the blood can be an important indicator of the approximate area of the affliction; the more vivid the red, the more likely the source of the problem is in or near the colon. Darker, blacker blood indicates that the problem is higher in the digestive tract and has had time to be digested.

The amount of blood in the dog’s stool, as well as the relative consistency of the poop, are key signs in determining a course of action. For instance, a small streak of blood, seen once on an otherwise normally shaped piece of poop, but not afterward, could signify nothing at all. On the other hand, repeated incidents of bloody diarrhea in the course of a single day should certainly warrant a veterinary consultation. The more senior a dog, the more likely the cause is to be tumor-related; the younger the dog, the more likely the source of bleeding is parasitic.

Constipation in dogs

Any general overview of abnormal dog stool should take into account, not only degrees and colors of wet diarrhea, but also the appearance of small, hard poop. Since nearly 75 percent of normal dog poop is water, struggling to defecate, or producing dry stools with great effort, could be a result of dehydration. Dogs can become constipated by swallowing foreign objects, especially bones or hair. These items can also absorb available water and prevent normal poop formation.

If abnormal dog stool lasts more than a day or two, consult a vet. Photography by Shutterstock.

Regular exercise has an impact on normal stool formation and movement through the digestive system, as does a dog’s diet. Dogs who are overfed, or exclusively fed low-quality dry kibble, may be consuming more fiber and filler than their digestive systems can process. The longer a dog excretes dry feces, or none at all, the greater the chance that constipation can turn into obstipation. Obstipation occurs when difficulty defecating causes a logjam in the colon, and unmoved feces itself causes an intestinal blockage.

Is your dog’s poop normal or not?

It might sound unappealing, even repulsive, but regularly observing and cleaning up after your dog’s poop can be both intimate and comforting. The more familiar you are with the typical appearance and texture of your dog’s feces, the more aware you’ll be when it deviates from the norm. I admit to feeling a sense of satisfaction with my dog’s diet and exercise habits, and with myself as a dog owner, when she is in a good rhythm with her pooping.

Should you notice any of these changes in your dog’s feces for more than a day or two, resist the urge to treat your dog with human medications. Before you dose your dog with something as seemingly innocuous as Pepto-Bismol, consult your veterinarian. The more detail you can provide, including when the changes started and how long they’ve persisted, the better equipped your vet will be to diagnose and treat the underlying issue.

Read more about dog poop on Dogster.com:

13 Ways to Pick Up Dog Poop

All About Dog Gastrointestinal Issues — Diarrhea, Vomiting, Constipation and More

How I Taught My Dogs to Help Me Find Their Poop

About the author: Melvin Peña trained as a scholar and teacher of 18th-century British literature before turning his research and writing skills to puppies and kittens. He enjoys making art, hiking, and concert-going, as well as dazzling crowds with operatic karaoke performances. He has a two-year-old female Bluetick Coonhound mix named Baby, and his online life is conveniently encapsulated here.

The post What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool? appeared first on Dogster.

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What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool?

Did you know there are rating systems for the quality and consistency of dog stool? Becoming familiar with the normal consistency, texture and color of dog poop is one way of gauging a dog’s digestive health and recognizing when there might be a problem. There are a couple of different approaches and charts for measuring canine excrement. Popular charts issued by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and Purina describe similar ranges by shape and texture. The Waltham guide has nine categories and the Purina chart has the familiar seven-point scale.

Whether or not you use a scorecard to rate your dog’s dung, being aware of what’s normal for your dog can give you useful information to share with your vet in the event of troubling alterations, such as:

Diarrhea in dogs

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop or other unnatural dog poop colors

Blood in dog stool

Small, hard feces or constipation in dogs 

Let’s look at some of the most common causes of abnormal dog stool!

