So, we’ve had Max the Cocker rescue for a couple years now. I’ve been wondering, do some dogs naturally poop more than others? Because he will go every time we take him out, which is usually three times, but if I’m home I’ll take him a couple extra trips just because. But when he goes, he makes a huge pile, and sometimes will make a second. Occasionally it’s soft, but most of the time it’s normal, firm poop. This seems like twice what any other dog we’ve had has left. Am I imagining things? What would cause that?
What are you feeding him?
Kibbles with a lot of non meat ingredients cause some truly epic poop piles. It can be quite impressive! Better kibble with more meat = less poop.
It seems consistent between higher and lower grade kibbles. I had him on a couple different grain-free ones from PetSmart and Nutro and ProPlan (Mom got by accident but strangely enough he likes it the best and seems to actually do well on it). My first thought was filler in kibble too, but over the two years it doesn’t seem to make any impact.
Are you taking him for a walk or just out in a yard? All of mine will poop multiple times per actual walk. You could also try a probiotic and see if that makes any difference.
Just out in the yard.
I think some dogs, just like some people are more um, efficient at breaking down food and having less waste than others. As long as that’s normal for him and he has no other issues I wouldn’t be worried.
Well, he is a fat little bugger… :lol: I suppose I really should walk him more, exercise-wise.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;7792318]
Well, he is a fat little bugger… :lol: I suppose I really should walk him more, exercise-wise.[/QUOTE]
Feed less ??
Marked difference in the poo production of my 2 dogs. They are within a pound or two of each other and are the same age, same activity level. They eat the same grain free salmon & sweet potato food.
Simon poops at least twice daily; sometimes he will even leave a 3rd small pile. Lance has been known to skip days between bowel movements; usually he has 1/day and it’s not huge. This used to worry me a little bit until vet assured me it’s normal.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;7792325]
Feed less ??[/QUOTE]
I’ve got him down to about as little as I’m willing to feed. Probably 3/4 cup/day over two meals. Anything less seems cruel.
I started a thread a while back about male dogs pooping more than female. I have always had female dogs. I rescued a 10 yr old male dog that I attributed frequent pooping to age. When he passed away I wound up with a male puppy because I have a very alpha female adult dog. I swear I pick up 4 piles of his poop to her 1 pile. They eat the same high quality, grain free food. Still think it’s a male dog thing.
Amber @ 6 1/2 months poops 4 to 5 times a day.
Dyna @ 8 yrs old poops 1 to 2 times per day.
Amber is almost bigger than Dyna now. They currently eat the same amount of Fromm Duck & Sweet Potato. (2-3 cups/day)
I would hate to have a dog that goes more - lol.
Do you leave the food down all the time and let him free feed, or does he have definite mealtimes where he polishes the food off quickly? If it gradually goes in, it may gradually come out.
He eats morning and night and finishes it each time. I guess I just have a super pooper :lol: All but one of our previous dogs were male too, so it’s not a male/female thing here.
We had our dogs on Iams for the longest time, and boy did that make A LOT of stinky poops… Switched to Acana 1.5 cups 2x day and noticed a big difference! Like people, critters are all different lol. I gotta convince mom to switch her cat’s food…that little bugger can seriously clear a room from his cat box at the far end of the house lmao
I’ve got him down to about as little as I’m willing to feed. Probably 3/4 cup/day over two meals. Anything less seems cruel.
it’s even more cruel to make him fat by over-feeding. Fat dogs suffer a lot of pain and disability before dying young. Any dog fed a dry kibble probably suffers from constant hunger anyway- their stomachs are designed to eat wet food which is so much bulkier than dry kibble. So cutting down the volume won’t affect his hunger levels much but will affect his health a lot.
If he’s pooping a lot I’d try a better food. None of the ones you’ve mentioned are high-quality; at best one might describe them as average, and they tend to be full of fillers. If he’s fat as well as pooping a lot, consider that the high carbohydrate content of these lower-quality foods can promote the deposition of body fat.
I don’t consider producing huge volumes of poop or being fat as a sign that the dog is doing well on a food; they are signs the dog is not doing well at all.
I saw the title of this thread and clicked on it just to mention my cocker spaniel! He’s actually a portugese water spaniel-- or a brown cocker. I swear, that dog will poop 5-8 times a day if you let him. He eats castor and pollux (not my choice). I wonder if he would poop less on something else, but it’s almost like he’s a star of pooping. My other dogs are much bigger and on different foods, but only poop twice a day. This guy is just amazing.
I agree on the question of the type of food with riderank. If you try the Acana, you will be surprised at the size and consistency, nevermind not as many poops but my male Jack will defecate three times a day. Usually just one nice torpedo sized one and a little “leftover”. (he eats Wellness Core low fat because he tends to be a porker too).
[QUOTE=wendy;7796903]
it’s even more cruel to make him fat by over-feeding. Fat dogs suffer a lot of pain and disability before dying young. Any dog fed a dry kibble probably suffers from constant hunger anyway- their stomachs are designed to eat wet food which is so much bulkier than dry kibble. So cutting down the volume won’t affect his hunger levels much but will affect his health a lot.
If he’s pooping a lot I’d try a better food. None of the ones you’ve mentioned are high-quality; at best one might describe them as average, and they tend to be full of fillers. If he’s fat as well as pooping a lot, consider that the high carbohydrate content of these lower-quality foods can promote the deposition of body fat.
I don’t consider producing huge volumes of poop or being fat as a sign that the dog is doing well on a food; they are signs the dog is not doing well at all.[/QUOTE]
That seems a bit harsh. I think it’s a little ridiculous to pay more than $15 for 4lbs of dog food… So grain free is still not a quality food? I might as well buy him real meat.
What comes out the back is only what goes in the front. It has obviously been expanded with fluid - so if you think it’s too much and he’s fat, then you put less in the front. Extruded feeds can be good quality, but they do absorb moisture and GROW. You might try wet food with a small amount of kibble. I know in the UK the make kibble for this purpose - don’t know if they do here.
