Your dog’s health is vital. After all, your dog is your best friend. Keeping your dog healthy can be as simple as looking at your dog’s poop. While it doesn’t sound appealing, there’s a lot that your dog’s poop can tell you about your pet’s health. So, the next time you see your dog pooping, you can take a look at it. The following guidelines will help you determine whether your dog is healthy or if you need to call your trusted veterinarian.

1. Hard Poop

Hard dog poop from your dog looks hard and pebbly. According to PetMD, this likely means that your dog is dehydrated. All you need to do to remedy the situation is to give your dog more water. It will not only make it easier for your dog to poop but it will also ensure that your pet is getting enough to drink.

2. Color

When your dog is pooping grey or yellow poop, this is a sign that your pet may have pancreas, liver or gallbladder issues. It would be a good idea to take your dog to the vet so that an evaluation can determine what’s causing these health problems. If you see your dog pooping black poop, it could indicate an upper intestinal bleed. Likewise, if your dog’s poop has streaks of red in it, your pet could have a lower intestinal bleed. Get your beloved pet a health checkup for these changes in the color of your dog’s poop.

3. Liquid Poop

If your pet’s poop has a liquid consistency, there are a number of reasons this could be happening. According to the American Kennel Club, it could be your pet’s diet, parasites, eating spoiled food or garbage, allergies, infections like parvo or distemper, eating a foreign substance, illnesses, antibiotics, or stress causing your pet to have diarrhea. The AKC recommends if you notice your dog pooping liquid stools, then you can try having your dog fast, give it Pedialyte, adjust your pet’s diet. Try adding rice water or other grain water to their diet to help. If your dog’s diarrhea is persistent and accompanied by lethargy, vomiting, fever, or dry heaving you need to get your dog to the vet.

4. Amount of Poop

Your dog probably seems like a lean, mean pooping machine. However, the amount your dog is pooping is essential to your pet’s health. If you see your dog pooping about the same amount he or she eats, then your pet is okay and doing what it’s supposed to do. If your pet is pooping a lot and the consistency is changing, then there’s something wrong and it’s time to take your pet to the vet.

5. Content

The content in your dog’s poop is super relevant to their health. Dogs pooping mucus with its poop is a sign that the colon is inflamed. According to Pet Health Network, this could mean that your dog has parasites, like hookworms. Check with your dog health professional who may suggest to de-worm your dog.

6. Healthy Poop

Pet Helpful indicates, “when your dog is pooping and his poop looks chocolate brown, in soft, play-dough like logs that are easy to pick up or scoop, then your dog has healthy, normal poop.” This means there’s no need to worry. While each dog may poop different size logs, the experts agree that as long as your dog’s poop is proportional to the amount of food they are eating then your dog has normal, healthy poop.

Your dog is important to you and making sure your pet is healthy also means paying attention to your dog’s poop. Professional dog poop scoopers like the ones at POOP 911 see the signs of your dog’s health in every pickup. At POOP 911, your pet’s health is essential to us, as well. Not only do we take cleaning your yard seriously, but we also consider your pet’s health seriously when cleaning your pet’s poop. If you like these facts and others like them, then stick with us as we bring the best expert information to you.