pooping on walks

Comments

• Leonberger

  January 2009 edited November -1

  What food is she on?
  Puppies sometimes have inconsistent poop for some time. Then they get their stuff together and it improves.
  That was what happened to Kuma.
• Niko

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Hey, thanks for your advice! She's eating Natural Balance right now, a little over half a cup, twice a day. When did your dog start to improve?? Thanks!
• Leonberger

  January 2009 edited January 2009

  Something I forgot to say, if it lasts for too long, do get it checked by your vet.
  
  Kuma got his poop consistently firm between 4 and 5 months.
  
  You might want to consider feeding her 3 times a day, the same amount of food, but divided by three instead of two.
  
  I don't know the food she's on, but another thing you might want to do is look into high quality dog food. I can give you a few names to consider: Orijen (seems to be a forum favourite), EVO, Wellness Core, Solid Gold.
• baanton

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Rui (Leonberger) gives some good advice. Also, puppies seem to have everything they encounter going into their mouth (and then quite a bit of it down the gullet, no doubt). So, it is quite possible she may have eaten something other than puppy food she is reacting to, with sort of a borderline diarrhea. We found that mixing some plain white rice with some basic meat like cooked chicken (no skin, no fat) and mixed with the puppy food would firm up the poo for Josephine. Of course, the proportion of puppy food should then be reduced, as you don't want to overfeed. Josephine had this happen often as a puppy. It is definitely worth having your vet check for infections and/or parasites, as Rui suggests, because she may need an antibiotic or something to kill the parasites if that is the root cause.
• CrimsonO2

  January 2009 edited November -1

  I've had walks where Ichi has gone to the bathroom 4 times. However, during those times, i can remember that we had a more rigorous run/walk than usual, or he was stressed out about something (socialization training at a nearby crowded mall, etc.).
  
  These dogs are hypersensitive to their surroundings, so sometimes, even a little stress will set them off on their continence. As other members have suggested, if it lasts too long, then go see a vet. This happens to Ichi once every 2 weeks or so.
  
  The flipside to this is that he pooped a lot when I first found out he had giardia. First it was firm, then it was runny. It was a crapshoot.
  
  Jesse
• Sabrina

  January 2009 edited November -1

  All the advice above is great and your puppy should get over it soon, however my dog Boo gets diarhea everytime we go somewhere exciting like the dog park. Ive solved this by using a probiotic whenever I expect him to get excited. It seems to really help. I get them at the grocery store and I cover it in cheese and no more runny poo.
• sujewel

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Pumpkin helps with runny poop too. Canned pumpkin is fine, just make certain it's real pumpkin and not pie filling.
  
  How long has Niko been on Natural Balance? Was his food changed recently? If so, that could be the source of runny poop. In addition, Natural Balance may have ingredients present that Niko does not digest well. If you decide to switch out his food, make certain you do slowly to keep from upsetting his stomach further.
• impreza_sp

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Mercutio had some worrying poo when he was about 5 months old but it only lasted a day. Still now (he is 7 months) he has alsorts in his poo (grass, little stones, my ear phone) And damn does it smell. He sometimes poops twice on a walk and then once before bed at night in the garden. He is a poop factory! But, 99 % of the time it is well formed. About once a week it may be a bit soft.
• lindsayt

  January 2009 edited November -1

  I don't know if there is any merit to this, maybe someone else notices this as well. Whenever I have cared for kennel dogs, dogs that don't have a yard, or taken care of dogs in kennels and let them out to spend their pennies, they will often poo multiple times with the end result being a little runny (they are otherwise healthy, no parasites). I think mostly in that circumstance the dogs are used to holding it for a long time, not wanting to soil their kennel runs or the home if no access to a yard, so they are more motivated to have a blow out, or clear their systems before being kenneled, used or put back inside again for another 8-12 hours (this is why I have a yard). I remember asking a musher what he does when his dogs have to go while they are runnung, he said they "blow out" just before take off as well.
• miket

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Remy is an apartment dog with no yard and I've never really experienced the 'blow out'. I can pretty much set my watch to his bowl movements...once in the morning and again late afternoon and he never goes less than 6-8 hrs after eating. Occassionally he'll miss a 'time slot' because he can't find a spot that is worthy of his rump, so the following day ends up being 2 or 3 stops on our morning walk. I do notice he gets a little 'loose' when he gets super excited, but that's about it.
  
