Yes, well, feeling a little silly this evening, after a grid-like search of the yard, for a deposit left by Talley. You see, she has been suffering from a recurring bout of colitis, and the poop tells all. Is the poop now firm, cow plop mushy or (sorry) liquid in nature. Right now, I am a poop detective. Bridget, who rarely has diarrhea, not to be outdone, joined Talley in the digestive disasters. Doobie (confirmed by on site inspection) has the only normal poop of the three. With umpteen (feels like) meds on board, and back to cooking boiled meat/hamburger, I pray for normal firm formed poop.
Referring to the earlier adventure, I had let labs X three out into the yard, and was watching closely through the open glass door, for poop postures. Sure enough, Talley assumed the position, and I made a mental note (I thought) as to the location. However, it was not to be that easy, which just goes along with the theme in general of late. I strode confidently to the spot for inspection only to consider.....grass, grass and more grass. Anyone watching would have thought I`d lost a contact, or, perhaps my marbles, as I traversed the yard in a hunched over methodical gridlike search. You see, I needed to know. With three labs out there, making note of individual poop status is a must.
The task proved easier early in the day when we traveled to a local Natural Resources Area, and though off leash, it was easy to spot the position, and immediately investigate. Anyways, going back to earlier, I eventually found my target, but it was not the piece of (sorry) cake in the finding. Which leaves me to wonder, am I alone in my machinations over poop as a health indicator of our dogs? Surely others must engage in this detective work as well? At present, I might more efficiently walk each lab on leash to await evidence, thus negating further searches of the yard. I am proud to announce that we are nearing normalcy once again; for now it seems that further Veterinary visits will be avoided. My point amidst all this silliness is that ongoing diarrhea inidcates all is not well. With colitis, the associated inflammation leads to bowel incontinence, and I tell you it is not pretty. When they have to go, they have to go NOW. I have been there, cleaning up the multi-plops across the carpet. Prevention is the best medicine. When you see it coming, take action. On that note, I shall take leave of my ramblings for the evening. Good luck to anyone having similar experiences.
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Poop detective
With mine, it is usually more a matter of trying to find it to pick it up. I am very short sighted without my contacts, and we are usually out first thing before I have put them in - even with a mental note of the right spot, it can take a bit of finding, especially when just the size of rabbit droppings. As we are usually on shared lawns, or riverside grassy footpaths, it is important to neighbourly relations not to leave it, so I too spend a lot of time quartering the ground.
No, you're not alone
My puppy just had surgery for an obstruction and we've been worrying over her poop prior to her diagnosis and since her surgery. When your patient can't speak, you've got to work with the tools you've got.
BTW, I don't know about the specifics of colitis but I've found that pumpkin is a magical ingredient for intestinal health. It works better to clear up diarrhea than hamburger and rice. Maybe you want to check it out with your vet?
Oh, and maybe you'll feel better about your examinations if you give it a fancy name. Just tell everyone you're a scatologist.
Good luck getting healthy poop out of your labs.
Pamela
http://somethingwagging.wordpress.com
Swimming Restricted Labs as Well
As a post note to my blog, should add the labs are restricted from swimming, which was a huge part of our routine, a morning hike to the pond or river. Our Vet wants to a) get them normal again and b) see if the recurring colitis could be a bacteria present in pond or river water. I am lucky to live where I do and look to being able to resume our routine. We will be taking to the neighborhoods for some on leash walks as well.
Leslie Fisher PMCT CPDT-KA Look What I Can Do! Dog Training Where There Are No BAD Dogs, Just Dogs That Don`t Know WHAT To Do.
The Poop Tells All
I totally get where you are coming from. My neighbors have (I hope) gotten used to my exclamations over my 4 dogs poops. "Oh! Here's a lovely one! Good Job!" LOL I know my family thinks i've obsessed over the dogs poop, but it really IS a barometer of their health.
Poop readings...
