As a dog parent, dealing with dog poop is an inevitable chore. You will spend the initial few months housetraining the dog. In some cases of housetraining, a puppy can take up to a year.
As a new pet parent, it is understandable if your dog’s poop weird you out. But knowing the answers to questions like what healthy dog poop looks like, how long after a dog eats do they poop, or when dog poop becomes a problem can help you better care for the pet.
Once you get an idea about the pet’s poop cycle, you can accordingly take it out for a walk. This will help house train the dog and also save you from cleaning up any messes inside the house.
According to PetMD, dogs can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours to digest their meals fully. So, that is why your dog wants to poop first thing in the morning.
The article will explore topics like the poop cycle, factors affecting your dog’s poop, and tips that can help your dog poop well.
What Does a Normal Pooping Cycle in Dogs Look Like?
There is no magic number as to how many times a dog should necessarily poop. Dogs can poop anywhere from one to five times a day. It depends on the animal’s age, eating habits, exercise, and health.
Typically an adult dog poops a minimum of once a day. Pooping two to three times a day is also considered normal. As long as the poop is solid but squishy, in a log-like shape, and does not contain any discharge, it is fine for dogs to poop more than once a day.
Senior dogs may poop once a day or even less than that. This is because, in the case of aging dogs, it takes more time for the food to pass through the digestive tract.
Puppies can poop up to five times a day, sometimes even more. Unlike senior dogs, food moves quickly through puppies’ intestines. Puppies have a large appetite, their metabolism works great, and their intestines are clean.
Also, puppies cannot hold their pee and poop as adult dogs can. A puppy can hold its poop for hours, equaling its age in months. For example, a four-month-old puppy can hold its poop for 4 hours, a five-month-old puppy for 5 hours, and so on.
As you start caring for the dog, you will understand what is ‘normal‘ for your dog. It could be once a day or four times a day. The key is that the poop cycle should be consistent.
If your puppy suddenly starts pooping once instead of five, or your senior dog poops three times a day from once, you should find out the cause. For example, it could be a simple cause like a diet change or a serious health concern.
How Long After a Dog Eats Do They Poop?
Dogs can poop 30 minutes after having their meal. In the case of puppies, they might poop a bit earlier than 30 minutes.
It is normal for dogs to poop after every meal. But do not consider this as the norm. For example, when we say 30 minutes, the dog is not pooping out the food it just ate. Instead, the poop generated is from its previous meal.
This is because dogs can take 8 to 12 hours to digest their food completely. And the digestion time coincides with the recommended duration between their meals.
For example, you feed the dog at 7 in the morning, and it takes about 10 hours for it to digest its food. So, when you feed the dog around 5 in the evening, it will be ready to poop right after the meal. But if you feed the dog around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, it might not be ready to poop yet.
Meal portion size and quality can also affect poop frequency. If the dog is given small meals consisting of wet food, it may digest the food quicker. For example, your dog poops as it wakes up. You feed it a small meal at 7 in the morning. The dog may be ready to poop again by the afternoon before it is given any other meal.
So, if you feed the dog twice a day, it may poop two times a day. However, if you feed it small meals such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it may poop three times a day.
Again to answer the question, the dog may poop around 30 minutes after eating. But now, you understand several factors that affect this timing. So, do not panic if your dog does not poop right after a meal.
What Does Healthy Poop Look Like?
Now that you know how many times a dog typically poops and how long after a dog eats, do they poop, let us understand what healthy poop looks like.
According to AKC, five factors define the perfect dog poop. These factors are:
- Color
- Shape
- Consistency
- Size
- Content
Chocolate brown – that is the color your dog’s poop should have. Colors like green, orange, black, or grey are a cause for concern. For example, green-colored poop could mean the dog is suffering from a gallbladder issue. Orange poop could mean a liver issue.
The shape of the dog poop should be log-like. If the dog strains and drops round or pellet-shaped poop, it could be dehydrated and constipated.
The consistency should be solid but squishy, for example, play-doh-like. If the poop is watery, then the dog can have diarrhea.
The size of the poop should be in proportion to the food consumed. Three small meals mean the dog could poop in small quantities three times a day.
The poop should not contain discharge like blood, mucus, or any white spots. Blood in poop could result from injury or a gastrointestinal issue.
So, you need to keep a tab on the dog’s poop cycle and also what the actual poop looks like. If the poop has a weird color, its consistency is off, or it contains discharge, please check with the vet.
What Factors Affect a Dog’s Poop?
The dog will develop new ‘normal‘ pooping cycles as it grows. Then, different factors like diet, meal size, and health can affect your dog’s poop cycle. Let us look at some of these factors in detail.
1. Diet
The nutrients in your dog’s food can cause it to poop more or less than normal. For example, if you have started the dog on a high-protein diet, it may reduce the pooping volume and frequency. However, it would help if you were careful with such a diet, or the dog could become constipated.
On the other hand, if the dog is on a high-fiber diet, it may start pooping more than normal. This is because fiber adds bulk to poop and facilitates its movement through the dog’s bowel. A fiber-rich diet is usually recommended for overweight dogs as the nutrient helps the dog feel fuller for longer. But it will cause it to poop more.
2. Meal Portion
We have discussed this factor above. The more the dog eats, the more it will poop; the less the dog eats, the less it will poop. The frequency of pooping can also vary depending on meal portion sizes and timings.
