Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 39F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 39F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Poop, poop, poop. Why does Spring mean poop? Well, for those of you that haven’t religiously picked up poop all winter (OK, that’s all of us) and have dogs, you have probably discovered a large amount of dog poop in various stages of melting in your yard. We curse this springtime chore because scooping up liquifying old dog poop is no one’s idea of fun. However, poop in our pets is so important and one of the things that can tell us a snapshot of their health.

My friends and clients always apologize for sending/showing me pictures of poop. Let this be a blanket statement to never fear. I almost always liken poop consistency to types of food when talking about it and accept talking about pet poop as a cornerstone of my career. This does not apply to humans over the age of about 5, just as a blanket warning. There is a reason that MDs make more money than I do, and I am sure that talking about human poop is one.

I am always surprised when I ask someone about their pet’s poop, and they mention that it has been abnormal for a long amount of time. Let me assure you that annual physical exams exist for the purpose of talking about things that have changed but might not be an emergency. If you switched food and your dog went from pooping once a day to five times a day, tell me. If they are straining, leaving abnormally colored poop, making strange sounds, or pooping outside the litter box I want to know! Basically, if anything has changed with their poop (even if it is for the better!) please tell me. These are important medical things to have in the record.

Looser stools can mean a million (ish) things, and most of the time it is important to treat but doesn’t warrant a health overhaul. It can mean that your pet got into something, but it can also be a passing thing. I worry a little bit more about diarrhea in cats because it is less common. My treatment of this depends on the severity. I always like to get these guys rehydrated. They lose a ton of liquid in diarrhea and as long as the gastrointestinal tract is altered, we don’t want them just drinking water to try to balance that. Diarrhea leads to lots of cramps and discomfort, so I like to help with inflammation and pain in the GI tract. After that, I will do various things to resolve diarrhea.

A bout of diarrhea here and there isn’t the end of the world. However, it can mean a lot of things if it is chronic. Often there is food intolerance. I do like owners to speak to their veterinarian about guidance on this because figuring out how to treat them can be an ongoing process. Just blaming wheat or chicken is much much harder on pets and typically we need to start a very strict controlled diet then branch out.

One thing that diarrhea often brings is blood in the stool. This is super alarming to people, but actually not a big cause for panic. Certainly, a lot of blood must be addressed and can be a sign that diarrhea is serious enough to require hospitalization and more intensive treatment. While I firmly believe that all diarrhea warrants a call to your veterinarian, seeing a little bit of blood in diarrhea or loose stool is rarely an emergency (although it feels like it should be!)

Constipation in dogs is rare and usually due to something they ate that they shouldn’t have. Usually, when people think their dogs are constipated, they are actually straining with diarrhea. If you think your dog is constipated keep a close eye on their poops regardless, but most often you’ll see diarrhea.

Constipation in cats is a huge deal. Cats get constipated more frequently than dogs, and it can permanently alter their colon health. If you don’t see cat poop in the box for more than the usual amount of time, please call us. Early constipation can be treated much more easily than after they have a lot of very hard poop in them (not to mention the discomfort!) Oddly enough, many owners often bring their cats in for vomiting, and they are actually constipated. If you have multiple cats or an outdoor cat, it can be very hard to track their bowel movements. For this reason, I urge owners to let us know at early changes in cat attitude, appetite or bathroom habits.

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