How can I tell if my dog has something stuck in his stomach?
Most pets that have ingested a foreign body will exhibit some of these clinical signs:
Again, if your dog is having problems getting their poop out, it’s a very good idea to go to the vet. A trained professional is best qualified to safely address this issue. Never attempt to pull stool out on your own, as you could seriously injure your dog. However, in addition to going to the vet, there is a home remedy you can try to give your dog some relief.
Occasionally dogs will have digestive issues that prevent them from appropriately finishing a bowel movement, resulting in some feces remaining stuck in their anus. This uncomfortable situation can be a sign of constipation. A constipated pet is an unhappy pet, and it’s up to you as a trusted human to help your friend finish relieving themselves.
Dogs who are dehydrated can suffer from constipation. This is because they need water to break down their food. With too little water, dogs’ digestion can slow and cause very compact, hard stool to form. The dog can then struggle to pass this stool, resulting in it sticking halfway out of their rectum.
Dogs who eat items like string, grass, hair, or pieces of toys may end up with part of their poop stuck or dangling. If you see string, hair, or grass poking out of the stuck feces, do not attempt to pull on it. These items can cause internal damage if they are twisted around the intestines. If the stool isn’t coming out on its own, contact a veterinarian.
Have you ever watched your beloved dog try to do their business, only to find that they can’t finish the job? It can be frustrating when your pup’s poop gets stuck halfway out, but there are ways that you can help.
My Dog Ate a Popsicle Stick – What Should I Do??
Do you know for a fact that your dog ate a popsicle stick?
If so, here’s what to do:
Most of the time, a dog should pass a swallowed object in 24–48 hours, but it could take up to several weeks.
Some veterinarians will recommend you feed your dog some white rice or white bread, which can bind around the object and help it pass.
This is not strictly necessary, but it’s something to discuss with your vet.
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One of the more unpleasant chores associated with pet parenting is picking up dog poop, but it actually presents a useful opportunity to gather information about your fur kid’s health. Next time you are cleaning up after your dog, take a moment to examine what he or she is producing. If you notice any of the following, your dog’s health could be at risk. : Boyan Dimitrov / Shutterstock Blood
Bright red blood is an obvious cause for alarm. It can be a sign of potentially serious problems affecting the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract or tissues around the anus. Many diseases can lead to bloody stools including constipation, anal gland rupture, intestinal foreign bodies, parvovirus, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, infections, inflammatory disorders, perianal fistulas, coagulopathies and cancer.
If you notice a small amount of blood in your dog’s stool but it otherwise looks normal and your dog seems to feel fine, a wait-and-see approach is reasonable, but if the bloody stools continue and/or your dog starts to act sick in any way, make an appointment with your veterinarian.
When dogs bleed from the upper gastrointestinal tract or swallow blood, the digestive tract partially digests the blood, making their stools dark and tarry. This is called melena. Melena has many potential causes including gastrointestinal ulcers, foreign bodies, cancer, blood clotting disorders, and respiratory diseases that cause dogs to cough up and/or swallow blood.
Small amounts of digested blood are hard to see in normally brown dog poop. Therefore, if your dog has enough blood in his stool to make it dark and tarry, call your veterinarian as soon as possible. : melis / Shutterstock Mucus
A dog’s intestinal tract produces mucus to help move poop along and to protect its delicate tissues. Normally, mucus is not visible on dog poop, but every now and then dogs will produce so much mucus that their poop becomes a slimy mess. Anything that is irritating to the intestinal tract can cause mucus production to increase, including intestinal parasites, foreign material, infections, dietary intolerances or allergies, inflammatory disorders and tumors.
If a healthy dog has one or two mucus-covered poops that resolve on their own, you don’t need to worry. However, if the problem continues for a few days or is associated with signs of illness or discomfort, make a call to your veterinarian. : Yellowj / ShutterstockWorms
Intestinal worms are usually not visible in a dog’s stool. While worms are alive, they are very good at staying inside a dog’s body. When just a few die at any given time, the canine digestive tract breaks them down just like it digests food. However, there are two cases when worms are commonly seen in dog poop.
Tapeworms shed body segments as part of their reproductive cycle, and these body segments can look like flattened pieces of rice in a dog’s stool, in the fur around the anus, or on dog bedding. To get rid of tapeworms, give your dog a deworming medication specifically labeled for tapeworms (look for the active ingredients praziquantel, epsiprantel, or fenbendazole) and closely follow the product’s instructions.
After deworming, large numbers of worms may die at one time and be passed from the body in bowel movements. This is nothing to worry about as long as a dog continues to poop without too much straining and seems to feel fine. If, however, your dog’s condition worsens after deworming, call your veterinarian. : Fablok / Shutterstock Toxic Substances
Some types of mouse and rat poison are dyed a bright green color so that they can easily be identified in the environment, or in your dog’s poop. These poisons smell and taste good to attract mice and rats, but unfortunately dogs also see them as a yummy treat. If your dog’s poop is bright green (or if his vomit is similarly colored) make a trip to your veterinarian immediately. Delaying treatment can have fatal consequences. : InBetweentheBlinks / Shutterstock Foreign Materials
Some dogs will chew on and swallow almost anything, which can result in plastic, rubber, rocks, wood, etc. being visible in their poop a few days later. If the pieces are small and soft enough, there is a good chance they will pass through the gastrointestinal tract without causing problems. Larger objects can become lodged along the way, however. If your dog starts vomiting, has a poor appetite, isn’t pooping normally, or seems to be uncomfortable, make an appointment with your veterinarian. : Konstantin Kolosov / ShutterstockUndigested Food
Normal digestion should break down dog food to the point where what comes out in the poop no longer looks like food. If you are seeing what looks like food in your dog’s poop, take notice. Unless you are feeding your dog lots of notoriously hard-to-digest ingredients (like raw carrots or whole corn), their digestive system may not be working properly.
For example, dogs who routinely produce stools that look greasy should be evaluated for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The pancreas is responsible for producing many digestive enzymes, including those that break down fat. When the pancreas isn’t making enough of these enzymes, dietary fat passes through the gastrointestinal tract more or less unchanged and is visible in the stool. : l i g h t p o e t / Shutterstock What Does a Healthy Dog Poop Look Like?
Healthy dog poop can vary a lot from one individual to another due to dietary and digestive differences. What may be normal for one dog can be signs of a problem in another. That said, healthy dog poop is usually some shade of brown, is relatively uniform in consistency and color, and should be firm enough to hold its shape without being so hard as to be difficult to pass. If you monitor your dog’s poop as you clean it up, you’ll get a good idea of what is normal for him. Persistent changes that can’t be explained by a change in diet are worth bringing to your veterinarian’s attention.