What does healthy dog poo look like? The 4 Cs
The 4 C’s are an easy way to remember what to look for when assessing your dog’s poop.
- Colour: Should be a consistent brown colour – the shade depends on what’s normal for your dog.
- Consistency: Should be firm and log-shaped, easy to pick up. In humans, the use of a 1-7 scale for consistency is called the Bristol Stool Guide. This rates the consistency from 1 (hard pellets) to 7 (watery diarrhoea). Using that scale, anything from 2 to 4 would be classed as ideal for a healthy dog.
- Content: Should be free of foreign objects, worms, or undigested food.
- Coating: There should be no mucus or greasy coating.
Unhealthy dog poo: A colour-by-colour guide (1)
Green dog poo
Often due to eating too much grass or too many green leafy vegetables, but it can also indicate a gallbladder issue.
Orange or yellow dog poo
It can just happen randomly as a one-off with nothing to be concerned about, but orange or yellow poos over a period of time could be a sign that there’s something going on with the liver or possibly a food intolerance.
Red streaks in dog poo
Indicates fresh blood, possibly from a cut, anal gland issue, or inflammation in the lower intestine.
Black and tarry dog poo
A serious sign that indicates digested blood from the upper GI tract. Requires an immediate vet visit.
Grey and greasy dog poo
Light coloured, greasy and foul-smelling poos can indicate problems with the pancreas.
White specks or white poo
It can be common in dogs fed a lot of bones – the white colour is due to excessive calcium. White spots in the poo that look a bit like grains of rice may be a sign of tapeworm infection, and long light-coloured roundworms can sometimes come out in your dog’s poo too.
Unhealthy dog poo: A consistency and coating guide
Hard, pellet-like poo
This could be a sign of constipation and dehydration.
Soft, pasty, or runny poo (diarrhoea)
There are many reasons that poo could have this consistency. Some of the most common ones are:
- A change in diet
- A tummy upset
- Parasites such as tapeworm or roundworm
- Stress
- Heatstroke
- A foreign body
- Constipation
Mucus in poo
A slimy or jelly-like coating can indicate an inflamed colon (colitis). Colitis can be caused by stress, infection, food intolerance and allergies.
Greasy stools
If the stools seem greasy or have an oily coating, then this could be a sign of malabsorption, which could be related to the pancreas.
What’s in your dog’s poo? The unwanted extras
Worms
Depending on the type of worms your dog might have will depend on what you can see in their poo. Spaghetti-like strands or white looking worms would be round worms, but a ribbon-like shape or objects that look like grains of rice would be more likely to be tapeworms. You can carry out a worm count using a kit for a diagnosis or take a sample of the poo to your vet to find out which type of dewormer your dog needs.
Foreign objects
Any foreign objects in the faeces will mean this is something your dog has ingested. It could be anything from grass, stones, rubber from toys or the stuffing from toys. As long as your dog isn’t showing any signs of discomfort when passing these items, and they have no other symptoms of a blockage (stretching their tummy out, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, off their food, pain) then just monitor them closely. If you do see any foreign objects in their poo, just remember there could still be material further up the digestive tract that could cause a problem at a later date. If you have any doubts about this, then get in contact with your vet.
Fur
If you notice large clumps of fur in the faeces, then this can indicate your dog has been overgrooming. This could be caused by stress, environmental allergies, food intolerances or boredom.
What should your dog poo smell like?
Healthy dog poo smell
It’s poo – it’s never going to smell of roses, but the scent of your dog’s poo shouldn’t be overly offensive either.
Unhealthy dog poo smell
If you notice significant changes in the aroma of your dog’s poo, and especially particularly foul-smelling poo or gas, then this can be a sign that something isn’t quite right, so it may be worth investigating.
How often should your dog poo?
Most dogs will poo on average once to three times a day, but this does depend on several factors. It’s really important to get to know what’s normal for your dog and realise when things change. If they start to poo less often or more often than usual, there could be an issue so get them checked over at the vets if you’re worried. Puppies will pass stools more often, usually around 3 to 5 times a day.
The factors that can affect how often your dog passes faeces include:
- The diet they are on (raw fed dogs pass smaller and fewer stools than kibble-fed dogs)
- The age of the dog
- How active the dog is
- Any other medical conditions that affect the digestive tract
How to tell if there’s something wrong with your dog’s poo
If you notice any of the following then we’d recommend you have a chat with your vet as soon as you can:
- Blood in the poo (more than a tiny, one-off speck)
- Black, tarry poo (if the stool has a sticky consistency)
- Diarrhoea lasting more than 24 hours, or accompanied by vomiting, lethargy, or pain
- Signs of constipation (straining without passing anything for more than 48 hours)
- Suspected foreign object ingestion
- Any other sudden, significant, and lasting change in your dog’s bowel habits
How to keep your dog’s poo healthy?
