My dog's first poop is firm, but later ones are soft. Is this normal?

Hello. Probably not. Exercise can & will facilitate bowel movements, & the faster stool moves through the bowels, the less water is absorbed making the stools a little softer. This may be just normal for your pup. If anything changes, of course discuss this with your veterinarian, but if everything else is OK, I would not be too worried. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This doesn't really sound like an issue to me - dogs can sometimes change their behavior patterns when it comes to the frequency of defecation and it doesn't usually mean there's a problem as long as the stool appears normal. It is also quite common for the first stool to be normal and subsequent stools softer, particularly if the dog is exercising. As long as Oakley has a good appetite, is not losing weight, and does not have blood or mucous in his stool you probably don't need to be concerned.

That depends on how soft it is and how frequently that is happening. For some dogs, their ‘normal’ is firm in the beginning of the stool and then softer (but still formed) at the end. If every thing else seems to be normal and you don’t see any problems with the whole stool being soft/loose and no liquid/unformed stool at the end, you may do nothing and just monitor for now. It may also be beneficial to take a photo of the questionable stool and post again so that we can see what you are seeing. I assume you have done all the parasite testing (including giardia) and routine deworming to rule out parasites? If I have a patient who is continuing to have a softer stool, I will often treat them with a 5 day course of Panacur just to be certain no parasites remain. I agree that if the metronidazole does not seem to be making a huge difference, I would probably shy away from that. If I suspect a bacteria cause to continued soft stool, I will often treat for 6 weeks with an antibiotic called Tylosin or I will treat for 10 days with a sulfa-type antibiotic. Lastly, a continued soft stool could also be related to food allergy. The diet you are feeding is excellent. It’s meant to break down easily and decrease the work load on the cells. This diet is very good for dogs who can’t handle the richness of most dog foods. It is not however formulated for dogs who have food allergies. That is a different immune process. Don’t be tempted to put him on a grain free diet. Most dogs who do have legitimate food allergies are not allergic to grains. Instead know for sure if it is a food allergy. The diet I recommend is made by Royal Canin and called hydrolyzed protein adult HP. Since Bentley is a boxer puppy, he is still growing. This diet is formulated to meet the requirements of growing puppies so it will both help with food allergy as well as support normal growth of his bones and soft tissue. You would conduct a food trial on him which will last for 12 weeks. The stool is normal at the end of 12 weeks, then you know it’s an allergy. I recommend to discuss any of these options with your veterinarian if the stool is still abnormal or if Bentley continues to get problems with a loose stool in general. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Feces should be a dark brown color, this is completely normal. It should be firm but not too dry. I would continue to monitor Luna's stools for any changes. If you see a pattern that is abnormal (red blood, dark black stool can be a sign of bleeding high in the intestinal tract, gelatinous stools mean the colon may be inflammed or whipworms are present, very light color stools, very loose stools, very dry stools) then you should contact your veterinarian and discuss what is going on. Good luck with Luna.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can make sure that there is enough fiber in his diet. You can add canned pumpkin to add fiber to his diet which may help firm up his stools. You can add 1 tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his meals. You can also add probiotics such as Fortiflora. Best of luck!

I am sorry to hear about Sam! If he is otherwise acting normally (normal energy, normal appetite, no vomiting) I would just monitor him and watch his next few bowel movements. Sometimes exercise can increase gastrointestinal activity, and stress can also sometimes cause some diarrhea (being out of town can be stressful). If he continues to have loose stool then seeing his vet is recommended.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not necessarily uncommon and sometimes we see this being transient. In this case, it will get better on its own. If it does not get better and becomes diarrhea entirely, then things like colitis for example would have to be considered. For this reason, I recommend that you monitor him for now. If no improvement is seen or it becomes diarrhea, I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!