What do You do If You’re Dog’s Poop is Green?

It may be unpleasant to think about your dog’s poop color, but it can be a tell-tell sign to how their health is. It’s important to monitor your dog’s bathroom habits, and any changes to them, especially color changes. Green poop, for instance, can be related to something simple and non-threatening, or it can be a serious condition and require immediate medical attention. If you notice your dog’s poop is green, you better perk-up and pay attention to other details to help determine if it is something that needs to be checked by his vet right away. There are a number of reasons why your dog’s poop can appear green when he goes to the bathroom. So what do you do if your dog’s poop is green? Keep reading to find out.

Dog treats

Dog treats can come in an array of colors and they can cause your dog’s poop color to change. Some treats contain dye, like reds, yellows and green. If your dog has been munching on dye-colored treats recently, particularly green ones, you might see a couple of green poos in the yard. Multi- colored milkbones and Variety Snaps are just a couple of the most common known to use dyes. If you don’t notice any other symptoms, like vomiting, diarrhea, possible fever, or lethargy and the color changes back to normal within a day or two, he’s probably fine. If you do see any other symptoms along with the green poop, it could be a sign of something more serious and he needs to be seen right away.

Diet changes or food quality

Your dog’s diet plays a role in many aspects of your dog’s health. Having your dog on a high quality diet of dog food is vital to maintaining your dog’s weight, nutritional needs, and it keeps his digestive happy and working properly. It doesn’t take much to upset a dog’s digestive system, and just like human’s, what you eat can cause changes in your elimination process. If dogs eat cheap quality dog food, there is a chance the color or their poop can change, and green is one color that you might see if you feed him low quality food. Caesar dry dog food for adults is just one of the brands known to cause a dog to poop green poop. Changing your dog’s diet to a new food can also disrupt the digestive system and may discolor your dog’s poop.

Diet high in iron

This is another issue that also effects humans and pets. Too much iron can cause green-colored poop, many times from too high amounts of iron. If your dog is on iron supplements, or you know he is getting a lot of iron and his poop is green, you should consult your veterinarian to discuss the issue. He may reduce the amount of iron supplement, or recommend a different brand of food with lower amounts of iron, if it’s diet related. Once the iron level is regulated, the color of your dog’s poop should return to normal.

Poison

Dogs get into a lot of things. They are curious, nosey, and have a habit of putting things in their mouths they shouldn’t. This is why it is dangerous to leave things like rodent poisons laid out where they can get into them. Rodent poisons can be lethal and can cause your dog to suddenly poop bright green, or neon green poop. If your dog came into contact with rodent poison in any way, eating the poison, drinking water where the poison had leaked, or even eating a rodent that had been poisoned, you should seek immediate medical attention for your pet.

Green diarrhea

This is a problem most often related to some kind of  infection and needs to be seen and treated. The most common is giardia, a protozoan parasite that gets into your dog’s digestive system by way of drinking water that has been affected with it; dirty puddle water, creeks, rivers, any water source that carries this protozoan. It is a contagious disease and can be transferred to people, so be careful when handling your dog or coming in contact with his poop, if he has green diarrhea. You should contact your vet right away to get treatment to prevent dehydration and further worsening of the condition. Dogs who have strong immune systems have the possibility of fighting off the protozoan and never getting the bug, while others who have weak immune systems are very susceptible. It’s best not to let your dog drink from dirty, or unknown water sources that may be contaminated.

If your dog has free-range over the backyard or you are not always with him when he goes to the bathroom outdoors, it may not even be known that he’s pooping green poop. It’s always a good idea to walk the yard where he goes poop on a regular basis to make sure you don’t see anything unusual about its color. It’s the simple things, like monitoring your pet’s your pup’s poop that can mean the difference between catching something quick to start early treatment, that can help keep your dog happy and healthy all his life.

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