Dog poos 3 times a day

MAB83

My new minature jack russell (18 months old) has done his poo at least 3 times a day. Sometimes they're like normal poos and sometimes they're very watery. I feed him half a can of pedigree chum chunks and leave out a bowl of dry nuts all day for him which he munches away on every now and again. Should I just try and stop the meat chunks for a while to see if there's any change? 3 big poos for such a small little thing just seems strange?

star-pants

It's not entirely unusual - if you feed them all day, they'll poop all day.
You shouldn't leave food down for the whole day, it's a bad habit, then they won't eat some days etc.
You should leave down the food for 20mins and then take it up (whether they've eaten or not). At 18months old he should be eating max twice a day. Whatever food you give him in a day (should weigh out how much he's allowed) half it, one half say at 9 and the other half at maybe 5 (just example times). That will change how often he poops.

IF you think the consistancy of his poo is worrying then you could take a quick trip to the vet, or just stick to the dry food for a few days and see if it improves.

MAB83

Thanks star pants, I always thought that you should leave dry food out for them all day along with water, no?

star-pants

Water out all day yes, food should only be put down for 20mins (at the times you're feeding them, twice or however many).

MAB83

Thanks for your help.

Ado86

MAB83 wrote: »

Thanks star pants, I always thought that you should leave dry food out for them all day along with water, no?

There are 2 schools of thought on this, if your dog has no problem with eating now and then during the day then leaving food down all is fine. It really only becomes an issue with fussy dogs, you put the food down twice a day to get them to learn that they have to eat it or else they will be hungry.
Poo 3 times a day is very normal for a JRT. I would advise only giving him dry food though, it will definitely solidify the poo. What does he get to drink - if he gets any milk, that would be a major reason for watery poo.
Also, is worming up to date? Depending on what product you use, it could be as often as once a month for spot-on products and every 3 months for tablets.

MAB83

Ado86 wrote: »

There are 2 schools of thought on this, if your dog has no problem with eating now and then during the day then leaving food down all is fine. It really only becomes an issue with fussy dogs, you put the food down twice a day to get them to learn that they have to eat it or else they will be hungry.
Poo 3 times a day is very normal for a JRT. I would advise only giving him dry food though, it will definitely solidify the poo. What does he get to drink - if he gets any milk, that would be a major reason for watery poo.
Also, is worming up to date? Depending on what product you use, it could be as often as once a month for spot-on products and every 3 months for tablets.

Thanks Ado. Yeah my girlfriend works with animals and we've kind of gone halves on the care of him so she's making sure he's kept up to date with worming and all his health check ups, grooming, putting him to bed etc and my jobs are feeding and walking him so I see the poop part. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of asking her so I asked on here instead lol Okay I'll go with the just dry food so and see how we get on. I don't mind him pooing that much if it's not unhealthy or anything. He does get milk the odd morning I will admit so I'll stop that, he just loves it.

Is just dry dog food enough to give him? Do they get bored of it?

Sigma Force

Smaller dogs sometimes need two smaller meals a day rather than one big one, so perhaps cut it down to one in the morning and one in the early evening. In general dogs will poop once, twice and sometimes three times a day anyway but twice is kinda the norm.

I'd stick to the dry food only, tinned stuff can make their poop watery and smelly. I found ped chum in particular made my pooches poop very often and it wasn't solid so I switched to Burns and it's made a big difference..even to the smell not half as stinky. It's also cheaper eventhough it seems dear costs me €9.50 a week to feed a collie and a small dog, rekon for a mini jrt it would cost about €3.00 a week to feed burns mini.

Demonique

IMHO you should drop the pedigree chum chunks, it's not a quality dog food.

What brand of dog nuts are you feeding him?

