A few words about WHAT no one wants to talk about

Normal? What is normal?
Normal dog poop should be soft but firm. The color is determined by the dog's diet: medium brown to almost black is normal. The more meat in the diet, the softer and darker the poop. If you want to harden your dog's poop, the easiest way is to add extra bones. It is quite normal to occasionally find a grayish mucus sac around your dog's poop: this is old mucus that the intestines secrete every few months. It is also normal to see vegetable remains in the poop. These are vegetable remains that the dog has not digested, but which help stimulate the mechanical function of the intestines.

Reasons to be “firm”
It’s important for your dog to regularly pass relatively firm (even quite hard) poop. Why? Dogs have two anal glands located under their tails. When dogs poop, they release a special scent that allows them to mark their territory and identify themselves to other dogs. Normally, dog poop is firm, and the anal glands squeeze easily during a bowel movement (lubricating the anus in the process). When a dog’s poop is soft for a long time, there may not be enough pressure on the glands, which can result in them not being emptied. This can be uncomfortable! If you notice your dog “sliding their butt” across the floor, it could be because their anal glands are full.

STOOL GUIDE:

• Very dark or black. This usually indicates a high meat content in the diet, especially liver and other offal products.
• Grayish. This is usually the result of grain and/or processed food.
• Light gray. This may be caused by liver or pancreatic problems, so it is worth consulting a veterinarian.
• Greasy. When dogs have pancreatic problems, they are no longer able to digest fats effectively. Greasy, sour-smelling stools can indicate pancreatic problems. Consult a veterinarian.
• Foamy. This can be a sign of an intestinal infection. Again, consulting a veterinarian is recommended.
• Hard. If your dog is fed a processed food, this is the result of one of the ingredients included to keep the stool firm. If your dog is fed a fresh, unprocessed food, hard stool is usually the result of the correct proportion of bone.
• Blood in the stool. Blood in the stool can be due to anything from intestinal parasites (such as worms) to simply having stool that is too hard. If you can, it is best to take a “sample” (sorry!) and show it to your vet. Remember that the blood may not be red. If it is not fresh, it may appear almost black.
• Soft and runny. Soft, runny or watery stool is not necessarily something to worry about unless it lasts for several days or you are seeing other symptoms (such as blood in the stool or vomiting) along with it. When a dog changes their diet or eats something they can't digest, it's normal for their stool to be soft, loose, or watery.

When to worry about diarrhea?

• If your dog has diarrhea for more than three days or if he has diarrhea every few days regularly.
• If your dog has diarrhea along with another symptom, such as: blood in the stool, vomiting, fever, or behavioral changes.

In these cases, you should consult your veterinarian.

Why does raw, unprocessed food produce much less feces?

Mogens Eliasen, RAW nutrition expert, has published information on the amount of feces compared to the amount of food consumed. Meat, offal and animal fats are almost completely digestible: the amount of feces will reflect between 2 and 7 percent of the food consumed. Fruits and vegetables create about 30-60 percent of waste. Dry food, on the other hand, creates 60-80 percent of waste. This is because dogs can absorb a lot of nutrients from meat, organs and animal fats, but not from processed food.

Good news for your garden
Naturally fed dogs leave less feces, and what they do leave behind decomposes quickly. Since such feces do not contain harmful chemicals, they will not damage your lawn.