What Your Dog’s Poop Says About Health 2025: Vet’s Natural Diet Guide 🐶✨

By Dr. Duncan Houston BVSc

If you’re feeding your dog a natural or home prepared diet, their poop is one of the best indicators of whether it’s working. It might not be glamorous, but stool tells the truth—about digestion, hydration, gut health, and overall balance.

I’m Dr. Duncan Houston, veterinarian and founder of Ask A Vet. Here’s how to read your dog’s stool like a pro, what normal looks like, and when it’s time to adjust the diet or consult your vet.

💩 Why Poop Matters

• Reveals how well your dog digests and absorbs food
• Reflects microbiome health and inflammation
• Helps monitor hydration and dietary fiber levels
• Gives early warning signs of disease or imbalance

✅ The Ideal Dog Poop (Yes, There’s a Gold Standard)

• Firm but not hard
• Log-shaped and easy to pick up
• Medium-dark brown
• Minimal smell (strong odor = excess protein/fat or dysbiosis)

📊 Dog Poop Scoring (1 to 7 Scale)

• 1–2: Very hard or dry (may indicate dehydration or too much bone)
• 3–4: Ideal poop: firm, shaped, easy to pass
• 5–6: Soft, shapeless stool (excess fat, fiber, or imbalance)
• 7: Watery diarrhea (urgent issue, especially in puppies)

📉 What Different Poop Can Mean

Light Yellow or Orange

• May signal excess pumpkin, rice, or issues with bile

Black or Tarry

• Could indicate bleeding in the stomach or small intestine

Grey or Greasy

• Possible fat malabsorption or early pancreatitis

Mucus on Stool

• Often linked to inflammation or colitis (stress or food reaction)

Undigested Food

• Check for poor digestion, too much veggie fiber, or fast eating

🥦 How Diet Affects Poop Quality

Cooked Natural Diets

• Usually result in smaller, well-formed stools with low odor
• Too much fat or liver = soft or greasy poop

Raw Diets

• Often result in firm, dry, low-volume stool
• Too much bone = chalky or crumbly stool

High-Fiber Meals

• Great for bulk and stool firmness—but excess can lead to gassiness

✅ Vet Tips for Monitoring Poop at Home

• Use the same outdoor spot so you can observe consistently
• Snap photos if anything seems odd and compare day to day
• Track using the Ask A Vet app to log changes and diet inputs

🛑 When to Contact a Vet Immediately

• Bloody, black, or watery diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours
• Stool changes paired with vomiting or lethargy
• Parasites or foreign objects in stool

🔗 Tools from Ask A Vet

• Ask A Vet – Upload stool photos and get same-day feedback on your dog’s digestion

📋 Summary Excerpt

Your dog’s poop is the best natural health check. A vet explains how to evaluate stool shape, color, texture, and smell to monitor digestion and adjust natural diets safely.

❓ FAQs

• Q: My dog’s poop changes every few days—is that normal?
  A: Minor variation is okay, but frequent changes suggest dietary imbalance or sensitivity.
• Q: Can diet fix chronic soft stool?
  A: Yes, in many cases. Natural, cooked diets with the right fiber and fat balance often improve stool dramatically.
• Q: Should I worry about mucus on the poop?
  A: Not always—but if it’s persistent, paired with diarrhea or blood, consult a vet.