Diarrhea in dogs

Diarrhea takes a number of forms, from loose stool that emerges long and snake-like to a messy puddle, and falls under two general categories, acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea in dogs is a sudden-onset condition, meaning that there is a rapid transition from solid, well-formed feces. To some extent, regularity is a function of maintaining habits, whether that’s being acclimated to a certain diet or a certain location.

Healthy stool varies in appearance from dog to dog. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

Any abrupt change in a dog’s food can lead to an episode of acute diarrhea. It is recommended that any such change be managed over the course of several days, during which the new food is combined with the old, giving the dog’s digestive system time to adjust. Anxiety can also cause fecal disruptions; a dog who is not prepared or unused to car or air travel may experience short-term diarrhea as a response to stress. In situations where food or motion is the cause, regular consistency should return within a day or two.

When a dog experiences diarrhea on a regular basis over the course of two or more weeks, it is referred to as chronic diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea in dogs may indicate a number of potentially serious health issues, including organ dysfunction, parasites, and infection. Inflammation or irritation of key organs in the digestive tract, such as the liver, pancreas, or the intestines themselves, can cause extended periods of digestive upset. Chronic diarrhea also tends to present with additional symptoms or complications, such as vomiting, fever, weight loss, or abdominal pain.

Accidentally ingesting parasites or infectious agents can lead a dog to develop chronic diarrhea, and both are key reasons to keep your dog’s food and water dishes clean at home, and to pick up after your dog when you’re out in public. One of the most common parasites involved is the single-celled Giardia, which is found where infected feces contaminate and are ingested from a range of items, from grass to drinking water. Among infectious agents, parvovirus in dogs is particularly dangerous to puppies, and largely preventable with standard combo vaccines.

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop and other weird dog stool colors

Since there are so many potential causes of both acute and chronic diarrhea in dogs, it’s worth taking special note of the relative shape or shapelessness of the feces, as well as its content and color. When dogs poop, they’re not only excreting waste products and indigestible parts of food, but also eliminating internal waste. This internal waste includes dead red blood cells, which come out in feces in the form of bilirubin. In the process of digestion and excretion, bilirubin combines with bile, giving dung its typical brown color.

Sudden changes in dog poop color can be alarming. Photography by Joshua Ganderson on Flickr.

Discoloration in dog poop, particularly if the feces is yellow or green, can be caused by a variety of factors. Yellow stools that have a normal consistency and shape may indicate a simple short-term dietary shift. In cases like these, when things move too quickly through the digestive system to allow bilirubin to pass with feces, poop can take the yellowish tint of bile. Yellow poop can also be the result of liver, bile duct, or gallbladder problems. Green stool or dark green diarrhea may be a result of your dog eating too much grass or plant matter, or a result of ingesting a household toxin or rodenticide.

Dog pooping blood

As disconcerting as it can be to see your dog’s poop change colors, it is startling to witness an episode of hematochezia, or bloody dog stool. Here again, there is no easy answer, as the causes can range from eating a foreign object discovered in the litter bin to colon inflammation. The color of the blood can be an important indicator of the approximate area of the affliction; the more vivid the red, the more likely the source of the problem is in or near the colon. Darker, blacker blood indicates that the problem is higher in the digestive tract and has had time to be digested.

The amount of blood in the dog’s stool, as well as the relative consistency of the poop, are key signs in determining a course of action. For instance, a small streak of blood, seen once on an otherwise normally shaped piece of poop, but not afterward, could signify nothing at all. On the other hand, repeated incidents of bloody diarrhea in the course of a single day should certainly warrant a veterinary consultation. The more senior a dog, the more likely the cause is to be tumor-related; the younger the dog, the more likely the source of bleeding is parasitic.

Constipation in dogs

Any general overview of abnormal dog stool should take into account, not only degrees and colors of wet diarrhea, but also the appearance of small, hard poop. Since nearly 75 percent of normal dog poop is water, struggling to defecate, or producing dry stools with great effort, could be a result of dehydration. Dogs can become constipated by swallowing foreign objects, especially bones or hair. These items can also absorb available water and prevent normal poop formation.

