does the color of poo mean anything?

[y0rkiesR0ck]

okay, sorry to post a thread about poo since it's a yucky topic... but i'm curious to know if anyone monitors the color of their furbabies' poo as much as i do?? LOL. i could just be weird and obsessive about Kash's health... my bf tells me that i talk about Kash's bowel movements way too much.

i mean, i don't have a fenced backyard, so i have to put Kash on a leash and watch him while he "does his business," and then i have to dispose of it, so other dogs don't eat it or something...SO, i guess it's inevitable that i see what color it is, right?

ANYWAY, i digress. my question is... does the color of poo mean good/bad things about a dog's health? the reason i ask is because most of the time Kash's poo is a healthy-looking light brown... but sometimes, for a couple of days, it'll be a very dark brown (almost black) color... i just relate black to being less healthy-looking for some reason. i think it's because the light brown color seems more organic...

sorry this is gross. i'm actually slightly uncomfortable as i type this! lol. anyway, i hope someone can help me understand the inner-workings of the bowels!

thanks.

[sullysmum]

My chis poo is normally dark brown to black when they eat mostly dog kibble, when i feed them a bit of human food it goes to lighter brown softer.They are healthy so i prefer the darker firmer blacky brown poo!

[Wylie's Mom]

I don't think poo topics are gross at all - after all, poo can be quite indicative of what's going on w/ your dog's health. There are quite a few of us who are "poop inspectors" on YT, so you're not alone!

Anyway, color and texture can be food related and/or health related. Dark can be normal all the time for *some* dogs - but for others, it can be a sign of something. That said, a dark, "tarry", RUST colored poo is indicative of blood in the stool - blood that came from deeper within. A stool that has more red, lighter colored blood means blood is coming from closer to the "exit".

Higher fat and higher carb diets will often result in lighter and more voluminous poos. Higher protein and more dense diets will often result in darker poos. Raw diets cause the smaller, most dense poos - and usually keep the anal glands emptied as well (bc the poos aren't soft).

So, dark isn't necessarily bad - but it depends on the whole picture too. That's all I got on poo for now - but ask away if you need more!

[sullysmum]

I remember as child seeing white poos in the street from where the dogs had eaten mainly bones..........i used to think they were done by white poodles!

[Lexi Rae]

i examine the poo every time,, just with my eyes though.. i make sure
its kind of hard, kind of dark and about the same all the time.. i know
what she ate the night before too... sometimes i see peanuts in her poo
and i yell and my b/f for giving it to her.. poo dont lie... sometimes i know when i have given her too many carrots..orange poo, then i slow that down.

[ARCHIE]

Yep, I check it daily also. Most of the time it' s the same.
When there is a change I know something is going on and think
about what I have given him and correct it by not giving him
the new treat bringing him back to normal.

Buddy is a big boy but very sensitive too. (big boob that he is).
A couple weeks ago I left home in a bad mood. Nothing he did it
was just me. When I got home and opened the door he had diahrea
on the tile floor in the dinning room. Never before had that happened.
I upset him by being in a pissy mood for sure because I forgot to kiss
him when I left. Thought about that on the way to work and felt bad
and sure enough when I got home he had reacted to it. Probably thought
it was something he did and got upset. I felt terrible for days.
So they can change their poo when upset too.

[Lexi Rae]

its so funny, my mom calls me everyday from my house, she stops in
for 5 or ten minutes before she goes to work and she tells me, lexi pooped
or lexi peepeed.. or there was no poop or no pee pee...these yorkies i tell ya
have us wrapped around them... gotta love em

[sullysmum]

Originally Posted by ARCHIE

Yep, I check it daily also. Most of the time it' s the same.
When there is a change I know something is going on and think
about what I have given him and correct it by not giving him
the new treat bringing him back to normal.

Buddy is a big boy but very sensitive too. (big boob that he is).
A couple weeks ago I left home in a bad mood. Nothing he did it
was just me. When I got home and opened the door he had diahrea
on the tile floor in the dinning room. Never before had that happened.
I upset him by being in a pissy mood for sure because I forgot to kiss
him when I left. Thought about that on the way to work and felt bad
and sure enough when I got home he had reacted to it. Probably thought
it was something he did and got upset. I felt terrible for days.
So they can change their poo when upset too.

Arr poor Buddy..............a bit like people!

[bjh]

I have read that gray or clay colored stools are an indication of liver problems. I think they might be dry looking. You should also watch the color of the urine. The urine should be fairly clear, if you start seeing dark yellow or orange urine then that could indicate kidney problems or dehydration.