Awkward Question

[Guest NRN13]

Ok, sorry if this is too much information, but Cleo poops like 4-5 times a day. She eats the Iams green bag stuff with some wet food mixed in at night. Is there another food that greys seem to like that makes them, um, a little less "frequent"? She does seem to like sweet potatoes. I could add that in the mornings but I was wondering if that would have the opposite effect and make her go MORE. It's not a big deal really, though I'm going through poop bags like nobody's business! The consistency is ok (sorry , T.M.I.!) but I worry because I'm back at work now and gone for long periods of time a few days a week. She is not crated and is doing fine so far (today was the 5th day of school), but I worry that she'll need to go while I'm gone. Any ideas? Like I said, she hasn't had any accidents, but I'd like to see if there is another brand of dog food to try. Thank you! P.S. Tried Blue Buffalo but that didn't help.

[Guest RMarie]

How much are you feeding her? What is the timing of the poops? Do they occur on walks? How many walks are you taking? What is the consistency?

 

Btw, there really is no way to give TMI in the poop arena.

[Guest Clawsandpaws]

Is she pooping on leash walks? Sir Dudley will poop about 5 times if he is running free in a yard. We live in an apt, so when he gets to run around he truly "Lets loose" LOL.

 

If this is happening on leashed walks, how long are they? Are they exercise type walks or just a quick pee walk? When Dudley is being walked, the longer we walk, the more times he will poop. He doesn't necessarily *need* to poop, but when he is exercising or over stimulated he just wants to poop!

[OwnedBySummer]

I've often thought that they poop whenever they have the opportunity. Sort of like old ladies walking past the bathroom -- "might as well go while I'm here". My theory (which could be totally whacked ) is that since they are on a turnout schedule at the racing kennel, that they are accustomed to going whenever they are out.

 

Summer poops 3-4 times a day, with morning being the largest and each subsequent poop being a bit softer but always formed. If she gets more exercise than normal or if we go to a greyhound run, she poops more than that. At greyhound runs, I find most of the hounds poop until they are empty. And then they poop a little bit more!

Edited September 10, 2013 by OwnedBySummer

[seeh2o]

Carl would poop up to 9 times (his personal record) on walks, at least half were substantial - huge. Now that he's on raw, his poops are small and firm, he poops maybe 4 times, on walks. If no walk, he poops 2x per day. He likes to "share the wealth" on walks.

[Guest NRN13]

Always leashed. Squishy consistency Usually twice in the morning before work (once on our power walk and then again right before we leave). Then again when we take her for a short walk in the afternoon. Maybe another time when we take her out to pee. And always after dinner or on our night time walk. She eats about 3 1/2 cups of dry and 1/3 can daily. She weighs 65 lbs. Just seems like a lot!

[Time4ANap]

To get "technical," is this that she needs 4 or 5 outings a day, or that she has 2 or 3 outings but fills that many bags?

 

If she needs that many outings, then a food switch or even a fecal sample might be warranted to rule out an parasites or worms. if it's just that you use that many bags over a few outings, that seems pretty normal

 

Rocket typically goes out on 2 walks a day, plus a morning turnout if he doesn't run back to bed after breakfast. It's not unusual for us to use 4-6 bags on those outings, but the amounts aren't huge unless he's had some type of snack that doesn't agree.

 

We have recently switched him to Precise Senior Formula from Precise Foundation, and found that stools are firmer all day, and the output is smaller. He will be 8 in November and it seemed like he needed a diet change.

 

Many of the owners from our adoption group have had great results from the foods in the Precise line, Primarily their Foundation Chicken Meal and Rice formula. They have lots of other types though if chicken isn't an option.

[Guest NRN13]

Well, she goes out 4 or 5 times per day and seems to poop on each trip. Whether it's a long walk or short trip out. I automatically take her out for a walk in the a.m. and then again before we leave. Then when I return, and then she usually "asks" (standing at the door) to go out after dinner. So I guess she just is taking advantage of each trip out. Maybe when they are at the track, they learn to go when they have the chance!

