Assessing a pet’s bowel movement

Poop is a rather unpleasant topic to discuss with a client; however, it is a very important one. Pets can’t tell their owners when they have a stomachache or digestive problems; therefore, it is up the pet owner to pay close attention and assess the available evidence. Here are a few significant assessment details for reading bowel movements that you can offer clients:

• Normal, healthy stool is moist, firm and mild in odor.
• Kibble-fed dogs have smellier, larger poops due to the high volume of grain and other starches in this diet.
• Raw fed dogs produce smaller poops that are firmer and less stinky.
• Raw foods high in calcium or bone pass white, chalky feces. This can mean that the dog is suffering from obstipation.

Understanding Diarrhea

Diarrhea lasting beyond a day or two typically leads to a visit with the veterinarian. However, your clients could benefit from learning to assess a diarrheal bowel movement. Often times it simply means a change in diet is necessary. Here are a few important detailed assessments you can provide your clients:

• Soft stool with no visible blood or mucous can mean the presence of an intestinal parasite such as giardia. It could also be a sign that your pet has eaten something that it shouldn’t have eaten.
• Stool with a greasy, gray appearance can be a sign of too much fat in your pet’s diet. Such a diet can trigger inflammation of the pancreas, which can range from mild to life threatening.
• Black stool typically indicates blood in the digestive system. A veterinarian should be contacted at the first sign.
• Watery diarrhea can be a sign of stress, a virus or a parasitic infection. This can quickly lead to dehydration and should be treated quickly.
• Soft stool containing mucous can indicate the presence of parvovirus or parasites.
• Soft or watery stool with visible worms or eggs clearly indicates parasite infestation and should be assessed by a veterinarian immediately.

Are your clients aware of the dangers of human foods?

Pets are members of the family. It is not uncommon for pet owners to spoil their four-legged children with table food. However, human food can be poisonous for a pet. According to an article published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science, pet “poisoning episodes are generally due to lack of public knowledge of the serious health threat to dogs and cats” posed by “several foods that are perfectly suitable for human consumption but can be toxic to dogs and cats.”

Most of your clients are aware of the dangers of foods like chocolate and cheese, but here a few other foods about which to warn them:

• Plant foods in the Allium genus: onions, garlic, leeks and chives
• Macadamia nuts
• Vitis vinifera fruits: grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants
• Foods sweetened with xylitol: sugar-free chewing gums and cookies
• Ethanol in alcoholic beverages
• Raw bread dough

As a veterinarian, it is important to remain updated on foods that can be poisonous to pets. The list of human foods that can be toxic to cats and dogs continues to grow as cases are reported. Scientists are still studying the effects of certain foods that have been proven toxic to figure out what exactly causes the toxicity.

Contact your Covetrus representative for more information at 855..724.3461

Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/media/7-foods-cause-the-most-pet-deaths-illnesses/

https://www.caninejournal.com/dog-poison-symptoms/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4801869/

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/07/15/assessing-dog-poop.aspx