Why does my dog's poop look like string or mucus & she's lethargic?

By your description, it was likely mucus. This happens during times of GI stress or inflammation. Try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte. Resume feeding a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with one tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount as long as your dog not vomiting. Feed until the stool is normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. See your veterinarian if symptoms persist, worsen or if your dog begins vomiting or has diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite or abdominal pain.

Mucus generally means inflammation and this can come from parasites (like worms and giardia), a diet not right for Lucy's body or bacterial over growth. A bland diet for 3 days can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. A probiotic may also be beneficial. I recommend Purina FortiFlora if you can find it. A good diet in general is Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible. Lastly, if the mucus continues after 2 weeks, have Lucy checked for worms and giardia by her veterinarian. I hope this helps.

I would recommend GG have a check up. Mucus in the stool is a sign of colitis or GI upset so it would be a good idea to get her evaluated before she starts feeling worse. If anything has changed in the formulation of her raw diet she may have gastritis or bacterial overgrowth. Something is abnormal for her to have mucus in the stool for a couple of weeks. She may have parasites, or a bacterial overgrowth. There are many possibilities but I would be concerned. Good luck to GG.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While this could be parasites, this is likely some degree of colitis. You can add a probiotic to her diet such as Fortiflora. You can use it for 1-2 weeks to see if it makes a difference. If it does not, you can consider switching to a sensitive stomach type diet. If no improvement, have her evaluated by your veterinarian so that the stools can be assessed. If she develops diarrhea at any point before then at that point she should definitely be evaluated by her veterinarian. Good luck!

That looks like mucus rather than worms. It is not normal and is caused by irritation in the colon for some reason. I'd recommend feeding each dog a bit of glitter or crayon shards with their normal food (easiest with canned food, or their kibble moistened with water) and note which color you give you which pup, and see who ends up producing the abnormal stool sample, so you can take them to the vet. Hope that helps!

There is always some mucus in stool. It aids in defecation. An increased amount can be due to some inflammation in the intestine. If she had intestinal parasites and was recently treated, this could be the cause. If she is behaving normally, you can monitor her at home. Consider a bland diet in small, frequent amounts until the stool is normal then transition slowly to her regular diet. Symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite or abdominal pain.

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). There is definitively the possibility of the presence of other foreign bodies still inside the gastrointestinal system. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!