[Guest AngelPup]

Brady poops around three to five times a day... the more active he is, the more he poops. I swear more comes out than goes in! I never had a dog that pooped more than twice a day previously. Our vet said that as long as the stools are formed and he's not loosing weight, than it doesn't matter how many times he 'goes'.

[OwnedBySummer]

I don't know what your pup's weight and condition is like. But that would be a LOT of food in our house which, of course, equals a lot of poop. Summer weighs 70 lbs. and eats 1 1/2 cups of kibble for breakfast, in a bit of hot water. Dinner is one can of moist food with salmon oil and her Fresh Factors tablet. Of course, all foods have different caloric content, etc., and all dogs are different.

[Guest OPointyDog]

One of ours is on a high fiber food and goes 4 times a day. We're so thankful that his poop is finally relatively solid that we don't mind. He will only poop on walks, and goes 2 x (and sometimes 3x) per walk. Our female is on Iams and goes once per walk (2 x per day). So I think it varies. I have noticed that the longer the wait between poops, the larger the volume of each bowel movement, and the more likely he'll have just one rather than going lots of times. If I take him out too frequently, he just goes and goes!

 

Sort of like old ladies walking past the bathroom -- "might as well go while I'm here".

 

Hey! I resemble that remark. One of my rules of life is to never pass up a chance to go to the bathroom. You just never know. But I'm only 43.

[Guest jetska]

Seems like the boys poop more on walks. My theory is that it can be territory marking behaviour. Miles (friend's dog) poops when he has no wee left, and poops until he has no poop left (so the last ones are often just squishy and very small).

 

My non greyhound boy (Bender) also poops many times on walks. Barbie only usually poops once per walk.

[Guest NRN13]

Interesting! So I'm thinking a change of diet probably won't make much of a difference. Seems they go when they have the opportunity, whether they "need" to or not! Cleo is almost 2 and in good health. She eats 1 1/2 cups Iams in the a.m. and then 1 1/2 cups in the evening with mix-ins She always seems hungry, so we are trying to figure out the right amount. Will the sweet potatoes make her go more or less? or does it really just help the squishy/firm factor?

[Guest RMarie]

I agree, that is a lot of food. Excess food will lead to excess pooping. James lost a good bit of weight when we first got him so we were feeding upwards of 5 cups/day to help him gain weight. After he started gaining weight, more food led to more poop, not more weight gain. As he gained weight, we started tapering back the amount we were feeding. Seems counter-intuitive, but it worked. He now poops a maximum of 3 times/day.

[cleptogrey]

I've often thought that they poop whenever they have the opportunity. Sort of like old ladies walking past the bathroom -- "might as well go while I'm here". My theory (which could be totally whacked ) is that since they are on a turnout schedule at the racing kennel, that they are accustomed to going whenever they are out.

 

Summer poops 3-4 times a day, with morning being the largest and each subsequent poop being a bit softer but always formed. If she gets more exercise than normal or if we go to a greyhound run, she poops more than that. At greyhound runs, I find most of the hounds poop until they are empty. And then they poop a little bit more!

sounds about right! i love the "old lady" analogy....

the only time i haven't observed my dogs NOT pooping non-stop was our last camping trip. they ate like horses but burned off everything and then some being outside 24/7 for 2 weeks. with the weight loss came the lack of poop activity. as you read, it's normal and the more they poop the softer- less time in their lower intestines to form. yup, sounds like your walking and cleaning up after a grey- welcome to the club!

[Wonder]

Diamond is a crapping machine- he poops like 10- times a day. He loves to poop, I guess

My other pups only poop twice a day.

[a_daerr]

I agree. Sounds like too much food. My 83 lb. boy doesn't even eat that much.

[Guest NRN13]

Really? 3 cups of dry a day plus 1/3 can wet food? She's young and healthy, lots of energy. I thought that amount sounded about right and I don't think she has gained since we adopted her 6 weeks ago. Ok, and stupid question, but how does everyone weigh their pups?

[Guest k9soul]

I think it can be a metabolism issue. I would assume more activity means boosted metabolism and so needing to go more often. One must keep in mind that 1 cup of one type of food doesn't necessarily equal 1 cup of another type of food nutritionally though. A food with more fillers will take a bit more volume wise to meet nutritional needs than a food with less filler and more meat content.