Ado86

I know he loves the milk, they all do, but it really isn't good for his insides, or for you!
It makes his poo very runny and I would assume very smelly too. If you put him on a good brand of dog food, Burns as suggested is excellent, his poo will be much firmer and should smell a lot less (making it easier to pick up too!).
And about the getting bored of the food. I dont think so, for the most part the dog just associates it as food. Us humans put our feelings onto it, saying it looks very plain, it looks boring (my own mother does the same with our cats dry food)...but to be honest dogs dont think like that. So long as it tastes ok they're normally more than happy to eat it.
Wet food or tinned food is not great for your pet, they tend to be full of a lot of additives and can result in your pet becoming obese if you're not careful with the portions. They need to eat a lot less of the dry food in comparison because wet food has such a high water content, some can be up to 90% water. In the long run dry food is cheaper for you, its better for your dog and better for his teeth.

lrushe

My Spitz can have 3 poops per walk!!! I've never know a dog to poop as much.:) I would agree with not leaving food down all day, not only does it stop a dog becoming a fussy eater it is also in my opinion easier to observe any changes in a dogs appetite or dental problems. The milk could also be causing problems as alot of dogs are lactose intolerance so milk will give them the runs.

Mirror Image

I have a similiar question relating to poo.

Our dog is 7months old and lately when he poos it is slightly runny, very smelly and a light brown/yellowish colour. He will finish his business then go to another spot in the garden and start straining. A small amount may come out but generally nothing. We only feed him dry food. Is this normal?

Ado86

To be honest, this doesnt sound normal.
A dog on dry food only should have a very solid poo.
The straining after he has just gone, he feels like there is still more in there. And there may be, if the poo is very liquid it may be that it is travelling around other hardened poo in the intestine. Very very smelly poo is also not a good indicator, often a sign of bacterial growth in the intestine.
I would advise bringing the pup to a vet, and if you can collect a faecal sample as cleanly as possible, it might not be any harm to bring it with you to the vet. This is well worth getting analysed (but dont collect it too long before going to the vet, will have degraded and have more bacteria in it than when colected).
Is the pup up to date with worming and vaccinations ? How long has this been going on - recently or been a problem since you got the pup ?

Mirror Image

It has only started this week. Today I saw him trying to lick his bottom. Perhaps it is begining to irritate. Will definitely be bringing him to the vet monday. Yes he is up to date with everything. Apart from this he is a happy go lucky pup. Any ideas what it could be? Would it be straight forward enough to treat?

lorebringer

MAB83 - the odd runny poo is normal, I wouldn't worry too much. If the general consistency of the poo is a bit dodgy though, it is prob time to look at diet. Pedigree Chum is not a good quality food and I would recommend switching to another brand. Dry complete nuts are the best thing to feed your dog. As a treat, some days at meal times you could add a bit of tuna, meat, potato, veg or a little gravy. Dairy should be avoided because it can cause upsets. Try not to make it a regular occurrence because it may cause your dog to become picky and not eat the nuts alone. If you feed a good quality food, there is no need to add anything to it. Supermarket brands (Pedigree, Bakers etc.) are not good foods and should generally be steered clear of. Everyone has an opinion on food but I recommend Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved, Orijen, Burns, Hills Science Plan or Acana. You can buy them in bulk so it works out about the same price as feeding them the cheaper supermarket brands. Feels a bit steep when buying it though, but for a small dog it will last ages. You can buy these foods in pet stores, vet practices or online (www.zooplus.ie is a good place to get food online). If you are concerned about food, ask your vet or do some research online. If switching food, do it over a few days to prevent any stomach upsets.

As Starpants already mentioned, feeding at specific times (perhaps, morning and evening) for about 15/20 mins is a better method to feeding than free feeding (that is leaving the food down all day). Your dog will adjust to the routine very quickly and you will be in better control of how much they eat and when they eat. A small dog really needs to be fed twice a day. With regards to the number of poos per day - 3 it totally normal. They should be solid and generally the same each time (as I said, the odd dodgy one in nothing to worry about). By feeding at specific time, your dog should also develop a toilet routine and go at regular times during the day.

Hope it works out for you.

Mirror Image - this does not sound normal and your dog should see a vet. It could be a number of things - infection, parasite, food intolerance, gland problem - so best to get it checked out at your vet. These are all very treatable so no need to worry too much, especially if the dog is in good form generally. Your dog could be licking his bum because it's sore from dodgy poo or his glands could be at him because they are not draining properly. Your vet will be able to drain the glands for you, if that is the problem.