Your dog’s poo is a great indicator of their current well-being and whether they’re being fed the right food. So how can you judge what’s a healthy dog poo?
Eating super premium dog food ensures that your dog receives a complete and balanced diet that’s perfectly suited for their age, breed and lifestyle. This food optimises your dog’s health inside and out, encouraging a healthy digestive system, good skin and a shiny coat, and overall a dog who has more energy and a higher quality of life.
A direct result of feeding your dog the food that is best for them is that they’ll produce healthy dog poos that are comfortable for your dog to pass and easy for you to clean up. Use our Dog Food Finder tool to understand what you should be feeding your dog to optimise their health and notice the improvements in their poo today. Read on to learn the signs of a perfect dog poo so you know what to aim for!
Texture
One of the best ways to judge if your pet is producing a healthy dog poo is by feeling the poo’s texture. By feeding your dog super premium food that promotes digestive health, your dog will be in great condition and their poo will be log-shaped and segmented When you clean up after your dog, you’ll notice that these poos are like playdough, firm but still mouldable, and won’t leave any residue on the ground. Your dog should not struggle to produce these poos and they’ll pass comfortably through your dog.
Colour
It’s no surprise that a healthy dog poo is brown, but there isn’t one shade that’s the best across all dogs. Factors like the food they’re eating can affect the colour of their poo but in general, any shade from light to dark brown is considered healthy as long as the colour remains the same day to day.
Contents
Dogs being fed a poor diet will show symptoms of this in the contents of their poo. If you’re noticing pieces of undigested food in your dog’s poo then this is a sign to re-evaluate what you’ve been feeding them. Other poo contents that are a cause for concern include an excess of grass and fur, rocks, fruit seeds, sticks and small toys
Coating
While the moisture in a healthy dog poo will cause it to have a little shine on the outside, these poos should not have anything coating them. A small amount of mucus in the poo is acceptable but if there’s jelly-like mucus covering the stool then you should take your dog for a checkup at your local Greencross Vets.
Frequency
A healthy dog will poo around 1-3 times a day depending on factors such as what they’re being fed. Food that is higher in fibre passes through your dog’s system more easily and will result in more frequent poos. All dogs should poo at least once per day so if your dog has not pooped in 24 hours, contact your vet as they may be dehydrated and experiencing constipation. Similarly, if your dog is pooping more than 3 times a day, this is also abnormal behaviour that should be checked by your friendly Greencross Vet.
Size
The size of your dog’s poo depends on the amount of indigestible food in their diet. For example, super premium food contains highly digestible ingredients so dogs eating this complete and balanced diet will produce smaller poos. In addition, because a large dog will be fed more food than a small breed dog, they will produce a larger poo. In general, the size of your dog’s poo should stay the same each day so if you notice a significant change, it’s best to speak to your local Greencross Vets.
Odour
If your dog’s poo smells like roses, then you’d better check your garden for missing flowers! Unfortunately even the perfect dog poo will have a mild odour, although it will not be offensively smelly. Foul-smelling poos indicate that your dog is experiencing health issues, and your Greencross Vets can diagnose the cause. A poor diet can result in smelly poos if it contains ingredients that are difficult to digest, causing an excess amount of sulphur to be produced.
Overall, a healthy poo comes from healthy nutrition. By gradually transitioning your dog to super premium food, you’ll soon notice that they’re producing smaller, firmer and less smelly poos that are easy to clean up. Make your life more pleasant and improve your dog’s quality of life by using our Dog Food Finder to understand the right food for them, or discuss the best food recommendations with your local Petbarn team member. Your dog will be producing the perfect poo in no time!
