Which Meal Am I Seeing In The Poop?

[jshell]

Betty Joan gets fed twice a day and poops twice a day (well, sometimes a few more smaller poops on longer walks, but still: two big walks a day). Meals are about 12 hours apart, and the walks are within an hour of the meal (morning walk is after breakfast, evening walk is usually before dinner).

 

I've always wondered: which meal am I seeing in the stool? Is it the one from 12 hours ago, or 24? I've found some writing on line about the digestive system of dogs, but no answer on how long digestion takes (which I imagine varies for different sizes and breeds).

[Sambuca]

Add some corn to a meal and you can see for yourself.

[TheFullHouse]

I think it depends on the dogs metabolism. Those who get lots of exercise probably digest their food a lot quicker than those that spend their days just laying around.

[RedHead]

Dogs have a fairly short, simple digestive system (the more "herbivorous" an animal is the longer and more complex the digestive tract). It would depend on a lot of things though such as the individual dog and the type of/ingredients in the food. I would have no idea which meal the poop was coming from! I do like the corn experiment though! lol

[Trihounds]

I've heard 24 hours for a kibble fed dog under normal circumstances. Not sure how accurate it is, but I like Sambuca's response on the corn...that should work!!

[NeylasMom]

I feed a varying raw diet (totally different meats every day) so it's easy for me to see which meal is coming out when. I haven't really tracked it, but I would say depending on size of meal, I typically see it 24 hrs later, sometimes crossing over into the morning poop the following day if it was a bigger or bonier meal (we feed one meal a day, in the evenings). Not sure how that would compare to kibble. I'll pay closer attention if I can remember for the next few days, but I say do the experiment. We all love to talk about poop around here.

[PrairieProf]

I'm pretty sure I see at least some of it 12 hours later, or certainly before 24. Sweet potato rawhide --> orangeish poo!

[Guest kirstenbergren]

I'll have to follow this topic. I'm interested to know how long it takes too. I hope someone tries the corn experiment.

[jshell]

Unfortunately I have no corn. But (if I remember), I'll try to get some at the Farmer's Market tomorrow.

[NeylasMom]

Well Zuri had tripe for dinner last night and this evening's poop was definitely a tripe poop with a little of something else. Note our evening walks are generally earlier than dinner by a few hours so technically less than 24 hrs.

 

I would have more evidence if I knew what time Skye ate part of her rope chew toy. Although all signs point to approximately a day on that too as it's not something I leave in her crate during the day and she is currently going to town on it.

Edited July 20, 2012 by NeylasMom

[GreyPoopon]

It varies a lot, depending on dog and situation.

 

If one of mine eats something that does not sit well for dinner, I usually see it at lunchtime the next day (two meals, three walks). But sometimes it takes longer, and the poodles seem to take longer than the hounds.

[Hubcitypam]

I can't imagine dogs taking 24 hours when people with longer digestive systems don't take that much time.

[Guest BrianRke]

I can't imagine dogs taking 24 hours when people with longer digestive systems don't take that much time.

 

This is INCORRECT!

 

Here is a quote from Michael F Picco, MD at the Mayo Clinic.

 

from Michael F. Picco, M.D.

 

 

Digestion time varies depending on the individual. For most healthy adults, it's usually between 24 and 72 hours. After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion and absorption of water. Elimination of undigested food residue through the large intestine usually begins after a total of 24 hours. Complete elimination from the body may take several days.

[Batmom]

Yep. Most things pass within 48 hours but how fast before that really depends on stomach and gut motility, size and weight of individual food object (bigger/heavier/harder can stay in stomach quite some time), etc.

 

If you're feeding something relatively homogeneous like kibble/canned food, the corn trick is a good one. Peas work, too, although corn kernels are eaiser to see.

[NeylasMom]

My final answer is 12-36 hours with the bulk of it being in the general vicinity of a day later. This morning we saw both the end of Friday evening's particularly large and bony meal (bony meals tend to produce more stool than pure meat or organ) and last night's meal of heart.

[Guest Celestrina]

Wow. I know there are a lot of discussions regarding dog poop on this site, but this is one I never expected.

[Guest PhillyPups]

I can't imagine dogs taking 24 hours when people with longer digestive systems don't take that much time.

 

This is INCORRECT!

 

Here is a quote from Michael F Picco, MD at the Mayo Clinic.

 

from Michael F. Picco, M.D.

 

 

Digestion time varies depending on the individual. For most healthy adults, it's usually between 24 and 72 hours. After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion and absorption of water. Elimination of undigested food residue through the large intestine usually begins after a total of 24 hours. Complete elimination from the body may take several days.

 

However, every rule has an exception - McDonald's french fries clean out my system in less than 1/2 hour.

[Beachbum1]

I can't imagine dogs taking 24 hours when people with longer digestive systems don't take that much time.

 

This is INCORRECT!

 

Here is a quote from Michael F Picco, MD at the Mayo Clinic.

 

from Michael F. Picco, M.D.

 

 

Digestion time varies depending on the individual. For most healthy adults, it's usually between 24 and 72 hours. After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion and absorption of water. Elimination of undigested food residue through the large intestine usually begins after a total of 24 hours. Complete elimination from the body may take several days.

 

However, every rule has an exception - McDonald's french fries clean out my system in less than 1/2 hour.

 

McDonald's chicken nuts......I'm lucky to make it out of the restaurant

[Hubcitypam]

I can't imagine dogs taking 24 hours when people with longer digestive systems don't take that much time.

 

This is INCORRECT!

 

Here is a quote from Michael F Picco, MD at the Mayo Clinic.

 

from Michael F. Picco, M.D.

 

 

Digestion time varies depending on the individual. For most healthy adults, it's usually between 24 and 72 hours. After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion and absorption of water. Elimination of undigested food residue through the large intestine usually begins after a total of 24 hours. Complete elimination from the body may take several days.

Not to release TMI, but someone needs to tell my body that. Corn and okra eaten with meals take far less than 24 hours.