# Poop Shape - Need Comparison



## The Stig (Oct 11, 2007)

Tried to Google and do a site-on 'search' on raw-fed dog poop shapes, and came up with nothing. I just need some comparison ... 

OK, so you know how the average dog poop looks like, right? 

Well, my pup has the K9 equivalent of rabbit turds. Her poops are a healthy consistency, well-formed yet squishes like Play-Doh when pressed (in the bag) with a good colour. But they do not come out in long logs. In fact, they are usually in 'pellets' ... oblong-shaped pellets that resembles baby-cut carrots. Occasionally, her poop comes like like the normal logs. 

No change in diet in either case of bowel movements. Poops do not smell, I can put my nose a few inches from it and it just smells ... like earth. There is no straining either. 

It just hit me today that she really has some dinky poops for a German Shepherd. And I wonder if I am doing something wrong. 

In the past, when I didn't give enough MM, her poops would come out 'boney' and in that pellet shape. But since finding the balance for her meat to bone ratio, the consistency is fine. But the shapes never changed back to the regular poop logs.

Is it still an indication of too much bone?!! It is nearly 50-50 for her.

Maybe I should add some psyllium? Or is it just ... how her poops are shaped? 

I will try to take a pic so you can see, and try to place a quarter next to it for size.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

One of the benefits of raw is that the dogs utilize almost everything they eat! What comes out is true waste - so there isn't very much of it!!

FTA: Prior to being diagnosed with rectal cancer Riggs has small poops that were more like balls than logs.










I can't use Riggs' poop as comparison because he's on a no-bone diet and his poops are very loose.

But I can take a picture of my Cocker Spaniels poop or the Corgi mix. My neighbors already think I nuts!









I can tell you that when I'm around kibble fed poop I want to gag - the STINK is SO awful!!


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## midnight804 (Jun 13, 2008)

my boys poops have become smaller. after a week on raw I'd bet his poops were 50% smaller. I was a bit shocked at first but it makes sense...without all the grain based undigestables theres less waste materials to form the poops. I just started so RAW so I am by no means an expert, but I don't mind the smaller poops. Less for me to carry


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

Because we are doing RAW patties in the morning and kibble at night until today. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! His poops start as carrot shaped turds and then usually more of a log for the last bit. It does still smell some because of the kibble.


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## The Stig (Oct 11, 2007)

Just a little history on Janka - 

She is 10 months old, and was weaned onto raw & kibble at her breeder's. I continued the trend after bringing her home but Janka was on a predominantly raw diet by 4 months old. She still gets kibble (TOTW) couple of times a month, when I forget to thaw her food in time.

I think the baby-carrot poops began ... um, well ... months ago when I cut back her kibble from 2 -3 times a week to 2 - 3 times a month. But I just never really thought about it, until this morning when I saw a pile of kibble poop while walking her. 

But yeah, the stink of kibble poop is AWFUL. We had to put her on dry food when we holiday-ed in Vegas a while ago. We fed her Wellness, and her BMs were HUGE and smelly. It was an unpleasant surprise to see the vast difference. Even my normally unobservant husband made a comment about it.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Usually Risa has smallish poops when she has had too much bone. She had some the other day that were about grape-sized because she'd eaten a fairly boney meal. When she has the perfect mix of bone and meat, her poos are more log-like. Granted, her poop has just recently normalized after a long stretch of diarrhea and yo-yo poop. Ugh.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

I'm just so scared somebuddy artistic like Jamie might do, like, a fully illustrated CHART or somethin'.. or maybe "Field Guide to Raw-fed Dog's Poops!"


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## kutzro357 (Jan 15, 2002)

I have one that drops a bunch of small poop balls, one that drops nice little logs tapered at both ends and one that does big logs tapered at both ends. You want either a rounded or tapered end or their butt will slam shut. LMAO hope that helps.


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## CherryCola (Apr 24, 2006)

My girl is raw fed and her poops tend to be large and are usually sorta two big logs..







Occasionally they're huuuuge. She did one at the park the other day that I couldn't fit in the poop bag.







But I had noticed that bone does make a difference. She had extra bone last week and her poops were just like a couple of grapes.. So I won't be doing that again - I think she was a little constipated too









So all in all I'm not sure.. I was thinking perhaps you're still feeding a little too much bone?