If abnormal dog stool lasts more than a day or two, consult a vet. Photography by Shutterstock.

Regular exercise has an impact on normal stool formation and movement through the digestive system, as does a dog’s diet. Dogs who are overfed, or exclusively fed low-quality dry kibble, may be consuming more fiber and filler than their digestive systems can process. The longer a dog excretes dry feces, or none at all, the greater the chance that constipation can turn into obstipation. Obstipation occurs when difficulty defecating causes a logjam in the colon, and unmoved feces itself causes an intestinal blockage.

Is your dog’s poop normal or not?

It might sound unappealing, even repulsive, but regularly observing and cleaning up after your dog’s poop can be both intimate and comforting. The more familiar you are with the typical appearance and texture of your dog’s feces, the more aware you’ll be when it deviates from the norm. I admit to feeling a sense of satisfaction with my dog’s diet and exercise habits, and with myself as a dog owner, when she is in a good rhythm with her pooping.

Should you notice any of these changes in your dog’s feces for more than a day or two, resist the urge to treat your dog with human medications. Before you dose your dog with something as seemingly innocuous as Pepto-Bismol, consult your veterinarian. The more detail you can provide, including when the changes started and how long they’ve persisted, the better equipped your vet will be to diagnose and treat the underlying issue.

Read more about dog poop on Dogster.com:

13 Ways to Pick Up Dog Poop

All About Dog Gastrointestinal Issues — Diarrhea, Vomiting, Constipation and More

How I Taught My Dogs to Help Me Find Their Poop

About the author: Melvin Peña trained as a scholar and teacher of 18th-century British literature before turning his research and writing skills to puppies and kittens. He enjoys making art, hiking, and concert-going, as well as dazzling crowds with operatic karaoke performances. He has a two-year-old female Bluetick Coonhound mix named Baby, and his online life is conveniently encapsulated here.

The post What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool? appeared first on Dogster.

[jeffreyrwelch]

What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool?

Did you know there are rating systems for the quality and consistency of dog stool? Becoming familiar with the normal consistency, texture and color of dog poop is one way of gauging a dog’s digestive health and recognizing when there might be a problem. There are a couple of different approaches and charts for measuring canine excrement. Popular charts issued by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and Purina describe similar ranges by shape and texture. The Waltham guide has nine categories and the Purina chart has the familiar seven-point scale.

Whether or not you use a scorecard to rate your dog’s dung, being aware of what’s normal for your dog can give you useful information to share with your vet in the event of troubling alterations, such as:

Diarrhea in dogs

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop or other unnatural dog poop colors

Blood in dog stool

Small, hard feces or constipation in dogs 

Let’s look at some of the most common causes of abnormal dog stool!

Diarrhea in dogs

Diarrhea takes a number of forms, from loose stool that emerges long and snake-like to a messy puddle, and falls under two general categories, acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea in dogs is a sudden-onset condition, meaning that there is a rapid transition from solid, well-formed feces. To some extent, regularity is a function of maintaining habits, whether that’s being acclimated to a certain diet or a certain location.

Healthy stool varies in appearance from dog to dog. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

Any abrupt change in a dog’s food can lead to an episode of acute diarrhea. It is recommended that any such change be managed over the course of several days, during which the new food is combined with the old, giving the dog’s digestive system time to adjust. Anxiety can also cause fecal disruptions; a dog who is not prepared or unused to car or air travel may experience short-term diarrhea as a response to stress. In situations where food or motion is the cause, regular consistency should return within a day or two.

When a dog experiences diarrhea on a regular basis over the course of two or more weeks, it is referred to as chronic diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea in dogs may indicate a number of potentially serious health issues, including organ dysfunction, parasites, and infection. Inflammation or irritation of key organs in the digestive tract, such as the liver, pancreas, or the intestines themselves, can cause extended periods of digestive upset. Chronic diarrhea also tends to present with additional symptoms or complications, such as vomiting, fever, weight loss, or abdominal pain.