Here are a few examples of ways you can keep your dog passing healthy poo:
- Feed a high-quality, consistent diet
- Make diet changes slowly
- Provide plenty of fresh water
- Ensure regular exercise
- Keep your dog at a healthy weight
- If your dog needs any medication consider using probiotics alongside this to help protect their gut. Always check with your vet before bringing in anything alongside medications
- Carry out regular worm counts and treat your dog as necessary
You can read more dog health guides here
What is the best food for dogs?
We believe that raw food is the healthiest option a dog can eat as it’s closely based on what they’ve evolved to eat. For any species, their evolutionary diet is the most appropriate, and healthy for them as that’s what they’re optimised to digest. (2)
Dogs fed on raw food tend to have smaller, firmer (and less smelly!) stools, which reflects improved digestion. Coats tend to be soft and shiny, a reflection of inner health. Other benefits include better weight management, shiner coats (3) and brighter eyes. The reduced carbohydrate in the diet also helps to maintain dental health.
And benefits aren’t just limited to physical health. Many of our customers report calmer dogs, with better focus.
How raw feeding affects your dog’s poo
There are many benefits to feeding your dog raw food. One of the first things people usually comment on is the smaller and less smelly stools as digestion improves, this is because there are no grains or fillers in raw dog food so there’s less waste to come out the other end! (4) This also helps express dogs’ anal glands, preventing blockages .
How Bella+Duke raw dog food supports healthy dog poos
Have a look at some of our fantastic reviews from customers whose dogs we supported with poo issues.
Want to learn more about Bella+Duke?
Discover Our Raw Dog FoodReferences
- Hemida, M., Vuori, K. A., Moore, R., Anturaniemi, J., & Hielm-Björkman, A. (2021). Early Life Modifiable Exposures and Their Association With Owner Reported Inflammatory Bowel Disease Symptoms in Adult Dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 552350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.552350
- Acheampong, O. D., Ofori, E. K., Johnson, S. A., Egyam, B. C., Asare-Dompreh, K., Amponsah, S. K., & Asare-Anane, H. (2024). Diagnostic utility of selected faecal biochemical parameters in the determination of acute diarrhoea and associated defecation stooling characteristics in dogs: An observational study. Veterinary and Animal Science, 24, 100353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vas.2024.100353
- Heikkilä, T., Pernu, N., Kovanen, S., & Kivistö, R. (2017). Raw Meat-Based Diets in Dogs and Cats. Veterinary Sciences, 4(3), 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci4030033
- M. Hemida, M. B., Salin, S., Vuori, K. A., Moore, R., Anturaniemi, J., Rosendahl, S., Barrouin-Melo, S. M., & Hielm-Björkman, A. (2021). Puppyhood diet as a factor in the development of owner-reported allergy/atopy skin signs in adult dogs in Finland. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 35(5), 2374-2383. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16211
FAQs
Should a dog's poop be wet or dry?
A healthy dog poo should not be too wet or too dry – somewhere in the middle of those two would be ideal.
Should dog poop be soft or firm?
Again, you don’t want the poo to be too soft or too firm so somewhere in the middle would be ideal.
When should I be concerned about dog poop?
When anything with the poo changes then you should take notice. This includes the consistency, colour, smell, number of times they pass faeces.
How should I dispose of dog poo?
You should always lift your dogs poo with a poo bag and dispose of this responsibly
Is dog poo bad for your garden?
Dog poo isn’t bad for the garden but it can spread pathogens and parasites so it’s always safer to lift it and dispose of it safely.
Why is my dog’s poo suddenly soft?
There could be several reasons for this including; an upset tummy, they may have eaten something that didn’t agree with them or they could have a parasite infestation.
How can I firm up my dog’s poo?
Putting them on a species appropriate diet such as raw food may help firm up your dogs poo. You can increase their fibre intake by adding in beneficial nutrients such as pumpkin or psyllium husk.
Is it normal to see mucus in my dog’s poo?
No, this isn’t normal but it might not be anything to be concerned about. Monitor your dog and if they have any other symptoms or it doesn’t clear up in a day or two then get in contact with your vet.
What does raw-fed dog poo look like?
This poo is usually a lot smaller in size, firmer in consistency and less smelly than kibble and canned fed dogs have.