 

To weigh, vet's offices will always have a scale that you can use (usually out in the lobby/waiting area), and some pet stores have them.

Edited September 10, 2013 by k9soul

[Guest Waterdog66]

It does seem like a lot of food. (Don't forget training treats and snacks)

 

There are plenty of threads around on how much we feed our houndies but:

 

Audrey eats 1.5 cups dry for breakfast and 1 cup + a couple of spoons of canned mixed in for dinner.

 

With training treats, she is maybe getting 3.5 cups total for the day and is very steady at 68 lbs.

 

ETA: 2 Good "Roll Down the Hill" Poops per day + maybe 1 or 2 "Marking Poops" that usually don't amount to much.

 

She eats Merrick Grain Free Sweet Potato and Chicken Kibble, Grain Free Merrick Canned and Sweet Potato based training treats. She also gets an occasional (once or twice per week) finger of Dogs Butter and maybe part of a DogsBar if we are out on a longer hike.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Waterdog66

[Guest OPointyDog]

Seems like a perfectly reasonable amount of food to me, especially if the dog is active. Our female (68lbs) gets 1.5 cups, twice a day, plus a kong and lots of treats. Her weight has stayed exactly the same for as long as we've had her and she looks great. She poops twice a day. Our male (72lbs) gets 1.5 cups in the morning, 1.5 cups in the evening, and 0.5 cups before bed, mixed with a few tablespoons of wet food. Plus a kong and treats. He's hard to keep weight on because he's so busy!

 

You could try one of those "low residue" foods - they are more digestible so more of the food is digested instead of becoming waste. But some greys don't do well on that type of food. Both of ours seem to need some bulk in order to avoid diarrhea. It's very dog-dependent! Maybe adding some lean protein (boiled beef or chicken?) and reducing the kibble would help?

[greysmom]

It does seem like a lot of food, but only you can judge her condition. If she is particularly active, that amount may be correct. Though you did say she is now home alone for several days a week, and that means a lot of inactivity to me.

 

You should be able to see the outline of the last two or three ribs, and notice a definite tuck up at the waist. There shouldn't be any "love handles" right in front of her hip points, and the hip points themselves should be visible. Some greyhounds have very noticible spines that poke out above their backs ( a greyhound "dragon back") and that really has nothing to do with how much they weigh or their physical condition.

 

A grain-free kibble may reduce the volume somewhat, as will feeding a raw diet.

 

One thing you *may* want to check is for any malabsorption issues. Large and frequent poops *can* be an indicator of this as their bodies excrete what they don't absorb properly.

[sobesmom]

My best advice - is wait it out. If you've only had her 6 weeks - just wait. She may stop pooping so much when she realizes she doesn't have to do it every time she gets the chance. I swear some new fosters I've had would drop a colon trying to poo on a walk just cuz they thought it was the thing to do.

 

Just wait. After a couple months - maybe consider a food change. In the grand scheme of things - this is minor - I wouldn't rock the boat this early on.

[krissn333]

Ozzie came home August 31st and was eating Kirkland Lamb & Rice in his foster home. His poop was okay but not fantastic. We feed TOTW Pacific Stream here and within 3 days his poops were fabulous. He poops first thing in the morning before breakfast and he will poop when let out at lunch time. He is one that needs to move quickly to "work up a poop" so my GUESS is that if he is not let out at lunchtime but waits until I get home at 5 he will be fine too, because he'll just be snoozing on the couch His poops are nice and small too. He eats 1.5 cups for breakfast and 1.5 for dinner. He weighs 72 lbs and is an active guy.

 

I would give her a little bit of time, but, most dogs adjust by now if the food is agreeing with them. Might be worth looking into a food change.

[Guest june]

Mine get 1.5 cups morning and night (Iams). They usually poop morning and evening with sometimes an extra poop right before bedtime. Do you feed meals at set times or free choice? I find that meals at set times helps them be more "regular" with the time that they poop.