# A question about poop size/consistency



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

Hello! 

I wanted to get everyone's opinions on whether or not this is good, bad, or indifferent and if I need to change what I'm feeding my dog as a result. 

I'm currently feeding my 65 lb male GSD Nature's Variety Instinct. I rotate between flavors of the dry kibble and cans. He gets 3/4 cup of kibble and 1/4 of a large can per meal (1 1/2 cups of kibble & 1/2 a large can each day). He seems to be doing fine on it and it's the first kibble he's actually wanted to eat straight out of the bag.  My only concern is his poop. They tend to be small, hard little nuggets. One of my friends is telling me that's a sign he's constipated, but another friend is telling me that poop like that is good and that is what raw fed dogs' poop is like (Instinct has dehydrated raw and ground bone in their kibble) So I'm really confused. They are literally small, firm, nuggets, about 1 1/2-2" in length and 1" in diameter. Sometimes he'll have bigger "logs", but there are always those little nuggets. 

Is that OK? Or is he constipated??? 


If that is a sign of constipation, I would switch him to a different food, but if it's normal and not an issue, then I'd like to keep him on NV Instinct because he likes it so much. 


Thoughts??


----------



## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

If you really want a good answer, post a picture of it. It's a dog forum, so a picture of poop shouldn't be a problem


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

My dogs eat California Natural and poop firm, small nuggets as well. As long as I don't see them straining to poop, I don't think it's a problem. They are easy to pick up, barely smell, and break down very quickly if I miss them. Any other kibble my dogs eat, they poop a lot more and some kibbles I won't feed because the poop is so smelly (I know, I know, it's POOP!).


----------



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

Ok.. you asked for it.  Please pay no attention to the location in which the poop resides. My dog is weird and he backed his butt up to a guard rail post and his aim was pretty darn good.  Oh, and I apologize for the picture being sideways.. That's just how my phone emails pictures.


----------



## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

I cant view the picture LOL


----------



## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

I can't see the pic - darn, lol! I'm feeding Acana lamb, and when I used the search function to find out what other people thought about this kibble, many said their dogs were constipated on it. I'm adding pumpkin and my puppy's stools are great. Maybe some pumpkin added to yours would help?


----------



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

Ok, I must not know how to insert pictures.. I saved it to my computer, but when I do the "insert picture" option, it's asking for a web address... ???? How on earth do I insert a picture that isn't posted on a website somewhere, but rather is saved to my computer???


----------



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

Nevermind!! Figured it out!


----------



## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

LMAO! :rofl:That is the best pooping spot EVER. Also, poop looks firm and healthy to me.


----------



## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

What a great picture! LOL!


----------



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

Mrs.K said:


> LMAO! :rofl:That is the best pooping spot EVER. Also, poop looks firm and healthy to me.



I know!! My dog is a total weirdo! He insists on pooping in some very strange places!! That's actually why I even took the picture in the first place! His chosen location that day was priceless! 


But you don't think I should be concerned that it's mostly just small nuggets like that? I guess I'm just used to seeing the big 'ole logs that other dogs produce, so I wasn't sure if these nuggets should be of concern.


----------



## cci058 (Nov 18, 2011)

I don't think there is anything to worry about. Remember "less in, less out." On a high quality kibble, the photo you posted is exactly what I would expect to see. In my opinion, it looks great! LOL It means the dog is absorbing the nutrients from the food and not producing as much waste because there isn't too much "bad stuff" in it that is just passing through. I agree, if the dog isn't straining, no worries. If my pup's poop looks different that what you posted, I start to watch more closely. Its my goal to keep hers looking like that!!


----------



## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

vickip9 said:


> Nevermind!! Figured it out!
> 
> 
> View attachment 50210


I guess the Easter Bunny left you the equivalent of the proverbial coal in the stocking...


----------



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

What would you consider straining? It does take him a few seconds (Maybe 3-5) of pushing before anything starts to come out. And he sometimes will take a step or two during the process as if to help it along. I honestly have never had a dog poop little nuggets like this, so I have no idea what constipation even looks like.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Yup that's what our poop looks like! Sometimes I think it's a little hard for Coke, like if he strains for 5+ seconds before any poop comes out. If so I give a bit more of something else to soften it up (fish oil, coconut oil, a raw egg, cottage cheese....) but most times ours looks just like that and both dogs are fine.


----------



## kiya (May 3, 2010)

OMG! Only I would read a poop thread while eating my lunch! I laughed so hard when I saw the poop literaly on a "post" I almost choked!
But getting back to "business" nice color, nice texture, your dogs poops are small but good by my standards.


----------



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

Ok, this is all wonderful to hear!! I'm glad that it's normal and looks good (well, as good as poop could possibly look)! Now, to address his chosen poop locations, that's a different thread entirely! 


Thank you all so much for your help!


----------



## kiya (May 3, 2010)

As long as it's outside that's half the battle!


----------



## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

That picture is hilarious!!

Those look just like my dogs' poops, the ones I strive for. I, too, just watch for straining, and if seems to be taking them too much effort to have a movement, I up the organ meats, fish oil, etc., and skip the bones for a couple of days.


