How to Know if Your Pet's Poop is Normal

How To Know If Your Pet's Poop is Normal

3/21/2019

No matter what you call it: Poop, Feces, Stool, Bowel Movement, Number 2, Defecation, Boom-Boom, Turd, or even Trots; it all refers to a very important part of your dog and cat's overall health.

So, what is normal when it comes to your pet's bathroom habits?

It's a common question when you take your dog or cat to the vet: "Is Fluffy having normal bowel movements?" Well, after thinking about it you answer a resounding "Yes!" After all, Fluffy's stools have been normal; normal for her.

We may ask you for a description of the stool. (And don't worry if you take a picture of it to show us. I know it sounds gross to have a picture of poop in your phone, but it really can help us understand what you are seeing!)

The Shapes and Colors of Poop

When discussing a pet's feces, it helps to know what's normal, and what is not. Let's check out the things we look for in good GI health.

Consistency

For most dogs and cats a normal, healthy gut produces one bowel movement per day that is shaped like a sausage. It should be easy to pick up and place in a waste receptacle.

Abnormalities to talk to your vet about:

Diarrhea: this can range anywhere from 'soft serve ice cream' consistency to watery liquid diarrhea. Pets can also have some normal formed stool followed by diarrhea.
Constipation: this term means 'difficult to expel feces'. Typically this happens if the stools are too hard and dry, but being constipated can indicate other issues such as blockage, megacolon, or other GI motility issues. If your pet is straining to pass stool, vomiting, not eating, or lethargic seek veterinary attention.

Color

The color will depend on the food being fed, but should typically be light to dark brown in color.

Abnormalities to talk to your vet about:

Red: frank blood on the stool in either small amounts or large amounts suggests bleeding in the lower large intestines or rectum
Black-tarry: digested blood can indicated bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal track, either in the stomach or small intestines
Yellow/Tan: can indicate food is not being digested properly
Dark Green: can indicate bile

Frequency and Volume

It is considered normal for a pet to have a bowel movement once a day. The amount of feces produced should correspond to the amount of food they are eating. What goes in, must come out.

Abnormalities to talk to your vet about:

Small amounts of diarrhea frequently: if your dog is going to the bathroom multiple times in the day or hour and is getting into the position to poop and small amounts come out, or nothing comes out this can indicate lower intestinal irritation
Large amounts of diarrhea 1-2 times a day: if your pet is able to 'hold it' and only has a bowel movement 1-2 times a day, but it's a large amount of diarrhea this indicates an upper GI issue.
Decreased bowel movements: if your pet is only passing stool once a week this can indicate a decrease in GI motility from medications, anesthesia, or decreased appetite.

Odor

By it's very nature, feces does have an odor to it from food being digested and the normal gut bacteria.

Abnormalities to talk to your vet about:

Extreme odor: if your pet can clear a room after it's passed stool let your veterinarian know. Especially if this is a change from normal.
Gassy: most pets will have some gas and flatulence (fart) but if these are extreme and frequent let your vet know.

Sound

It is normal for pets to have some borborygmus (stomach gurgles or growling). This is from gas bubbles moving along the intestinal track.

Abnormalities to talk to your vet about:

Excessive borborygmus: if there is an increase in the frequency of the gas in the abdomen and there is an increase in burping (eructation) or farting (flatulance) let your vet know. Also, if they seem uncomfortable or painful in their abdomen during this time seek vet care.
Retching: if your pet is trying to vomit or is making retching noises but nothing is coming up it may be good to seek veterinary care especially if there are any other changes to their behavior. A dangerous condition called Gastric Dilitation Volvulus (known as GDV or Bloat) is a life threatening condition that requires emergency care immediately. To learn more about this condition read the page about abdominal swelling, bloat, and GDV.

Posturing

Animals should be able to squat to pass stool. This should not be painful, and they should be able to do so without falling over.

Abnormalities to talk to your vet about:

Falling over: if your pet is not able to maintain the squatting position during defecation, seek veterinary care immediately.
Crying out: crying out is not normal and can be a sign your pet is painful. This can be from constipation, intestinal blockage, or even neurologic pain.
Straining: posturing for long periods of time with little to no stool production is not considered normal.
Fecal incontinence: a pet should be able to hold their feces until they posture to defecate. If feces 'falls' out of their rectum with no posturing this is known as fecal incontinence and should be discussed with a veterinarian as there could be neurologic issues.

When in doubt: TELL YOUR VET

If you're ever worried about your pet make sure to have a conversation with your veterinary staff. Never feel embarrassed to discuss your pets gut health. We've heard it all. You'd be surprised at home many photos we've seen on cell phones of a pets poop. And if you're pet has had chronic issues, we're just as excited as you once things get to normal!

Author

Yvonne Brandenburg, RVT, VTS (SAIM) is a Registered Veterinary Technician practicing in California and obtained her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Small Animal Internal Medicine in 2016. She is the founder of InternalMedicineForPetParents.com. For more about Yvonne visit her author page here.

Comments