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Is Your Puppy Pooping Too Much or Too Little? (Solved)

I receive this question quite a bit! So it’s definitely time to cover everything there is to know about your puppy and their poop.

How often your puppy should poop a day, what’s normal, what isn’t, and all about consistency (yup!)

Best answer: Healthy puppies typically go for 4-6 poops every day. This is the usual range to expect from your puppy until they are adults. The younger the puppy, the more often they tend to poop.

how-many-poops-per-day-for-puppies

How Often Should a Puppy Poop Per Day?

As mentioned above, it’s normal for your puppy to poop around 4 to 6 times per day. Some pups may go for 7 or even 8 poops a day, and while this isn’t ideal, it doesn’t necessarily indicate problems.

In addition to this, it’s normal for young puppies to poop more often, and less as they get older.

Whatever the magical number is for your pup, the best thing to see is stable bowel movements (both in terms of daily frequency and poop consistency).

If today your pup poops several times, but then once tomorrow, as well as being hard but then runny, this overall inconsistency indicates something isn’t quite right.

Things that affect how often your puppy will poop per day:

  • Diet
  • Meal size and frequency
  • Age
  • Physical size (breed)
  • Activity levels / exercise
  • Stress
  • Hormones
  • Underlying health issues

Aside from age, two of the most influential things that affect your puppy’s pooping habits are their diet and how often they eat.

If your puppy has frequent meals (4 a day) this will likely cause them to poop more often, as too will consuming a high fiber diet.

How To Know If Your Puppy’s Poop Is Normal

Let’s run through everything that indicates your puppy’s poop is healthy and as should be.

Consistency

Healthy puppy poop should be firm but moist and come out in one or two log-shaped pieces. Poop should not be runny, nor should it appear so hard that it crumbles or causes your puppy stress when they go.

Runny poop indicates your puppy has diarrhea, and poop that’s very hard or crumbly indicates some level of constipation.

Color

Color can tell you a lot about your puppy’s poop, and fortunately, it’s quick and easy to spot the difference. Normal puppy poop should be chocolate brown in color. It may range slightly lighter or darker, but overall, chocolate brown is the ideal color.

  • Orange or yellowish poop – may indicate liver issues, diarrhea, or even parvovirus (more info below).
  • Black or grey poop – may indicate GI or pancreas issues.
  • Green poop – may indicate grass consumption or bladder issues.
  • Red poop – may indicate blood is present (or from eating something with a strong reddish color).

Shape

Most of the time, the shape will depend on the consistency of the poop. If the consistency is where it should be, then the poop will come out in the shape of a log and maintain itself when you pick it up.

If it’s runny then it will be one terrible puddle on the floor, or if it’s too hard it could come out in small rounded pebbles.

This is original content produced and published by The Puppy Mag.

Smell

Puppy poo smells. It always has, and it always will, and that’s normal. But believe it or not, your puppy’s poop shouldn’t be excessively repulsive.

Whenever the poop is excessively strong-smelling, sweet, or has a noticeably different odor than usual, it could indicate that something isn’t quite right. In this case, look for other signs in color and consistency.

Size

The size and amount of poop will depend on their physical size (breed) and the amount of food they eat!

If you have a small breed puppy then you can expect poops to be small and picked up easily in one go. For those with large breed pups, you’ll eventually have to deal with quite a handful! pun intended.

What your puppy’s poop should be like: Summary

If we take into account everything explained above, we know that the ideal puppy poop is the following:

  • Firm, but moist. Not runny, watery, or very hard or crumbly.
  • Chocolate brown with only slighly variation.
  • Log shaped in one or two pieces.
  • Shouldn’t have an overpowering odor or sweet smell.
  • More or less proportionate to the amount of food your puppy eats.

Related article! Why is my puppy eating poop? And what to do about it

Is It Normal For Puppies To Poop Once a Day?

If your puppy is only pooping once a day, this likely indicates they are suffering from constipation to some extent. Although one poop a day is oftentimes normal for an adult dog, it’s too infrequent for a puppy.

With constipation, you may witness your pup trying to pass a bowel movement without success. He may circle around and squat, but with nothing coming out.

Various things can cause constipation including dehydration, a diet that’s excessively low or high in fiber, or underlying health issues. If your puppy doesn’t poop in 24 hours, it’s best to call your veterinarian. Source (vcahospitals)

Do Puppies Poop After Every Meal?

Most of the time yes, puppies will need to poop after each meal they have.

Many puppies have 3 or 4 small meals a day and poop around 4-6 times per day. It’s also common for puppies to need a poop after drinking water.

Related: Do Puppies Poop After Every Meal:

How long after eating do puppies need to poop?
For some puppies and depending on the time of day, they’ll need to go for a poop almost straight away after eating. In most other cases, puppies usually poop around 20-30 minutes after eating a meal.

There’s a known rule that a puppy can hold their bladder for around 1 hour per month of age they have. So 3 months = 3 hours, 4 months = 4 hours, etc. Although this does sometimes match up, It’s best not to rely on this totally!

Additional pee or poop moments to watch out for is when they wake up, after sleeping, naping, playing, getting excited, or drinking water. These are all key moments to be ready for! Anticipating these classic pee and poop timings can help streamline your potty training efforts.

Trending article: Why isn’t my puppy eating? What to do from a vet

What Does Parvo Poop Look Like?

The Parvovirus is a widespread and contagious disease that many puppies get. The illness can be very serious and even fatal if it isn’t treated early on (and if jabs aren’t complete).

This disease is gastrointestinal and poop has a lot to do with it. This disease not only affects poop but can be spread through poop.

If your puppy has parvo their poop will certainly be diarrhea, may contain blood, or be of an orange / yellow color. This is why it’s important to treat all bouts of diarrhea seriously.

In addition to affected poop, your puppy will likely be vomiting, lethargic, drooling, have a runny nose, appetite changes, temperament changes, and fever.

Of course, if you see all, or even just a couple of these symptoms it’s important to call your veterinarian immediately.

Source

Trending: Why Is My Dog’s Tongue Blue: 7 Causes & What To Do

When To See a Vet

If you’re dealing with a puppy with abnormal poop it helps to know when you should contact your vet.

First of all, temporary changes in poop happen often, and that’s nothing to be worried about. Certain things can cause a puppy’s poop to change suddenly and quickly, from the introduction of a new treat, or even pure excitement…

It’s best to take everything into consideration before worrying. Is your puppy’s poop otherwise normal? Has it been runny or discolored for a long time? Is this just a temporary change?

When to see a vet:

  • When your puppy’s poop has been consistently abnormal
  • When your puppy’s poop is discolored (with no obvious reason)
  • When your puppy’s poop is consistently hard or crumbly
  • When your puppy is struggling to pass bowel movements
  • If you feel that something just isn’t right with his overall bowel movements

If you think that something is “off” or not quite right, then there’s never a wrong moment to call your vet for further advice.

Oftentimes, it takes having a good idea of what is “normal” before we can identify when things become abnormal, which is easier said than done!

Thanks for reading! Check out our other health and behavior articles >>>

Additional resource:
Petmd



Disclaimer

Before making any decisions that could affect the health and/or safety of your dog, you should always consult a trained veterinarian in your local area. Even though this content may have been written/reviewed by a trained veterinarian, our advice to you is to always consult your own local veterinarian in person. Please read our full dislcaimer if you have any questions.