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Worrying About Dog Poop

October 27, 2010 by  
Filed under Health, Tips

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All dog lovers have, at one time or another, worried about the consistency of their dog’s poop–especially when there’s a change in consistency. Today’s tip from canine nutrition expert Tracie Hotchner looks at the chances you might see in your dog’s stool when you change his diet:

People are looking at the wrong end of their dog when they make nutrition choices: they look at output instead of input and think something is wrong with food if their dogs stool is usually firm but is suddenly soft or loose.

I’m a little distressed by peoples’ priorities about nourishing their dogs well but appearing to be equally concerned about the consistency of their dog’s poop. So which is it? Are you interested in what goes in the front end of your dog, or more focused on what comes out the hind end? Because you cannot have it both ways – if your dog has been eating an all dry food diet (of even the highest premium brand) you have been short-changing him nutritionally because what’s been lacking is whole food ingredients like real meat and vegetables. But boy, what great firm pick-up-able poop it gives him, right?! And you’re happy thinking that the most important thing about your dog’s diet is that you can clean up after it easily.
I’ll tell you right now that if you put real food in a digestive system that has been put to sleep by massive amounts of highly-processed carbohydrates and bulky non-nutritious fiber (which is the basis for most dry food), that dog’s system is going to go through some changes while it adapts to having to process real food. Messier stool is a small price to pay for changing to genuinely nourishing ingredients that will make your dog look and feel better in the long run than an all-kibble diet ever could.

thThis Canine Nutrition Tip is from Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible and award-winning host of Dog Talk® on NPR station WLIU. Canine Nutrition Tips are sponsored by Proportions, the whole food custom nutrition program for your dog. Visit www.Proportions.com to get a custom 2-meal trial for your dog, or to learn more about canine nutrition from the full Canine Nutrition University classes written by Tracie.

Author photo courtesy www.traciehotchner.com; photo © Ling Li

About Paris Permenter and John Bigley

DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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  • http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.com/ Jana Rade

    Well, actually I am concerned about both ends. Jasmine gets home-prepared diet and her stool quality is great. So finally I can rest after years of problems with both ends.
    .-= Jana Rade´s last blog ..Name Our New Website and Win a Set Of Dog Training Books =-.

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