a couple of years ago i was watching the oprah winfrey show and i saw an episode where health expert dr. mehmet oz, i was talking about “poop”. I noticed when the cameras panned to the audience that she seemed quite excited and at the same time shy to hear this discussion. I, on the other hand, thought it was a great theme. especially since our pets can’t talk, I believe the appearance of your pet’s stool provides a great deal of information about their overall health.
During each office visit, I ask each client “Does your pet have normal stools?” or, “Does your pet have soft or hard stools?” Unless the customer is bringing their pet in for explosive diarrhea, most customers think this is a weird question and honestly don’t know what their pet’s stool actually looks like. surprisingly, this is especially true of my cat clients. I would have thought they would be the most observant pet owners, but they are not. I think most of my cat clients are happy that it’s in the litter box and assume it’s normal. this, however, is not always true.
Just like diamonds that are evaluated based on the four C’s: color, clarity, carat weight, and cut grade, stool samples are evaluated based on the following: color, shape, consistency, size, and content. My goal today is to teach you to be a more critical evaluator of your pet’s feces to help you take better care of your pet. it’s amazing what your pet’s stool sample can tell you about their health.
Before I detail the parameters I test, don’t be alarmed if your pet’s stool deviates from its normal characteristics one day because no pet, or for that matter, person, has perfect stool every time. there are normal variations in the character of your pet’s stool and it only becomes alarming if it is consistently abnormal. if you are concerned, contact your vet for advice.
Here are the five qualities I use to assess your pet’s stool:
- The normal color of your pet’s stool is chocolate brown. however, if you feed your pet foods that contain food coloring, such as the holiday version of the charity diet, they may get green and red staining of their feces. if the color of the stool is bright red or streaked with red fluid, I would be concerned that there may be blood present. if the color of the stool is tarry black, I would be concerned that there is bleeding within the GI tract. if the stool is very light in color, like tan, I would be concerned about liver disease. if your pet’s stools are consistently varying from their usual color, contact your veterinarian.
- The shape of your pet’s stool should be that of a log. if the shape of the stool is a small ball or pebble, I would be concerned that your pet is not getting enough water and may be dehydrated. It’s not uncommon for pets with kidney disease to pass small balls of feces because they generally don’t drink enough water to meet their hydration status. Older dogs with arthritic hips are sometimes unable to maintain their defecation posture to fully empty the rectum. These arthritic dogs often drop small nuggets of feces when walking or resting. It’s not uncommon to add stool softeners, such as Miralax, or a fiber supplement, such as Metamucil, to ease bowel movements for older pets with arthritis. if the stool sample is blank, your pet has diarrhea.
- The consistency of a normal stool should be like a lump. it should be easy to pick up in its entirety and its shape should not be distorted much in the process. When you pick up your dog’s feces from the lawn, you really shouldn’t leave any on the grass. For cat owners, you should be able to lift the stool out of the litter box without it losing its shape. this is sometimes harder to assess in cats because their feces are covered in sand, but if you look closely you should see a log formation and not a cow pie. If the stool sample is pudding-like or shapeless, your pet is most likely suffering from an intestinal problem; it could be a dietary indiscretion (you ate something you shouldn’t), a bacterial or viral infection, parasites, or food intolerance.
if the stool sample is very firm, I would be concerned about constipation. especially in young, otherwise healthy cats, if you see firm stools, I would suspect that they are passing a lot of hair in their stool. I highly recommend all pet owners to occasionally place a small sample of their pet’s feces in a clear plastic bag and squash it. if you can’t squash it easily, the stool is too firm. see if you can see a lot of hair in the stool. if it does, it’s an indicator that your pet may need to be brushed or combed more frequently. Passing hair in the stool can be very painful for both cats and dogs. Consider adding a hairball remedy, such as petromalt, or an enzymatic product, called capillex, to your cat’s routine to aid in the passage of ingested hair. If your dog is passing hard stools, I recommend adding fiber, such as metamucil or bran cereal, to your pet’s diet. Frequently recognized abnormal consistency in your pet’s feces requires medical attention. take your pet and a sample of his stool to your vet for evaluation.
- The size of your pet’s stool sample should be consistent and relative to the amount of food your pet eats. For example, a Yorkshire Terrier’s stool size will be much smaller than a Great Dane’s stool. however, the size of the stool should be consistent for the individual pet. If you have noticed that the volume of your pet’s stool has increased, I would be concerned that your pet is not processing or digesting the food as it should. This pet’s diet may have an unusually high amount of indigestible products (such as plant fiber). you may want to contact your vet to find an alternative diet. Alternatively, if the volume of your pet’s stool is reduced, I would be concerned that perhaps your pet is not eating as much as they normally do. This is especially eye-opening for cat owners who fill a bowl with cat food and let their cats eat it for days. if the volume of the stool is suddenly reduced, I would be concerned that this cat’s appetite is reduced and she may be ill. another explanation for reduced stool volume would be constipation or a partial gastrointestinal obstruction. if no stool is passed, I would be concerned that your pet may be constipated or have an intestinal obstruction. contact your vet to discuss diet, fiber supplements, and stool laxatives.
- really observe the contents of the stool. Does it have something in it or about it that it shouldn’t? do you see a transparent gelatinous substance (mucous) on it? this mucosa indicates colitis or inflammation of the colon. Do you see undigested food particles, such as rice or carrots, indicating that your pet is not digesting them well? Do you see hair or grass in your pet’s feces? Some pets overgroom when stressed or have allergies. some pets eat grass when they have upset gastrointestinal tracts. Do you see blood in the stool? Do you see spaghetti-shaped noodles moving on your pup’s stool? well those are roundworms and yes you should take your pup to the vet to get dewormed. anything abnormally present in the stool should be addressed or avoided.
No pet or person has a perfect stool every time they defecate, but constant variation from your normal bowel movement is a red flag that something is wrong with your pet’s health. Recognizing early changes in the quality of your pet’s stool will allow you to detect and address a problem early, increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome. Although it can be unpleasant to inspect your pet’s feces, it really gives you a wealth of information about your pet’s overall health. so next time your pet poops, don’t look away. take a close look.