----------



## SusiQ (Jul 27, 2007)

My male walks and poops, walks and poops as well. maybe it's a "guy" thing!


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Anytime someone gives you a hard time about the amount of money you spend on kibble, show them that picture. Less waste means the dog is absorbing the food the way it's intended. 

Sometimes you can tell when a dog is straining when they pump their tail as they attempt to go. My male GSD 'marks' with his poop. He never leaves it in an easy little pile. He'll walk and leave nuggets in a line. 

I suspect my neighbors think I'm weird because I actually watch my dogs poop. You can really tell alot by their poopy habits.


----------



## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

I was thinking about starting a show me you're dog pooing thread. I actually take pictures of them pooing...weird???

This thread is awesome c:


----------



## trudy (Aug 25, 2008)

poop looks good but my concern is that isn't enough food, less than 2 cups/day to my mind isn't enough unless your dog is very inactive, my female about 60 pounds needs 3-3.5 cups or she is a bone rack, she is very active and not large but still.....my male needs 4 cups/day, oh yeah that is on Acana or Origen so high quality food too


----------



## BonnieB. (Feb 13, 2013)

Dr. Oz would love this!


----------



## cci058 (Nov 18, 2011)

"3-5 seconds before he actually goes and sort of stepping while he goes to help it along...." all very normal to me. Maverick does the same thing. I wouldn't have any concerns at all. And my husband thinks I'm the only one who is a poop watcher !  LOL


----------



## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

I wish you'd captured your pup pooing in that spot. Looks like a literal PITA to go there...

Seriously though... Would it be weird to do a show me your dog pooping thread? I'd get a kick out of it but is it too weird/offensive???


----------



## vickip9 (Mar 28, 2012)

trudy said:


> poop looks good but my concern is that isn't enough food, less than 2 cups/day to my mind isn't enough unless your dog is very inactive, my female about 60 pounds needs 3-3.5 cups or she is a bone rack, she is very active and not large but still.....my male needs 4 cups/day, oh yeah that is on Acana or Origen so high quality food too



Well, I originally thought that as well. To me, 3/4 cup of dry and 1/4 can of wet per meal doesn't seem like very much at all. However, I feed Nature's Variety, and I used their feeding calculator to determine what I should be feeding him, and that is EXACTLY the figures it returned. My boy is on the petite side (65 lbs), and really isn't all that active. He literally lays around all day for 9 hours or so while I'm at work, and then when I get home, I take him for a 4 mile walk, we might do some training after, but then it's back to lounging around. He's not a super active dog. And he's the ONLY dog, so he's not up and playing with other dogs during the day. Based on those criteria, I used NV's feeding calculator, entered his weight of 65lbs, entered his activity level as "average activity" (which even that may be a stretch because aside from the 4 mile walk, he's really not active), and then entered that I rotate varieties so they could give an average.. And it popped out that I should be feeding 1 1/2 cups of kibble per day and 6.3 oz of wet per day. Which is exactly what I give him.  Keep in mind, he does get training treats on the days we train along with a Z-bone for his teeth every other day or so. So those are added calories as well. I've been following this regimen for about 4 months or so and he has maintained weight excellently. Oh, and he does get the occasional "cleaning of the cat bowl" when it has some food left. And he frequently sucks up the cat kibble escapees that have jumped out of the cat's bowl and settled on the counter. But, in general, at 1 1/2 cups of kibble & 1/2 of a 13 oz can of wet per day, he has maintained his svelte 65 lb frame beautifully.


----------



## vukc (Dec 22, 2009)

Hi there,

What a coincidence, I also recently (7 days ago) switched my dogs food to Natures Variety Instinct LID Lamb (dry kibble). 70 pounds, 15 months old male GSD.

I was feeding him, up to this point with ACANA Large Breed Puppy (first 3-4 months), ACANA Pacifica and Orijen 6 Fish until recently.
Reason for the switch was the stool inconsistency and not gaining any weight for the last 3 month. His stool would be fine for 3 weeks and then he would get running stools for 2-3 days. Obviously he was tested for worms 3-4 times in last 3 months as well as Giardia (flotation and SNAP test) which all came back negative. We also did a blood TLI test just to rule out EPI. His results were in the normal range, so no EPI. 
To make this story short, he was pretty much cold switched to Natures Variety Instinct LID Lamb and his stools since the switch have become rock solid and not large in size for the last 7 days. As the original poster describes, little hard nuggets. His bowel movements are 2, sometimes 3 times in 24 hours. He is being feed 4 1/4 cups of food once per day. He is an outside, active dog.

What I did notice beside the (IMHO) positive(?) stool improvement is the increased intake of water. Just this morning (without any increased activity) he gulped down almost 2 liters (0.27 gallons) of water. The weather here is currently around 0 Celsius (32 F).

Now the questions:

If you are feeding Natures Variety LID (dry kibble) what are you experiences with stools and amount of water intake? Should I be worried about the increased water intake? I notice that the calcium levels in this food are well above 2%, should I be worried about that at this point of my dogs age? What is your experience and what do you think about inclusion of Montmorillonite Clay in the dogs food (listed as the 6th ingredient in this type of food)?

Thank you all.


----------