  Side note: last time he missed his window and was ready to burst, I tried to take advantage of the situation and get him to actually poop on the front lawn. This resulted in frantic pacing and whining for about 5 min and he eventually worked himself into such a frenzy that he started hacking like crazy and puked! I felt bad so I walked him around the corner and he found his spot and then went on with the walk like nothing happened. I guess some dogs just hate messing with their own lawns!
• Niko

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Thank you for all your comments! Niko has been on Natural Balance for about a month. When she poops indoors, usually about 2 or 3 times a day, her stool is very stiff. I just notice she poops about 3 times on our walks, especially during the day. I had to pick her up to go back home, in case she poops or her stool is runny again. When we walk her in the evening, she only poops once or doesn't poop at all. I'm just wondering if walking around during the day excites her or not. Hopefully she'll grow out of it! But if this continues for a week, I'll definitely bring her to the vet. Thanks for the advices again! :)
• CrimsonO2

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Wait?? Poops indoors?
  
  Jesse
• Zinja

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Sasuke had his first accident indoors yesterday, which was strange.
  
  We also went on a walk today and he wouldn't jog with me at all! He also spent an abnormal amount of time pooping. first it was fine, then runny. Through our mile jog, he pooped twice (runny) and peed several times. He also did not want to go through the whole jog and stopped half way. He also did not want to jog next to me, so I slowed down for him. It was strange.
• lindsayt

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Double take, poops indoors regularly 2-3 times a day at 4 months?
• Niko

  January 2009 edited November -1

  We were afraid for her to potty outside because she hasn't finished all of her vaccines yet, and I'm afraid she'll accidentally sniff or lick some other dog's, squirrel's, etc. piss or poop. The vet told us to be careful for now until she's fully vaccinated. Is it normal for her to poop at least twice a day? I've done a lot of internet research, some either said it's normal for puppies, or she's eating too much. She's starting to poop less, so I hope it'll go down to once a day. Any input?
• tsukitsune

  January 2009 edited November -1

  My dogs go two times a day regularly, they are adult shibas though, puppies probably go more than that normally.
  
  Do you have a yard? You should be helping housebreak your dog.
• dlroberts

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Lucy will poop once every 1-1.5 days. Joey has been nicknamed by my roommate as "sir poops a-lot" because he will go anywhere, anytime. 3-4 times a day is not unusual for him.
• KFontaine04

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Sake is 5 months old and poops 2-4 times per day.
• ljowen123

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Jazz is 5 years old and poops once a day.
• WhiteGC8

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Yoshi's a poop machine. He'll do it before a walk and during a walk. All solid and normal most of the time. The more exercise he gets, the more he poops. So on a day w/ lots of exercise, about 4-5 times a day. But since I've been sick, and my dad was hospitalized, Yoshi gets less exercise, so his business has been cut in half.
  
  Personally, I hate it when he does it on our walks. Once he's done, he can't wait to leave the scene of the crime, and while you pick it up, he's got that look on his face where it seems like he's smiling w/ an evil laugh behind it.
  
  Anyway, if the vet discovers nothing, or says it's nothing to worry about, you might want to consider buying a can of air (like the one used to clean out a keyboard). Freeze the runny poop. It should make it easier to pick up. Poop Freeze
• kekti

  January 2009 edited November -1

  ok i'm kinda conserned cause roxy hasn't pooped in 2 days, we take her out regularly but she never poops only pees, idk what it is if it cause we are at the appt.
• CrimsonO2

  January 2009 edited November -1

  See the vet. Maybe they'll keep her under observation and give you a clue as to why she's not pooping.
  
  Jesse
• tsukitsune

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Alex, Roxy isn't on a scheduled feeding (right?) so she probably doesn't have a potty schedule either - but 2 days is a long time to not go. Call the vet!
• kekti

  January 2009 edited November -1

  well she pooped this morning, I think what it is she hasn't been eat a whole lot since we got here, we gave her one cup of food and she ate that over the period of a day, so she's eating a cup a day.... we had planed on 2 cups a day but she just eats it so slowly.
• CrimsonO2

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Are you free-feeding her (leaving the food bowl down?) or are you scheduling (and timing) her meal time? If you do a scheduled, you set the food bowl down, wait 15 minutes, and then pick the food back up. She'll quickly learn that the food won't always be there so it may stimulate her appetite to eat when you need her to.
  
  My 5-month old eats about 1.5 cup (about 0.5 cup per meal).
  
  Jesse
• kekti

  January 2009 edited November -1

  ok we'll start doing that
• Heidi

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Just wanted to add that Tojo did the exact same thing when he was younger, but it stopped after a while. I can't remember how old he was... maybe 6 months?
• StaticNfuzz

  January 2009 edited November -1

  Niko, I would have a fecal taken into the vet for a check. Parasites can flair at any time. At four months you pup should not be pooping in your home multiple times a day and the intermittent loose stools are a sign to get her checked out by your vet. Also the vaccinations should be fully up to date by now at 4 months also, including rabies vacc, so there should be no worries about taking her outside or going to training and puppy k. Use a crate or x-pen so you have some control over elimination times while you dog is in the house and limit feeding to two times a day. Maybe you pup needs switched to a less irritating food as others have suggested. Switch food gradually and mix half of old with new while making the transition.
  
  Good luck!
  Snf