My dog has dark green or brown poop. What's causing this color?

Unfortunately a diagnosis can’t be made on stool color alone. Testing for intestinal parasite, liver disease, and issues with intestinal absorption would be warranted. Barley and cottage cheese don’t make up a completely balanced diet, and the lack of certain minerals in the diet can lead to stool color changes. Once your vet has a better idea of what may be going in internally, they can recommend a special diet or have you consult a nutritionist to formulate a balanced homemade diet.

The green color is likely dye from something your pet ingested. I recommend monitoring the stool to see if it changes back to normal color within the next day or two .Chances are it will. Also monitor Pickles a bit more closely to make sure he isn't ingesting something he shouldn't have. If he starts to have any other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or decreased appetite, then its best to have him seen by your local vet. Also, if there is any chance Pickles could have gotten into some kind of rat poison/bait, then he should be seen right away. It wouldn't be a bad idea also to go ahead and give Pickles a probiotic to support a healthy GI tract moving forward. Some options that don't require a prescription are: Culturelle (over the counter) OR Foriflora (online, Chewy.com). I hope that Pickles stool returns to normal color soon. Best wishes and take care! : )

Hello, sorry to hear about Bailee. When pets are having abnormal GI signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, and a decreased appetite then we can see different changes in coloration of their stool. You should continue to monitor these changes for worsening bowel movements or diarrhea, loss of appetite and vomiting. If her clinical signs worsen, then she should be evaluated by your veterinarian immediately. Hope this helps and best of luck.

More than likely it is from the change in food but black, tarry stool can be a sign of gastrointestinal bleeding. You could take a sample to your vet, when you notice that it is black, and have it tested for blood. That way you will know if it is anything to worry about or just normal color change.

Stool can change color based on what a dog has eaten. Button may have gotten into something in the yard or snatched some people food or had his diet changed. There are some less likely metabolic issues that can cause very green stool but in the absence of other signs I would not be too worried about this. As long as Buttons is acting normal and his stools are formed (not runny or soft) I would not worry.

It can be normal for the stool to be a variety of colors but since Biscuit pooped in the house (which I’m assuming is abnormal behavior for him) it’s possible that he’s about to have diarrhea. I’d recommend monitoring him closely and contacting your vet if diarrhea does develop.

It's possible the stool color change could be related to the chocolate ingestion, however being given charcoal usually results in dark colored stool (though green is not unheard of.) It may also be that there is some lingering GI upset causing Lindsey's symptoms. If she continues to have strange stool, act lethargic or painful, or hasn't seemed to have recovered from her trip to the vet, bringing her back in for additional care and testing as needed is best to get her on track to feeling better.