The most likely cause of a change in your dog’s poop is a change in their normal routine. Changes in eating habits, exercise, and daily routine can cause changes in poop. If the change in poop can’t be explained by changes in your dog’s daily life, consulting a veterinarian is the first thing you should do.
Below are some of the things to look for and some possible causes if you spot a difference in your dog’s poop that can’t be explained by a recent change in routine.
Reason of different objects in the poop
You may notice distinct objects in the dog poop because of either disease or behavioral issues. Corrective measures can help save your dog from painful conditions and even surgery.
1. Foreign objects or small bodies
If your dog has foreign objects in its poop, like fabric, a piece of carpet, or a toy, this can, for example, result from pica. Pica is a disease where the dog has an insatiable hunger to eat anything it can. This condition can result in pancreatitis, nutritional deficiency, or other intestinal issues. Whatever the underlying cause, if your pet is eating stones, carpet, and laundry, it could result in intestinal blockage, and you may end up weighing an expensive surgery to save the life of your pet. If possible, remove such items and any similar objects from areas your pet is allowed to live or play in. If you suspect pica or an eating disorder is causing the problem, then seek veterinary help.
2. Presence of fur
If the fur of another animal is in your dog's poop, this means that your dog is grooming itself or other animals. Grooming other animals isn't necessarily a bad thing and may even be a boost to both animals’ mental health because they are socializing and enjoying doing so. If you are regularly finding excessive amounts of your own dog’s fur in its poop, this may be because of skin issues or mites. Sometimes a bored dog with behavioral issues also licks its body and swallows enough or its fur to disrupt the digestive system. Consulting a professional to eliminate mites, behavioral issues, and other signs is recommended.
3. Slimy mucus
The presence of mucus in dog poop isn't a good sign at all. (We will leave it to you to google that (and the next two conditions) if you want to see what it looks like—yuck!) This could be because of large intestine inflation or other digestive issues. You must take your dog to the vet right away if the mucus defecation persists for more than a day.
4. Greasy stool or the presence of fat
Fat in dog poop could be because of excessive fat in their diet. If you have changed dog food recently, consult a veterinarian or veterinary dietician for the right dog food with appropriate fat. Not every dog breed needs the same amount of fat in their daily diet. If you haven't recently changed their diet or routine and are seeing a greasy stool, fat in their stool may mean a pancreatic or gall bladder issue and you should seek your veterinarian’s advice.
5. Worms
The presence of small white objects or crawlie figures is not a good sign at all. If the dog is pooping these tiny creatures, you must keep the infected dog (and its poop) away from all other pets. The infested poop can affect other pets and sometimes even humans; a veterinary visit and poop test are musts. You must use gloves and other safety measures to remove such poop.
Changes in color of the dog poop
Some dogs have light brown poop and some have dark brown poop, regularly. The same color over an extended period is not a problem, but you should register a change in color and act accordingly.
· Green-colored poop
Green-colored poop can be because of excessive grass eating or because of bile issue due to rapid bowel movement. If the dog is not eating grass and the gut is good (because of no observed digestive issues), the culprit may be rodenticides. You must keep an eye on the dog's activities and remove rodenticides from the accessible portions of the dog’s living and play areas because some rodenticides are dangerous and can be fatal for your dog.
· White stool
This uncommon color in dog poop is a symptom of digestive tract issues anywhere from the intestine to the gall bladder. If there is a liver problem, the result could also be white stool.
· Orange color
Many dogs love to eat carrots; if your dog is one of them, the orange-colored stool is normal. But if you are not feeding the dog carrots, the orange stool may be a sign of pancreatic issues that could be fatal if you do not take corrective measures in time.
Over to you
You don't need to probe the poop to know the change. A simple look from above is enough to know if the poop is normal or not. Your dog's poop can tell you a lot regarding the health of your buddy. If you see a foreign object, white specks, or blood in the poop, a vet visit and poop examination should be your top priority. Always clean the dog poop when you are outside to save other animals and your pet from the harmful effects of decaying poop.