More Living Columnists

• Dolores Sanchez Badillo: The view from the fenceline
• Mary Penner: Learning about your past is an awesome journey
• Steve Brewer: Goofy fads can hold fond memories for families

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

Dr. Oz is a favorite guest on Oprah Winfrey's show, discussing human anatomy and how our body works, and taking questions from the audience and callers. The No. 1 discussion by far is about poop.

It might be graphic, embarrassing and even funny, but he explains things your doctor never has, and it's information we need to know.

Same holds true for our canine family members.

I now present the scoop on poop. Continue reading at your own risk.

All dogs suffer diarrhea at one time or another, and pet parents are left wondering at how and why it happens.

Diarrhea is a symptom, not a disease. It is the passage of loose, unformed stools and usually comes with an increase in the number of bowel movements.

Eight hours is the norm for food to digest in the small intestine and get to the colon with the bulk of it absorbed along the way. Eighty percent of water is absorbed in the bowel while the colon concentrates and stores the waste. At the end, if everything is functioning correctly, a well-formed stool is eliminated.

But when food passes too rapidly through the bowel it arrives in the rectum in a liquid state - a condition known as "hypermotility" of the bowel. Hypermotility accounts for 90 percent of diarrhea cases in dogs (and "accidents" on the carpet).

Veterinarians search for the cause of diarrhea by examining the color, consistency and odor of the stool, and they consider how often the dog has a bowel movement. If they cannot observe this themselves, they must rely on your description of the stool as a guideline.

• Black tarry stool: bleeding in the upper digestive system.

• Bloody stool, red blood or clots: lower bowel bleeding.

• Large, gray, rancid-smelling stool: inadequate digestion.

• Yellow or greenish stool: bowel hypermotility.

• Pasty, light-colored stool: lack of bile, which could mean liver disease.

• Watery stool: symptomatic of severe hypermotility and bowel wall irritation. This could mean there are toxins and severe infection.

• Foamy stool: bacterial infection.

• Greasy stool, often with oil on the anal hair: malabsorption.

• Putrid-smelling stool: intestinal infection.

• Stool that smells like food or sour milk: hypermotility and malabsorption. Could be a sign you are overfeeding, especially if it's a puppy.

• Several bowel movements in an hour, each small, with straining: inflammation of the large bowel.

• Three or four large bowel movements in a day: malabsorption or small bowel disorder.

Now you understand why simply telling your vet your dog has diarrhea is an inadequate description.

Diarrhea can be caused by indiscretion in your dog's diet, food allergies or an ingestion of food scavenged on a walk or in the backyard. Dead birds, decayed garbage, dirty standing water, cloth, grass, paper and parts of flea collars come to mind. Rich table scraps with gravies, spices and salt are big no-nos unless you want big poops.

Emotional upsets and overexcitement can trigger hypermotility. Ditto certain infectious agents such as worms (hook, whip or roundworms), viruses, bacteria, protozoa (trichomona, giardia and coccidian) and, although rare, fungi.

Malabsorption disorders are uncommon, but they're frequently symptomatic of pancreatic or liver disease or injury to the lining of the intestinal tract.

Be aware of any diarrhea that persists for more than 24 hours, bloody diarrhea and diarrhea accompanied by vomiting and fever. If this happens, get to your vet's office immediately.

Now you have another reason to scoop the poop of your dog, besides it being the responsible thing to do. A quick examination can help prevent any serious illness from taking hold.