Learning about your pups poops!

What does our dogs poop tell us about their health?

What is your dogs poo like? Is your dog pooping lots on every walk? Is cleaning up after them a mess? Do they have a runny tummy or soft slops!?

Did you know your dogs diet could be the reason?

 

Here are 5 tips to help get the perfect poop!

The main thing to consider when it comes to our dogs poop is that it is directly influenced by our dogs diet and digestion. It makes sense that what we put in out dog directly impacts what comes out!

 

If we are feeding a food that contains fillers, such as grains or meat derivatives, this works exactly as it sounds! A filler- It is just bulking out the food as the dogs cannot digest or get nutrients from it, meaning you get a large quantity of waste out the other end.

 

When choosing a food for our dogs we need to make sure that all the ingredients are natural, with a high percentage of meat and the rest compromising of vegetables and minerals. Our dogs food should not contain any artificial colourings, fillers, sugars or additives.

 

If we feed a higher quality food, where all the ingredients are naturally digestible, it makes sense that there is less waste product for us to pick up after our dogs.

We also need to be mindful that the amount of food we give impacts the amount that comes out! Overfeeding our dogs causes softer and larger quantises of poo, and it can be very easy to accidently overfeed, particularly if your dog is fed a dry food diet. Make sure to weigh out your dogs food every meal, this also helps to prevent weight gain and keep them at a healthy weight.

Did you know some protein is easier on the gut than others? Meats that are naturally high in inflammatory omega 6’s can cause a little extra strain on the digestive system, and as a result can cause a runny tummy- Chicken and beef are examples of these. Look for proteins that are less inflammatory and gentle on the gut- good choices are turkey, white fish such as haddock, Game- like rabbit or venison, or even pork!

If your dog has had sloppy poos for a while, you might need to add some supplements to their diet to help kick start a healthy digestive system. Treebarks powder is an excellent and fully natural go to that lines the gut, slows down the digestive system, enabling food to be digested and firms up what comes out the other end. It can be fed while transitioning to a new food or to help settle the gut, and can be fed long term if our dogs need that extra support.

If you have read the list, looked at your dogs diet and realise that you need to make a change, then we can help. Natural Choice Pet Foods have lots of healthy food options for your dog to help create a healthier digestive system, and in turn a better poop!

 

If you are looking at a dry food, then Natural Choice Pet Foods Grain Free is a good option as it contains no grains, additives, fillers or bulk- only fresh, easily digestible ingredients. Available in a variety of flavours, including easily digestible options like Turkey or Rabbit 

 

Wet food options such as Forthglade and Natures Menu are worth looking at, as again these come in a selection of proteins and are made from all natural ingredients.

 

Last but not least, we also have a selection of Raw Food. Naked Dog is our most popular brand- with Game flavours available.

 

Remember, all dogs are different, so some of our pooches might only be pooping once or twice, with others pooing four or so times. We are aiming for our dogs poop to be a firm log that can be picked up in a poo bag without falling apart. A slight variation in poop consistency day to day is normal and nothing to worry about. If your dog has consistently upset tummies do take them to a vet to make sure there is nothing more serious going on.