Accidentally ingesting parasites or infectious agents can lead a dog to develop chronic diarrhea, and both are key reasons to keep your dog’s food and water dishes clean at home, and to pick up after your dog when you’re out in public. One of the most common parasites involved is the single-celled Giardia, which is found where infected feces contaminate and are ingested from a range of items, from grass to drinking water. Among infectious agents, parvovirus in dogs is particularly dangerous to puppies, and largely preventable with standard combo vaccines.

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop and other weird dog stool colors

Since there are so many potential causes of both acute and chronic diarrhea in dogs, it’s worth taking special note of the relative shape or shapelessness of the feces, as well as its content and color. When dogs poop, they’re not only excreting waste products and indigestible parts of food, but also eliminating internal waste. This internal waste includes dead red blood cells, which come out in feces in the form of bilirubin. In the process of digestion and excretion, bilirubin combines with bile, giving dung its typical brown color.

Sudden changes in dog poop color can be alarming. Photography by Joshua Ganderson on Flickr.

Discoloration in dog poop, particularly if the feces is yellow or green, can be caused by a variety of factors. Yellow stools that have a normal consistency and shape may indicate a simple short-term dietary shift. In cases like these, when things move too quickly through the digestive system to allow bilirubin to pass with feces, poop can take the yellowish tint of bile. Yellow poop can also be the result of liver, bile duct, or gallbladder problems. Green stool or dark green diarrhea may be a result of your dog eating too much grass or plant matter, or a result of ingesting a household toxin or rodenticide.

Dog pooping blood

As disconcerting as it can be to see your dog’s poop change colors, it is startling to witness an episode of hematochezia, or bloody dog stool. Here again, there is no easy answer, as the causes can range from eating a foreign object discovered in the litter bin to colon inflammation. The color of the blood can be an important indicator of the approximate area of the affliction; the more vivid the red, the more likely the source of the problem is in or near the colon. Darker, blacker blood indicates that the problem is higher in the digestive tract and has had time to be digested.

The amount of blood in the dog’s stool, as well as the relative consistency of the poop, are key signs in determining a course of action. For instance, a small streak of blood, seen once on an otherwise normally shaped piece of poop, but not afterward, could signify nothing at all. On the other hand, repeated incidents of bloody diarrhea in the course of a single day should certainly warrant a veterinary consultation. The more senior a dog, the more likely the cause is to be tumor-related; the younger the dog, the more likely the source of bleeding is parasitic.

Constipation in dogs

Any general overview of abnormal dog stool should take into account, not only degrees and colors of wet diarrhea, but also the appearance of small, hard poop. Since nearly 75 percent of normal dog poop is water, struggling to defecate, or producing dry stools with great effort, could be a result of dehydration. Dogs can become constipated by swallowing foreign objects, especially bones or hair. These items can also absorb available water and prevent normal poop formation.

If abnormal dog stool lasts more than a day or two, consult a vet. Photography by Shutterstock.

Regular exercise has an impact on normal stool formation and movement through the digestive system, as does a dog’s diet. Dogs who are overfed, or exclusively fed low-quality dry kibble, may be consuming more fiber and filler than their digestive systems can process. The longer a dog excretes dry feces, or none at all, the greater the chance that constipation can turn into obstipation. Obstipation occurs when difficulty defecating causes a logjam in the colon, and unmoved feces itself causes an intestinal blockage.

Is your dog’s poop normal or not?

It might sound unappealing, even repulsive, but regularly observing and cleaning up after your dog’s poop can be both intimate and comforting. The more familiar you are with the typical appearance and texture of your dog’s feces, the more aware you’ll be when it deviates from the norm. I admit to feeling a sense of satisfaction with my dog’s diet and exercise habits, and with myself as a dog owner, when she is in a good rhythm with her pooping.

