What does green dog poop mean? Expert Advice

But sometimes, green dog poop is a sign of something serious.

A scarier situation is if the green pigment is present due to your dog ingesting certain toxins. “A very dangerous pigment that can pass through is the pigment that’s used in rodenticides,” Dr. Jensen explains. Rodenticide (rat poison) can contain blue pigments as well as green.

If your dog has not ingested a pigment that is tinting his poop green, then the poop might indicate a health problem. “The second reason that feces will be green is because of altered absorption in the intestinal tract,” Dr. Jensen explains. “There’s a very important digestive juice called bile that has pigment to it. That pigment is usually resorbed, mostly in the colon, and recycled and reused. Sometimes with colitis — inflammation in the intestinal tract — the pigment will not be resorbed and it will pass through in the feces.”

Why is My Dog’s Poop Green?

Some common reasons that your dog might have green poop include:

They ate grass

Parasites are present

They have gastroenteritis

They are not absorbing their food properly

They ate something with green dye

They’ve been exposed to a toxin (like rat poison)

Paying attention to your dog’s other potential symptoms is important when it comes to helping your veterinarian determine the underlying reason for a change in stool color.

“If you know your dog ate something toxic or they are showing other signs of illness, such as vomiting, lethargy and not eating, it would be best for your dog to see a veterinarian,” says Dr. Ochoa. On the other hand, “most dogs that eat grass will act totally normal, other than having this green stool.”

If you are ever worried about your dog’s change in stool, or if they’re exhibiting other symptoms mentioned above or you believe they could have been exposed to a toxin, call your veterinarian.

Depending on the reason for your dog’s change in stool color, they may exhibit other changes in their bowel movements, as well. Some additional characteristics to pay attention to that may be present with green poop include:

Mucus and slime: These could be signs of gastroenteritis, which is an infection in the GI tract.

Soft, runny, and watery: Soft dog poop that has the consistency of diarrhea is also a sign that something more is going on with your dog’s stool. If this is happening, it’s unlikely your dog just ate something green and you should take your dog to the vet.

Crumbly: Stool that is too dry could mean your dog is constipated, says Dr. Carlson, or they may have eaten bones.

Chalky: Many dogs with chalky stool can have a malabsorption disease, says Dr. Ochoa. “This occurs when their body is lacking certain enzymes needed to break down their food, leading to chalky stool. They also will be very skinny, despite eating very well.”

Hard: Hard stool often means that a dog is dehydrated. “If they are not drinking enough water, there is not enough water to put into their stool to make it a normal consistency,” says Dr. Ochoa.

Different colors of green (including dark, bright, and light green, as well as yellow-green): It’s not uncommon for a dog’s poop to change different shades of green depending on what they ate, particularly when new foods are introduced.

The importance of transit time

If the intestinal contents move through the intestines more quickly than normal, the green bile pigments from the liver may not undergo the normal breakdown by the gut bacteria, and therefore may not change from green to brown. Green discolouration is therefore very common in combination with loose poo or diarrhoea; where intestinal contents move very quickly through the gut.

Dog Poop Color Chart: What It All Means

Picking up your dog’s poop may not be the most enjoyable part of your day, but if you know what to look for, your pet’s stool can be a useful indicator of their intestinal health.

Use our dog poop color chart to help identify potential health concerns your dog might be facing.