Cleaning up after your dog’s bowel movements is one of the responsibilities that come with dog ownership. Chances are good that you don’t think too much about what’s in your dog’s waste apart from disposing of it as quickly as you can. The truth is that you can learn a lot about your dog’s health by taking a moment to look before picking up the production of your dog’s digestive system. It’s not the most pleasant task, but it is a good way to monitor your dog’s health and let you know if you need an appointment with your vet in Bend. Following are things you should look for in your dog’s poop.

1. Blood

Blood, whether it’s bright red or dark, is a sign that your dog is experiencing some type of digestive distress. Bright red blood suggests there’s an issue at or near your dog’s anus that can be anything from constipation to a tear in the skin or a ruptured anal gland. It can also be an indicator of an issue deeper in the intestines. If you’re seeing blood whenever your dog defecates, make an appointment immediately with our Bend vet clinic for treatment.

2. Undigested Pieces of Food

It’s true that there are foods that won’t break down all the way and come out seemingly intact in your dog’s stools. Corn and carrots are the top offenders, but you may also notice seeds if your dog is fond of grazing on greenery. What you don’t want to see are pieces of undigested kibble or other foods you feed your dog on a regular basis. Undigested food is a sign there’s something wrong somewhere in your dog’s digestive system and also a sign it’s time for a trip to the animal vet in Bend for an evaluation.

3. Foreign Items

Foreign items in your dog’s stool, also known as “things that shouldn’t be there”, let you know if your dog is chewing on stuff they shouldn’t. Small items can pass through a dog’s digestive tract without issue, but larger objects can get stuck anywhere from the throat to the intestines and require a trip to our Bend vet clinic for surgical removal.

4. Worms

Worms can be difficult to detect by visual examination alone, but not impossible. Tapeworms shed their body parts into the intestinal tract which eventually show up in the dog’s stool. If you see white pieces that look like seeds in your dog’s stool, chances are they have a tapeworm and possibly other types of worms. Make an appointment for veterinary care in Bend and get your dog treated for worms. You’ll see worms show up in the stool after treatment, but they’re dead and being passed out through your dog’s intestinal tract.

5. Mucus

Seeing mucus coating your dog’s stools is an indicator that there’s something not right in the large intestine or there’s irritation somewhere in the intestines. Mucus is not a normal feature of the waste process and shouldn’t be there at any point in your dog’s life. There can be multiple sources of irritation or inflammation in your dog’s intestines and the only way to find out the exact cause is to seek veterinary care in Bend.