Why does dog shit turn white, brown, or black? In this article let’s explore the much-maligned topic of dog shit, its various colors, and what they mean.
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Seeing white dog poop is common for dog owners when taking their dogs for a walk. They do stumble upon white dog poop quite a few times. This situation gives rise to the question among the dog owners of why does dog shit turns white. People do get curious because fresh dog poop looks very different from the poop after some time.
As per Dr. Ivana Crvec (veterinarian), a simple answer to this is, the color of the dog poop depends upon what they eat. If your dog eats more calcium in its diet and bones, then the poop will turn white.
We will explore the reasons and answers behind this question in detail in this article.
Why Does Dog Shit Turn White?
It can indicate that the dog has excess calcium in the diet.
The main reason your dog’s shit turns white is due to their diet. If your dog eats too much calcium in its diet, then the poop will turn white since the stomach of a dog can digest calcium only to a certain extent.
If your dog eats more bones than the stomach can digest, then the excess bones would leave their body through their poop. Insects and smaller organisms can also not digest the excess calcium in the poop. This will make the poop appear to be white. Due to the remaining calcium poop, it seems to be flaky and white.
So how much calcium is too much for a dog? The AAFCO recommends 1.25 mg calcium for every 1,000 calories of food intake.
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Why Does Dog Poop Turn White And Fuzzy?
The fuzziness might be due to undigested bones, and the white is due to calcium
There are some scientific reasons behind turning the poop into a white and fuzzy substance. Dogs are meat, flesh, and bone-eating animals by nature. They do consume meat and bones regularly. Dogs have sharper teeth so that they can bite and chew bones.
Some of the bones that your dog consumes do not disintegrate properly, and they remain solid in the stomach. Your dog’s stomach and intestines work hard to digest these bones, but they cannot do so. The bones that are not digested then travel through the intestines and escape their body through poop.
The color of the dog poop depends upon what they eat. Usually, the color of their poop is brownish or dark brown because they do eat a lot of fiber. Microorganisms and tiny bacteria do attack the poop by feeding on it. The poop and feces can also experience decaying once they escape the dog’s body.
The leftover part in the poop contains bones. Since these organisms are tiny, they can also not eat and digest the remaining bones in the shit.
Calcium is a more complex substance to digest for such bacteria and organisms. As calcium is white, this can be the plausible cause for the white and fuzzy color on the poop after it’s left on the ground for a few days.
Why Is My Dog Poop Dry And Powdery?
It might indicate a problem in the pancreas or gall bladder.
The state and color of your dog’s poop can tell a lot about the health of your dog. Your pet dog’s poop can appear to be dry and powdery if he or she is not getting enough fiber or fluids in their diet. Among some other reasons, a lack of exercise can also make the poop of your dog appear to be dry and powdery.
A white chalky and dry poop can indicate problems with the gallbladder, pancreas, or intestines. Hard and dry poop can also mean digestive issues or constipation in dogs.
Dogs can also suffer from the slow digestive movement if they are not drinking enough water or fluids. If your dog has a dry and hard stool, then you can also feed some stuff to your dog to make their stool soften up.
Milk is among the best ways to do so, and you can feed cow milk or goat milk for better stools. Similarly, you can also eat canned gravy to provide relief from constipation. Olive oil is also a good substitute for giving relief from harder stools. You can gradually increase the olive oil consumption in your dog’s diet.
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What Does The Color Of The Dog Poop Indicate?
Typically it shows how healthy your dog’s digestive system is.
The color of the dog’s poop can indicate underlying health conditions. Brown poop shows that your dog has healthy bowel movements. Ideally, the poop color should be chocolate brown. A green poop indicates that your dog is eating excess grass.
Feeding grass to your dog can be an effective way of soothing an upset stomach. A black poop indicates bleeding in the stomach. You should take your pet dog to the vet if you observe blood in your dog’s stool. Blood in the stool is not a good sign for your dogs.
What Is The White Powder When I Pet My Dog
Most likely it is dandruff.
The white powder you see when you pet your dog is likely dandruff on your dog. Dogs can suffer from dandruff because of having dry and flaky skin. Dogs are inquisitive creatures. They can also scratch their skin, often resulting in the accumulation of a flaky white powder on their skin.
If your dog has dandruff, it can be very annoying for your dog. Dandruff can give prominence to the irritation and scratching on your dog’s skin. For instance, seborrhea is a condition that is not very serious, but still, it can cause a lot of rubbing in your dogs. If this dandruff problem grows severe, the dog can also start losing its hair or experience hair thinning.
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Answers To Other Commonly Asked Questions
What is the word for when dog poop turns white?
The urban dictionary tells us that there is a funny word to describe this: garconanokin
When a dog’s poop turns white or flaky, it can be called lack of bile in the dog. Bile is a type of digesting fluid present in the dog’s stomach. This digestive fluid is produced by the liver and is stored in the fallen bladder. A dog passing poop similar to clay can indicate some serious health conditions.
The brown color of the poop that you generally observe comes from bile in the digestive tracts. The poop of your dog can also turn white after leaving their body, like the bones and calcium in it takes more time to decay than other substances.
What if my dog poops white?
The diet is too rich in calcium, if you are giving your dog supplements, it is time to stop.
If your dog is pooping white poop, then your dog’s diet is high and rich in calcium. This extra calcium is the reason why the color of the poop changes from brownish to white. If your pet dog eats a lot of meat and bones, then it is likely that its poop will also be white.
Dogs eating too much calcium is not a serious condition or a cause of worrying. However, too much calcium consumption can be the root cause of constipation in dogs.
Why was dog poop white in the 70s?
Excess calcium due to too much beef in their diets.
In the 70s, the dog poop used to be white because of the diet the dogs were eating at that time. The commercial food available for dogs had more beef and bone quantity in them.
Since these things have high calcium, the color of the poop also changed to white. This was a general trend for some time, and then this trend disappeared quickly as well.
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A Few Final Words
As dog owners, you may or may not be aware that paying attention to the color of your dog’s poop says a lot about their health. You can avoid many serious health conditions in the long run by noticing some early signs.
You do get to know why a dog’s shit turns white after a few days. Similarly, you can notice the color changes in your dog’s shit and then contact the doctor if something serious arises. Thank you for reading the article, we hope we answered everything that you wanted to know about.
You might also like to read about other common dog poop-related problems such as: Why Does My Dog Poop Standing Up? And Why Wont My Dog Poop In My Yard?