Some people read tarot cards, others tea leaves. Me? Poop.
My shepherd mix is quite sensitive to some foods, and I can tell the next day what they are!
Then there is Sadie, the blonde retreiver mix... Sadie - "Potatie" or now just "The Potato". The nickname comes from her yellow coloring, but she poops round potatos. That dog could eat ANTHING, including a entire school bus, and still poop out little round potatos. Amazing.
I always watch the poop, especially since I have to pick it up! I imagine there are quite a few poor quality pet owners that never clean up after their dogs, and never note changes in their dog's health or digestion.
David - volunteer shelter dog trainer
The Poop Tells All
I generally call it recycled dog food. I have multiple dogs and I like you make a mental note of the landing spot and then can't find it when I get there. Also, I find when I do a general lawn sweep, I step in at least one pile for every three I find. Yuch!
Thanks- Poop Tells All Comments
thanks for all who took the time to comment on The Poop Tells All! We have much in common, searching picking up and assessing lol. I enjoy hearing from readers, keep the comments coming. Funny and useful comments, enjoyed them all! In the meantime will be doing more research on chronic cholitis, perhaps upcoming blog subject.
Leslie Fisher PMCT CPDT-KA Look What I Can Do! Dog Training Where There Are No BAD Dogs, Just Dogs That Don`t Know WHAT To Do.
Welcome to My World, Ruled by Sh..... um Cr...... um Stool!!
With 16 dogs in the yard, my world revolves around feces. I honestly know people, some married to dog mushers, who REFUSE to hang out with mushers at our local pub because the conversation inevitably turns to sh... um, feces (or the lack thereof) as an indicator of health. Avoiding those supper-time conversations is no easy task considering that Two Rivers, Alaska only has one pub, but the largest concentration of dog mushers in the world.
Musher A: "Am I training them too hard?"
Musher B: "How's their poop? Anyone runny?"
Diarrhea can frquently be a sign of stress, either physical or emotional.
Musher A: "I can't seem to keep weight on ol' Stormy."
Musher B: "How's his poop?"
Diarrhea can be a symptom of absorption issues (including cholitis). Conversly, it can also be a sign of overfeeding.
Musher A: "Misty's deposits are black as night, really loose but kind of sticky."
Musher B: "Take her to vet."
Black, tarry stool is an indicator of potentially life threatening gastro-intestinal bleeding.
In many cases, diarrhea is the first sign of illness in your dog(s). Absence of feces may be your first indicator of a life-threatening bowel obstruction. Specks in stool that look like incredibly small grains of rice may prompt you to deworm your dog(s) on a more aggressive schedule.
How about stool that glows in the dark? I once had a dog ingest a reflective collar, and I knew with certainty the pieces were starting to pass when his turds reflected the light from my head lamp. The experience was rather startling.
Although the poop doesn't necessarily tell "all", it tells us a lot. It stresses the importance of scooping each and every day, and doing so with open eyes as well as an open mind.
Swanny and the Stardancer Historical Sled Dogs
A good dog is so much a nobler beast than an indifferent man that one sometimes gladly exchanges the society of one for that of the other. William Francis Butler
To Swanny
Swanny your comments gave me such a good laugh, would love to be a fly on the wall LOL. Yes not all agreed, but marker of health. Your world sounds fascinating.
Leslie Fisher PMCT CPDT-KA Look What I Can Do! Dog Training Where There Are No BAD Dogs, Just Dogs That Don`t Know WHAT To Do.
The Poop tells all
Pamela
Please do tell - How do you feed the pumpkin? I haven't tried that. I use kaolin powder and slippery elm mixed with a little water and a tiny bit of honey to make him eat it.
Friendly bacteria
i AM in charge, my Akita told me so!
Pre & probiotics , live active culture yogurt, or kefir fed with meals helps keep the gut healthy. I feed one of these daily, rarely have issues. Canned or baked mashed pumpkin also helpful added to food.