The Scoop on Poop: What Dog Poop Tells You

What unites dog owners everywhere? Each of us spends what feels like an inordinate amount of time watching our pets poop… and then carrying their waste around in a little bag until we reach the next garbage can.

It’s a gross but necessary part of being responsible for another living creature. It’s also informative (we can learn a lot about our dogs’ wellbeing by taking a look at their stool) and potentially dangerous (pet waste is a huge environmental pollutant when not properly disposed of).

Here’s the full scoop on your dog’s poop. How do you know if it’s healthy — and how can you keep it from damaging your community?

What can your dog’s stool tell you about their health?

We get it. No one wants to look at their dog’s poop for too long! But don’t dismiss it completely — the color, shape, consistency, size, and contents of your dog’s stool gives you important clues about their digestive health.

Color

A healthy dog’s poop is chocolate brown in color.

If she’s eating foods with intense colors, a few might come through without being cause for concern (a dog who’s recently had canned pumpkin or carrots might show orange tints in her stool, for example).

If she hasn’t had anything unusual, though, waste any shade other than medium brown can indicate a range of health problems:

• Black or maroon stool might be a sign of intestinal bleeding
• Orange can be a sign of liver problems or suggest that your dog’s food moved through her system too quickly
• Yellow might mean your dog has some sort of food intolerance or allergy
• Green could suggest intestinal parasites or excessive grass consumption from an upset stomach
• Gray can be a sign of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)

That’s a long, scary list — but there’s no need to panic if you notice something a little off in your dog’s stool. Take a deep breath, call your vet to discuss next steps, and run through a brief inventory of what she’s been eating lately to help your clinic figure out the cause. While it’s always important to cover our bases, many small variances in dog poop color resolve themselves on their own.

Shape

Your dog’s stool should be shaped like a log. Small pebbles might mean your pup is dehydrated, and formless diarrhea puddles are a sure sign of intestinal upset.

Short chunks that appear otherwise healthy could indicate that your companion is struggling to hold their squat position long enough to eliminate in a single piece. This is typically due to painful joints or sore muscles and is common as our pets age.

Consistency

A healthy dog’s poop is compact and slightly moist. It’s easy to pick up and holds its shape when grabbed — but it’s soft enough that you can squish it a bit like Play-Doh in your hands. (Gross imagery but a good rule of thumb.)

If your dog’s stool is watery, she’s probably experiencing an upset digestive tract. If it’s extremely dry or hard, she might be constipated. These things usually aren’t cause for immediate concern, but if they’re paired with other differences in color or you notice any foreign objects, you should call your veterinary team right away.

Size

Your dog’s poop should be roughly proportionate to the volume of food she regularly consumes. An elderly small breed eating less than a cup of kibble per day will have significantly smaller waste piles than an active German shepherd who consumes more.

There’s one key exception here: Dogs who eat a balanced raw diet often produce significantly less waste than pets on traditional kibble varieties. This is because they absorb more nutrients without added fillers.

You should pay attention if your dog suddenly starts pooping more or less. Smaller stool could indicate a decreased appetite or even a blockage in her digestive system, while a larger-than-normal volume might mean she isn’t processing her food like she should.

Contents

Generally speaking, a healthy dog’s poop is just that: poop. It doesn’t contain any foreign objects like rocks, hair, or pieces of toys. Mucus coatings can indicate a bacterial infection, and worms are particularly concerning — they often appear as small white flecks, sometimes no bigger than a grain of rice.

There’s no need to panic if your pet occasionally eliminates some grass or a stray leaf, though. It’s normal for our four-legged family members to sample nature’s offerings from time to time! Just make sure it isn’t a common occurrence and call your vet if you have any questions.

In summary, the ideal dog poop:

• Is chocolate brown and shaped like a log
• Holds its shape when moved but is slightly soft to the touch
• Roughly matches your dog’s volume of food intake
• Has no mucus, worms, or other external objects

If you notice any abnormalities in your dog’s waste, get in touch with your veterinary team. It might be nothing a few days of a more careful diet won’t fix — or it could warrant a trip into the clinic.

Why is it important to pick up your dog’s poop?

Give dog owners a good name

According to surveys, only about 60% of us dog owners regularly pick up our pets’ waste. It’s no wonder apartment buildings and city parks are cracking down on irresponsible pet ownership — and in many cases even banning companion animals entirely.

Properly disposing of our dogs’ poop is a simple way to be more respectful to our shared communities. When we give dog owners a better name, we maintain more opportunities to enjoy time with our four-legged family members out and about at pet-friendly parks, restaurants, breweries, and more.

Prevent water contamination

Perhaps one reason many pet owners fail to pick up their companions’ waste? There’s a common belief that dog poop is a “natural fertilizer” that will simply decompose or wash away over time. Unfortunately, it’s nothing but a myth.

In reality, our dogs’ waste can take an entire year to completely break down. During that time, rainwater washes poop directly into our drainage systems — where it’s carried right into rivers and lakes. Up to 30% of the bacteria found in watersheds might come from pet waste. It’s one of the top four contributors to contaminated water!

Limit the spread of bacteria and parasites

That contamination is serious because our dogs’ poop contains parasites and bacteria that can spread disease to other pets, wildlife, and even us humans. E. coli, salmonella, and various types of worms are just a few examples — and they can stay in the soil long after the stool has physically broken down, unless it’s properly disposed of right away.

(It’s important to note that even if your dog doesn’t show symptoms of illness, it’s possible for her to spread disease through her waste.)

How can you choose the right dog poop bags?

So it’s important to pick up our dogs’ poop — but dog bags also significantly contribute to plastic waste. Together, owners across the world dispose of about 500 million bags each year! Instead of preventing pollution, traditional bags can create even more issues.

As consumers become more concerned about the environment, many manufacturers are jumping onto the marketing trend of “greenwashing” (claiming their products are safe for the planet when they really aren’t). Sustainable dog owners need to be aware of misleading advertising.

Biodegradable and compostable labels

Biodegradable means that an object can be broken down by bacteria or other living organisms. (Sadly, biodegradable dog poop bags often simply disintegrate into microplastics unless they’re certified compostable.) Compostable means that the material breaks down into all natural elements, which are often used as a fertilizer.

Both biodegradable and compostable dog bags require an environment with plenty of oxygen in order to fully decompose. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in most landfills — which means that in a practical sense, using a biodegradable or compostable poop bag might not be much better than using a traditional plastic option. (There’s still a better chance of a smaller environmental impact, though, so we shouldn’t write them off completely if they’re our only choice besides traditional plastic.)

Paper dog poop bags and sheets

While biodegradable and compostable waste bags aren’t a perfect solution to pet waste pollution, paper options seem promising. They take some getting used to at first, especially if you go for sheet varieties (which don’t securely close the way classic dog poop bags do) — but you don’t have to worry about them turning into microplastics or sitting “mummified” at the bottom of a landfill heap.

You can even make your own DIY paper dog waste bags out of old newspapers!

It’s important to find what works for you

What does this all mean for us owners? If possible, opt for paper dog poop bags (or even consider reusable options if you’re up for the extra cleaning). If that’s not an option, look for certified compostable plant-based poop bags. Some companies carry both plant-based and traditional plastic choices, so be sure to double check before purchasing!

Above all: What matters most is that 1) your dog’s waste is healthy and 2) you pick it up promptly. If you aren’t able to access more environmentally friendly materials yet, don’t beat yourself up. Keep doing what you can — and encourage your family, friends, and favorite brands to make more sustainable choices in the long run.