What goes in your dog matters — but what comes out matters just as much.
Your dog’s stool is one of the clearest daily clues to their gut and overall health.
🧠 Why Stool Matters
The digestive system powers your dog’s wellbeing.
When digestion runs smoothly, nutrients are absorbed efficiently and energy levels stay stable.
When things go wrong — diarrhoea, constipation, odd colour — stool is often the first sign.
Veterinarians use stool quality as a non-invasive health signal, helping detect:
⚙️ Digestive efficiency
🦠 Gut microbiome balance
💧 Hydration issues
🚨 Hidden illness or inflammation
💡 Pro tip: Regular stool tracking gives you early warning before visible symptoms appear.
🧾 The Bristol Stool Scale for Dogs
The Bristol Stool Scale helps describe the consistency of stool.
It’s adapted for dogs with seven distinct types 👇
Type | Description | What It Means |
1 | Hard pellets | Constipation, dehydration |
2 | Lumpy sausage | Mild constipation |
3 | Firm with cracks | ✅ Normal but firm |
4 | Smooth, soft sausage | ✅ Ideal – healthy stool |
5 | Soft blobs | Slight imbalance / low fibre |
6 | Mushy pieces | Mild diarrhoea or irritation |
7 | Watery | Diarrhoea – infection, stress, or serious issue |
🟢 Ideal: Type 3–4.
🪶 What Healthy Stool Looks Like
![Healthy Dog Stool Example Image]
✅ Consistency: Firm but pliable
✅ Colour: Chocolate-brown (bile pigment)
✅ Coating: None (mucus = irritation)
✅ Contents: No food, hair, or foreign objects
🚨 Abnormalities to Watch For
Track these in your Furry Fitness Stool Tracker to spot trends early 👀
⚠️ Seek a vet immediately for black stool, black/tarry blood, or visible parasites.
Abnormality | What It Might Mean |
Mucus | Gut inflammation or colitis |
Red blood | Lower intestinal irritation |
Black/tarry | Digested blood — urgent vet visit |
Greasy or shiny | Fat malabsorption (pancreatic issue) |
Undigested food | Malabsorption or fast transit |
Worms / “rice” bits | Parasites |
Foreign objects | Toys, bones, grass |
Excessive hair | Over-grooming or stress |
🌿 Fixing Loose Stool & Constipation
Even small dietary or environmental changes can affect stool quality.
The good news? You can often manage mild issues naturally.
💧 For Loose Stool
🥄 Add soluble fibre — psyllium husk or plain pumpkin helps absorb excess water.
🍗 Offer bland meals (boiled chicken + rice).
🧫 Give probiotics to balance gut bacteria.
💦 Keep your dog hydrated.
🕐 Short fasting (under vet advice) may calm the gut.
🪴 For Constipation
💧 Encourage water: wet food or broth.
🌾 Add fiber: psyllium husk, pumpkin, or beet pulp.
🏃♂️ More exercise = better gut motility.
👩⚕️ Vet check if it persists.
🌟 Psyllium husk is a powerful natural regulator — it can firm or soften stool depending on hydration.
Start small: ¼–½ tsp per 10 kg body weight daily + plenty of water.
📊 Why Log Stool in the App
Regular logging helps you spot patterns before they become problems.
Inside Furry Fitness, you can track:
💩 Stool type (Bristol scale)
🎨 Color & abnormalities
🍽️ Diet or feeding notes
📸 Photos for visual comparison
Not only can you log the stool, but you can also get assistance from our Scout AI to analyse the stool ✨ If you find the analysis to be wrong, you can set the score yourself.
📱 These logs give your vet accurate, real-world data — not just guesswork.
🏥 When to Call the Vet
🚩 Persistent diarrhea or constipation (> 48 h)
🚩 Dark Blood or parasites in stool
🚩 Lethargy, vomiting, or appetite loss
✅ Summary
Your dog’s stool is a daily gut-health report.
Watch its texture, color, and frequency.
Note abnormalities.
Adjust fiber — especially psyllium husk — when needed.
![Happy Dog Image – symbolizing healthy gut]
💙 Healthy gut → healthy stool → happy dog.
🔬 Science References
Barko, P.C., et al. (2018). The gastrointestinal microbiome: a review. J Vet Intern Med, 32(1), 9–25. [DOI: 10.1111/jvim.14875]
Gaschen, F.P. & Merchant, S.R. (2011). Interpretation of the canine fecal score in clinical practice. Top Companion Anim Med, 26(1), 41–46. [DOI: 10.1053/j.tcam.2011.01.005]
Pilla, R. & Suchodolski, J.S. (2020). The role of the canine gut microbiome and metabolome in health and gastrointestinal disease. Front Vet Sci, 7, 493. [DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00493]
Jergens, A.E., et al. (2019). Fecal microbiota transplantation in veterinary medicine. Front Vet Sci, 6, 1–11. [DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00040]
Hall, E.J. & German, A.J. (2010). Diseases of the small intestine. In: Ettinger SJ & Feldman EC (eds). Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 7th ed., Saunders Elsevier.