Should you notice any of these changes in your dog’s feces for more than a day or two, resist the urge to treat your dog with human medications. Before you dose your dog with something as seemingly innocuous as Pepto-Bismol, consult your veterinarian. The more detail you can provide, including when the changes started and how long they’ve persisted, the better equipped your vet will be to diagnose and treat the underlying issue.

Read more about dog poop on Dogster.com:

13 Ways to Pick Up Dog Poop

All About Dog Gastrointestinal Issues — Diarrhea, Vomiting, Constipation and More

How I Taught My Dogs to Help Me Find Their Poop

About the author: Melvin Peña trained as a scholar and teacher of 18th-century British literature before turning his research and writing skills to puppies and kittens. He enjoys making art, hiking, and concert-going, as well as dazzling crowds with operatic karaoke performances. He has a two-year-old female Bluetick Coonhound mix named Baby, and his online life is conveniently encapsulated here.

The post What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool? appeared first on Dogster.

[grublypetcare]

What Causes Abnormal Dog Stool?

Did you know there are rating systems for the quality and consistency of dog stool? Becoming familiar with the normal consistency, texture and color of dog poop is one way of gauging a dog’s digestive health and recognizing when there might be a problem. There are a couple of different approaches and charts for measuring canine excrement. Popular charts issued by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and Purina describe similar ranges by shape and texture. The Waltham guide has nine categories and the Purina chart has the familiar seven-point scale.

Whether or not you use a scorecard to rate your dog’s dung, being aware of what’s normal for your dog can give you useful information to share with your vet in the event of troubling alterations, such as:

Diarrhea in dogs

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop or other unnatural dog poop colors

Blood in dog stool

Small, hard feces or constipation in dogs 

Let’s look at some of the most common causes of abnormal dog stool!

Diarrhea in dogs

Diarrhea takes a number of forms, from loose stool that emerges long and snake-like to a messy puddle, and falls under two general categories, acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea in dogs is a sudden-onset condition, meaning that there is a rapid transition from solid, well-formed feces. To some extent, regularity is a function of maintaining habits, whether that’s being acclimated to a certain diet or a certain location.

Healthy stool varies in appearance from dog to dog. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

Any abrupt change in a dog’s food can lead to an episode of acute diarrhea. It is recommended that any such change be managed over the course of several days, during which the new food is combined with the old, giving the dog’s digestive system time to adjust. Anxiety can also cause fecal disruptions; a dog who is not prepared or unused to car or air travel may experience short-term diarrhea as a response to stress. In situations where food or motion is the cause, regular consistency should return within a day or two.

When a dog experiences diarrhea on a regular basis over the course of two or more weeks, it is referred to as chronic diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea in dogs may indicate a number of potentially serious health issues, including organ dysfunction, parasites, and infection. Inflammation or irritation of key organs in the digestive tract, such as the liver, pancreas, or the intestines themselves, can cause extended periods of digestive upset. Chronic diarrhea also tends to present with additional symptoms or complications, such as vomiting, fever, weight loss, or abdominal pain.

Accidentally ingesting parasites or infectious agents can lead a dog to develop chronic diarrhea, and both are key reasons to keep your dog’s food and water dishes clean at home, and to pick up after your dog when you’re out in public. One of the most common parasites involved is the single-celled Giardia, which is found where infected feces contaminate and are ingested from a range of items, from grass to drinking water. Among infectious agents, parvovirus in dogs is particularly dangerous to puppies, and largely preventable with standard combo vaccines.

Green dog poop, yellow dog poop and other weird dog stool colors

Since there are so many potential causes of both acute and chronic diarrhea in dogs, it’s worth taking special note of the relative shape or shapelessness of the feces, as well as its content and color. When dogs poop, they’re not only excreting waste products and indigestible parts of food, but also eliminating internal waste. This internal waste includes dead red blood cells, which come out in feces in the form of bilirubin. In the process of digestion and excretion, bilirubin combines with bile, giving dung its typical brown color.