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: BrightelfI'm just so scared somebuddy artistic like Jamie might do, like, a fully illustrated CHART or somethin'.. or maybe "Field Guide to Raw-fed Dog's Poops!"










I was almost thinking I was going to open this thread to pictures







Glad there isn't any


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

Brenna's vary. I think a lot of it depends on volume. Once in a while I forget to thaw her food or I wake up late in the morning so that afternoon she gets 2-2.5 lbs at once instead of 1-1.25 lb 2x/day. This will usually produce a bigger log, comparable to the size her poo was on kibble, but a different consistency. (Hence why she is on raw) Sometimes she has such small poops it astounds me...Surely you jest, where's the rest of it?









Lauri, I should take a pic of Brenna's poo...My neighbors must think I'm nuts as well! At night Brenna waits until after dark to poo, so I have to go on poo patrol with a flash light, stalking her around the yard until she squats for me...Then there is the poke test (using a stick of course) to check consistency. Hmmm I guess I'm kind of anal about my poop patrol.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

I don't think I'm quite bad enough to draw pictures of poop. . .but I have been tempted to photograph for comparison.

For everyone's sake, however, I think I'll keep my Risa Poop Journal in my head.


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## tspiker03 (Sep 15, 2008)

Oh, no, I think we need to do a comparison between Janka and Risa's poop. Everyone take their cameras with them on their walk tonite.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Don't forget to mention "Stealth Poop." You know what I'm talking about-- when they get too little food and too much bone in the beginning as you're learning, and there's almost nothing but a few pieces of bone dust. Cos it's the first few days of raw poops, you put your hand in the doggy-pick-up bag and try finding it via the Braille system.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Ahhh the dust poops. Ris had those. Strain. . .strain. . .*Poof!*









I couldn't have gotten a picture of Ris' poop today. She had some yucky diarrhea the last two days so I fasted her last night. Wasn't much to bag up on our walk today!


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## The Stig (Oct 11, 2007)

*Poop Face!*



> Originally Posted By: tspiker03Oh, no, I think we need to do a comparison between Janka and Risa's poop. Everyone take their cameras with them on their walk tonite.


'Sup T-dude! 

So, I took a pic of Janka's doodie this evening, and it so happens it came out as a smiley face! So awesome. This is how her logs look, but this one is a little less than usual. It usually has a couple more rabbitty logs ... I placed a nickel next to it for comparison. So dinky!


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

*Re: Poop Face!*

Okay, I *really* didn't want to be the first to reply to a poop picture, but. . .

I think it is *really* small. Penny's are small but not that small. The stool should be firm, but not so hard and small that the dog is straining to eliminate. Does the dog strain to go?

Not too sure about size, but what jumped out to me was the color- very dark. Feeding liver can make the stool very dark or black stool can be indicative of bleeding in the upper intestinal tract. . .had you fed a lot of liver previous of the picture?


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: The Stig
> Is it still an indication of too much bone?!! It is nearly 50-50 for her.


Some bones are bonier than other. What bones do you primarily feed?


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

That's what I thought, Natalie. Really really dark poops. I know Ris occasionally gets really dark ones after eating organ meats or red meats. But her normal poops are light to medium-brown.


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## The Stig (Oct 11, 2007)

I wrote that she does not strain when she goes to the bathroom. I also indicated that with this poop picture, the BM was smaller than usual.

It looks super dark because I took it at night, without flash. I used Auto-Correct and the pine shavings ended up lighter while the poop turned out darker. I am aware that very dark to black poops might indicate internal bleeding, but I can assure you this is not the case. Her poop colour much depend on her diet, and she has been having quite a bit of emu MM and beef chubs.

If her RMBs tend to be bonier, I up the MM to 50-50. My ratio is based on common sense, observation and knowing my dog's digestive system.

Thank you for your observations, and your concern. I am not new at dealing with natural diet nor oblivious to warning signs. I was wondering if other dogs had similarly-shaped logs, since Janka's poops are shaped such and yet have a healthy consistency, as I have mentioned earlier. 

Appreciate everyone's comments.


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

Well good, sounds like you have it all figured out


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