Poo’s come in many different forms… the well behaved poo is easy to pass, well formed, not too whiffy and very simple to collect in a poobag and dispose of accordingly.
Possible Natural Causes
Softer poos may relate to where you are walking your dog…are they a bit thrilled with the walk you’re having and it has an effect on their tummy? Or have possibly ingested a bit of sand and saltwater if on the beach catching a ball?
A change in diet can easily cause a bit of digestive upset. Remember any new change in food, no matter what the food, should be gradually introduced over 7-10 days. Slowly introduce the new food and decease the existing food.
When to be concerned
A lot of patients present with soft, blood tinged, mucousy stools, now is the time to contact your vet… We can normally treat these issues quickly. It may just be a food intolerance and we can recommend an alternative diet… but if diarrhoea is presenting in your pup or older dog it can contribute to serious dehydration and we may need to help them very quickly.
Puppies can also produce some MAJOR foul smelling soft poos… Puppies are very cute looking but this smell can be atomic. This can be caused by a microscopic parasite called Giardia. Just bring a sample of said smelly poo into your Arkvetcare clinic and we can test it. Needless to say, if you see anything wriggling around in the poo it’s probably a parasite called roundworm. We can give you some medication to prevent that happening again…just ask at reception