Sudden changes in dog poop color can be alarming. Photography by Joshua Ganderson on Flickr.

Discoloration in dog poop, particularly if the feces is yellow or green, can be caused by a variety of factors. Yellow stools that have a normal consistency and shape may indicate a simple short-term dietary shift. In cases like these, when things move too quickly through the digestive system to allow bilirubin to pass with feces, poop can take the yellowish tint of bile. Yellow poop can also be the result of liver, bile duct, or gallbladder problems. Green stool or dark green diarrhea may be a result of your dog eating too much grass or plant matter, or a result of ingesting a household toxin or rodenticide.

Dog pooping blood

As disconcerting as it can be to see your dog’s poop change colors, it is startling to witness an episode of hematochezia, or bloody dog stool. Here again, there is no easy answer, as the causes can range from eating a foreign object discovered in the litter bin to colon inflammation. The color of the blood can be an important indicator of the approximate area of the affliction; the more vivid the red, the more likely the source of the problem is in or near the colon. Darker, blacker blood indicates that the problem is higher in the digestive tract and has had time to be digested.

The amount of blood in the dog’s stool, as well as the relative consistency of the poop, are key signs in determining a course of action. For instance, a small streak of blood, seen once on an otherwise normally shaped piece of poop, but not afterward, could signify nothing at all. On the other hand, repeated incidents of bloody diarrhea in the course of a single day should certainly warrant a veterinary consultation. The more senior a dog, the more likely the cause is to be tumor-related; the younger the dog, the more likely the source of bleeding is parasitic.

Constipation in dogs

Any general overview of abnormal dog stool should take into account, not only degrees and colors of wet diarrhea, but also the appearance of small, hard poop. Since nearly 75 percent of normal dog poop is water, struggling to defecate, or producing dry stools with great effort, could be a result of dehydration. Dogs can become constipated by swallowing foreign objects, especially bones or hair. These items can also absorb available water and prevent normal poop formation.

If abnormal dog stool lasts more than a day or two, consult a vet. Photography by Shutterstock.

Regular exercise has an impact on normal stool formation and movement through the digestive system, as does a dog’s diet. Dogs who are overfed, or exclusively fed low-quality dry kibble, may be consuming more fiber and filler than their digestive systems can process. The longer a dog excretes dry feces, or none at all, the greater the chance that constipation can turn into obstipation. Obstipation occurs when difficulty defecating causes a logjam in the colon, and unmoved feces itself causes an intestinal blockage.

Is your dog’s poop normal or not?

It might sound unappealing, even repulsive, but regularly observing and cleaning up after your dog’s poop can be both intimate and comforting. The more familiar you are with the typical appearance and texture of your dog’s feces, the more aware you’ll be when it deviates from the norm. I admit to feeling a sense of satisfaction with my dog’s diet and exercise habits, and with myself as a dog owner, when she is in a good rhythm with her pooping.

Should you notice any of these changes in your dog’s feces for more than a day or two, resist the urge to treat your dog with human medications. Before you dose your dog with something as seemingly innocuous as Pepto-Bismol, consult your veterinarian. The more detail you can provide, including when the changes started and how long they’ve persisted, the better equipped your vet will be to diagnose and treat the underlying issue.

Read more about dog poop on Dogster.com:

13 Ways to Pick Up Dog Poop

All About Dog Gastrointestinal Issues — Diarrhea, Vomiting, Constipation and More

How I Taught My Dogs to Help Me Find Their Poop

About the author: Melvin Peña trained as a scholar and teacher of 18th-century British literature before turning his research and writing skills to puppies and kittens. He enjoys making art, hiking, and concert-going, as well as dazzling crowds with operatic karaoke performances. He has a two-year-old female Bluetick Coonhound mix named Baby, and his online life is conveniently encapsulated here.

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