How To Firm Up Your Dog's Loose Stools?

It can be lots of fun when it comes to owning a dog. However, the good comes with the bad, and cleaning up after a dog can be difficult, especially if it has diarrhea or loose stools. 

Did you know a dog's poop can tell you a lot about its health? 

If you observe that your dog's poop is loose and watery, it points to an underlying problem. This article lets you know how to firm up a dog's loose stools and how to ensure your dog's stomach is comfortable. 

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

How to firm up my dog's poop?

First of all, you have to identify why your dog has diarrhea. You have to know the cause of dog diarrhea or vomiting before preventing it or offering any treatment. Once you have narrowed down the cause and it is not a medical emergency, you can do the following to firm up your dog’s stools:

1. Understand the difference between soft stools and diarrhea

A dog's soft stool is bulky yet formed, and you should be able to pick up the poop to dispose of it easily. On the other hand, diarrhea is usually more fluid and liquid and is almost impossible to pick up. For a clearer picture, refer to the dog’s poop chart. 

Usually, dog diarrhea means your dog is sick. In contrast, soft stools indicate poor quality or inappropriate diet, lack of fiber, or your dog having too much food to which it is intolerant.

2. Know what to do when your dog has diarrhea

You have to monitor your dog carefully if it has diarrhea. If there is blood in its stools, a visit to the vet is necessary. Diarrhea may be accompanied by your dog vomiting as well. 

You should not feed your dog for about 12 hours if it has diarrhea, after which a very bland diet should be introduced in small, incremental amounts. The food you feed your dog with diarrhea is essential for its gut to recover. 

3. Understand your dog's dietary needs 

Your dog requires a high amount of proteins in order to thrive. This means that your dog’s meals should mostly consist of meat. However, some dog owners insist on keeping dogs on a vegetarian diet. If this is the case, the vegetarian diet may be the cause of flatulence and soft stools. Switch to a meat-based diet and your dog’s stools will firm up.

4. Feed your dog boiled chicken and white rice

White rice is easy for your dog to digest and will help ease its diarrhea. Give your dog some chicken with the rice if it does not have a chicken allergy. 

A one-part chicken, two parts white rice meal will help your dog recover from any indigestion. 

5. Add fiber to your dog's diet

Fiber is a big help for a dog's digestive system. As such, adding fiber to its food may help in reducing loose stools and regulating the dog's bowel movements.

6. Avoid dairy products

Your dog's digestive system may be sensitive towards dairy products. If your dog is lactose intolerant, it may cause a burning sensation and digestive pain for the dog. 

As dairy may be the cause of loose stools in dogs, check to see whether your dog is lactose intolerant or not first. If it is, avoid food and treats with dairy in it. 

7. Avoid fatty foods 

Dog food, especially those fried with oil such as fast food, can turn rancid quickly. In addition, the bad fats from fatty food will form a layer in the intestine, which causes your dog to have loose stools. Therefore, avoid it. 

8. Feed your dog probiotics

Imbalanced gut health in dogs is a probable cause of loose stools. Adding dog-specific probiotics to your dog's diet and supplementing your dog's gut with this 'helpful' bacteria will correct the imbalance and improve digestion. 

A great option would be Petcubes’ Digest-All Plus, which not only adds probiotics to your dog’s diet but also all the minerals and vitamins it needs. 

10. Talk to your veterinarian

Loose stools in dogs may happen once in a while. However, if it happens daily, a visit to the veterinarian is in order. It may be an underlying medical concern, or your dog may be allergic to a particular food. 

You should bring a stool sample along with you when you visit your vet so that your dog can be diagnosed as fast as possible (if applicable). 

Conclusion

A case of loose dog poop is usually not an emergency, but it may be a source of pain and discomfort for your dog. Try the above-recommended methods to firm up your dog's loose stools and help ease your dog's digestive pains. 

Reviewed by:

Dr Francis Cabana

Dr Francis is one of the top wildlife nutritionists in Asia. Originating from Montreal, Canada, he left at 21 to pursue his Masters and subsequently a PhD in wildlife nutrition at Oxford Brookes University. Instead of taking the path of common animal science to learn about farm animals, or through the veterinarian space and taking a certificate in nutrition, he took the road less travelled to dive deep into the world of animal ecology, metabolism and nutrition.