Does your dog poop once a day? Do YOU??

Let’s Talk About Poop….

If your dog did not poop every day would you be concerned?  Of course you would, any pet owner knows that their dog poops every time they eat and if they don’t, they should! Some dogs defecate more than that depending on their diet. If you take them out for a walk 30 minutes to an hour after eating, they will likely poop.  What does your pup’s poop look like?  There are a few parameters that it should look like but like us, different meals will cause it to look different so we are talking a consistent basis here. If you change foods, take your dog swimming, and /or he is stressed out it may change for a day or two.   This is another good reason to pick up after your pup so you know what is normal for him/her and yes, you should look at it when you pick it up and notice if there are any changes.   A few parameters are:

• Color:  Chocolate brown.  If it is red or DARK brown, you may be concerned about blood in the stool.
• Shape:  A log shape.
• Consistency:  Like dough, it should not be runny or hard on a normal basis. If it is HARD, he may be dehydrated and if it is runny, he may have a belly ache, ate something new or may have ingested a lot of water.
• Content:  is there undigested food?  worms? blood?  grass?  mucous? toy pieces?

What about you? Do YOU poop every day?  Everyone poops and I am not going to ask you for details about your poop or post a photo on Facebook but its a very important topic if you want ULTIMATE health! First let’s start with, what our poop is made up of.  Many people think their feces is just what’s left after everything they’ve eaten is broken down and nutrients are absorbed but this is not true.  About two-thirds of your stool is made up of water, undigested fiber and food residue. The remaining third is living and dead bacteria.  Also in your stool are waste products like medication residue, toxins and hormones that have been broken down by your body.  Knowing what’s in your feces gives you a clue why it’s SO important to have regular bowel movements.  Here are some more fun facts:

How often:  If you are a reasonably healthy person with a decent diet, nature should call a minimum of once a day, and ideally 2-3 times a day.

What should it look like:  I know this part is extra weird but here goes.  Here is what a perfect poop should look like:

• A brown color
• A banana shape
• Does not stick to the toilet
• Easy to wipe—no mess
• Minimal odor
• Almost always the same regardless of foods eaten

What is should NOT look like:

• It should not be a bunch of balls all wadded together, or worse yet, rabbit pellets, it’s been hanging around inside of you WAY too long. This is a sign of constipation.
• If your stool has undigested food particles in it on a regular basis (aside from the occasional corn on the cob), that’s an indicator that digestion isn’t being accomplished efficiently, and may suggest low digestive enzymes.
• If your feces is very loose or watery, that means that it passed through the digestive tract too quickly, and not enough water was absorbed by the colon like it should have been also suggesting poor digestion.  Poor nutrient absorption can make you prone to conditions like anemia and osteoporosis, among others.

Things to keep in mind:                     

• Eat meals that are easy to digest.  Dietary intervention is the first resort to fixing constipation.  Avoid grains, industrial seed oils and processed foods.
• Eat more vegetables.  The fermentable substrates in veggies are what support the pooping process.  The best vegetables for this are onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, berries, broccoli, pears, apples, bananas.
• Stay hydrated
• Don’t rely on supplements or evacuation supports such as Metamucil and coffee enemas

Keep an eye on your poop and how many times you go a day.  If issues continue and diet changes don’t help it is possible you have deeper issues and you should look into advanced GI stool testing. Probiotics can help with this and so can digestive enzymes.

Poop tells us A LOT about our’s and our dog’s health so make sure you pay attention to it!  This is just a sample of what we go over in our private on-line fitness challenge.  Fitness is MUCH more than just diet and exercise.  It is what you are doing every day from how you are breathing, your posture, your daily habits and even how you are pooping!! If you want to join us or want to know more, CLICK HERE!  For less than $5. a week, we can help you get on the road to a healthier you!