You may be out traveling with the dog, or the pet may be staying with a relative or a friend. In such situations, it may be difficult to follow the same routine the dog has at home strictly.
Children, or even adults for that matter, may sneak in a few extra treats for the dog when you are not around. So, these factors may temporarily disrupt the dog’s normal poop cycle.
3. Age
As we have seen above, puppies can poop up to five times a day. As the dogs reach the adult phase, they may poop up to three times a day. And senior dogs may poop only once a day.
This is because the amount of food the dog eats, its exercise level, and gut health can undergo changes. For example, in the case of puppies, as they are small, food passes quickly through their intestines. But in the case of senior dogs, it may take a lot of time for the food to move.
4. Stress
If the dog is stressed or anxious, it may cause them to poop more often. Sometimes, peeing and pooping may be an involuntary response.
If the dog suffers from separation anxiety and you leave it alone, you may come back home to a mess. Or if the dog is not socialized well, triggers like loud noises, strangers, or other animals can stress it out.
When stressed, the dog’s body releases a hormone that causes its intestines to work faster, resulting in increased pooping.
5. Health Condition
If you have not changed the dog’s diet and routine but still see a change in its pooping cycle, then the cause could be a health condition.
Exposure to chemicals or toxic substances, injury, obstruction caused by foreign objects, or tumors can slow down or impair the function of the digestive system.
If along with poop cycle changes, you notice symptoms like vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, or listlessness, please get in touch with the vet.
When Does Dog Poop Become a Problem?
Dog poop may be one of the last things you want to examine, but it can provide insights into your dog’s health.
The perfect dog poop should be chocolate brown, shaped like a log, have a consistency like play-doh, should not contain any discharge, and should be in proportion to the meal size of the dog.
If the poop structure, color, and consistency vary from this standard, you should find out the cause.
For example, if the dog goes garbage diving, eats spoiled food, or food it is allergic to, then its poop can turn watery. Infections can also cause the same reaction. In case of diarrhea, the dog may poop often and, in extreme cases, have no control over its poop.
If the dog does not eat a balanced diet, does not exercise regularly, or excessively grooms, then it could lead to constipation. In such cases, the dog may not poop for a couple of days.
You can try home remedies for these concerns. But, if the dog’s health does not improve in about 24 to 48 hours, it would be best to talk to the vet.
What Can You Do For Your Dog to Poop Healthy?
Here are some practices that can help maintain your dog’s gut health and keep things moving along.
1. Balanced Diet
Ensure the dog is getting the right nutrients through its food. Do not follow trends like a high-fiber diet or a high-protein diet without understanding what your pet needs. Too much of a nutrient can mess up the dog’s gut.
If unsure, please talk to the vet, as they can provide a customized diet plan suited to your dog’s needs.
2. Exercise
Every dog has different exercise needs. Some dog breeds are highly energetic and may need a mix of activities like walking, swimming, and additional playtime. Then there are other dog breeds that are good with a moderate 30-minute walk.
Physical activity will aid in keeping things moving along the bowels. However, if the dog does not get enough exercise, it can gain weight and have to deal with issues like constipation.
3. No Human Food
You should not feed dogs the same meal as you eat. You may not see any harm in feeding the dog table scraps thinking, ‘what harm can a few small pieces of meat do?’ But this is not healthy for the dog.
They might develop a habit and start begging for food. And you and your family members may not always be able to resist those big puppy eyes.
Human food can be heavy on the dog’s digestive system. It can make its pancreas work harder to break down that food. Moreover, some human foods like chocolate and xylitol (typically found in baked goods) can be toxic to dogs.
4. Keep the Dog Hydrated
Ensure the pet always has access to a clean source of water. Whether you are stepping out for work, taking a nap, or running an errand, ensure the dog’s water bowl is filled.
Know your dog’s heat tolerance. If too much sun is an issue, take the dog for walks in the evening or at night.
You can make tasty and healthy ice treats from fruits and vegetables during the summer. It can be a fun way of adding water and nutritious food to the dog’s diet.
5. Address Stress and Anxiety
You need to identify triggers that are bothering your dog. For example, your dog can get anxious in front of other people. So, it is not wise to push the dog into a room full of people where it can get scared and poop itself.
Instead, try introducing one family member. Then, when the pet gets comfortable around them, you can introduce another member, and so on.
Talk to the vet because some cases of stress and anxiety may require medication. A one-on-one training session with a professional behaviorist may also help.
Summary
If you are wondering how long after a dog eats do, they poop; the answer is around 30 minutes. Adult dogs can poop 30 minutes after eating, whereas puppies can poop before 30 minutes.
This is not a rule, though. Your dog can take less or more time to poop after they eat. As long as they show consistent pooping behavior, it is not a cause for worry.
Canines can take 8 to 12 hours to digest their meals. Several factors can affect your dog’s poop cycle. These include age, health, diet, exercise, stress, and medications, among others.
If your dog suddenly starts pooping more often or does not poop for a couple of days, the cause could be an underlying medical issue. So, please talk to the vet for further action.
Heather Abraham is a professional blogger who owns two dogs, a cat, a parrot, and a leopard gecko. She has a connection with animals since she was a child. She shares her love for all pet breeds and provides information on pet food, toys, medications, beds, and everything else.
She is committed to learning about the internal workings of animals. Her work permits her to work closely with knowledgeable vets and obtain practical expertise in animal care. When she is not working, her love of animals continues in her writing. Her goal is to educate and uplift readers who also have a passion for animals through her writing.