When you have a pet, you must pay close attention to your pet’s health and wellbeing. During this observation, you might observe some things which might require medical attention. The earlier you catch these signs, the better and quicker you can deal with them.
Mucus appears in dog poop due to lubrication of the intestines; it is a normal occurrence that should occur occasionally. A small amount of mucus in a dog’s poop allows the feces to slide through the colon. However, there is a problem when mucus is regularly seen in a dog’s poop.
When there is too much mucus in a dog’s poop, it means there is excessive inflammation in the dog’s colon. This condition will require medical attention, and the dog would need to visit the veterinarian.
Main Causes And Treatment
When checking your dog’s poop, you might notice a slimy jelly-like substance or mucus. A little of this substance is nothing to worry about, but when it is in an excessive amount, then your dog has an infection. The glands in the intestinal tract produce mucus to keep the colon moist and lubricated so that stool can pass easily.
Main Causes Of Mucus In Dog Poop
There are several causes of excessive mucus in a dog’s poop; sometimes, this mucus is accompanied by blood. The dog might experience symptoms like loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some of the causes of excessive mucus in a dog’s poop are:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a cause of mucus in a dog’s poop. This disease is a condition where the intestine is attacked by inflammatory cells. The most common type of this disease involves infiltration of plasmacytes and lymphocytes cells; it is common in Shar-Pei and German Shepherd dogs. The other type involves eosinophils cells.
Some Inflammatory Bowel Disease symptoms are chronic or recurrent vomiting, poor appetite, or diarrhea. When a dog has this disease, it not only has excessive mucus in its poop but also experiences weight loss, fatigue, depression, abdominal pain, and a distressed hair coat.
Diet Changes
If you recently changed the food you feed your dog to a different type, you might find mucus in the dog’s poop. The presence of mucus signifies that the digestive system of your dog is trying to adjust to the new diet. It is best to introduce a new food to your dog slowly by mixing it with its old food in cases like this.
If the dog does not experience constipation or severe diarrhea and there is no sign of blood or mucus in its poop, you can continue feeding with the new food. The adjustment to a new diet in dogs should take place within a week, and you will notice your dog’s stool has gone back to normal.
Similar post: Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?
Stress
A dog’s emotional and mental health affects its bowel movement; it will have diarrhea under stress. This symptom might involve a large amount of mucus in its poop and some blood. Diarrhea due to stress usually resolves within 24 to 48 hours; however, you should take your dog to a veterinarian if it continues after this period.
Stress also causes the dog to have an urge to go frequently or strain when defecating. The best thing to do for a dog in a situation like this is to relieve stress. There are several ways to relieve a dog of stress; you can make it engage in fun activities or take it out for a stroll.
Presence Of Intestinal Parasites/Protozoans
Tapeworms and whipworms are parasites that reside in the colon and intestine and cause severe irritation. These worms can be ingested through water, food, or soil; in most cases, you can find whipworms in your dog’s poop. When these worms are present in your dog’s intestine, you will find its poop containing mucus.
Another protozoan parasite called giardia also causes mucus in a dog’s poop. This parasite causes an intestinal infection and is ingested from other animal feces, including human feces. When dogs with giardiasis defecate, their poop is usually watery, frothy, foul-smelling, and contains a lot of mucus.
Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth
Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth occurs when a dog is unable to digest food due to the bacteria in its intestine, which eats the undigested food and uses it to grow and reproduce. This condition causes a disproportion of good colon bacteria and is mostly found in dogs who suffer from EPI.
When a dog has this disease, it experiences symptoms like loose stool, crankiness, chronic diarrhea, yellow mucus, and mucus on the stool. A dog with Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth will have excessive mucus on its stool; you can help restore its bacteria imbalance by giving it a probiotic called Fortiflora.
Further Reading: Why Does My Dog Have Diarrhea?
Colitis
Colitis is one of the main and common causes of mucus in a dog’s poop; it is a condition where there is inflammation of the large intestine or colon. This condition is caused by pancreatitis, injury or damage to the colon, food allergies, immune diseases, and gut infection.
A dog with colitis will display symptoms like diarrhea, loose stool, pain during stooling, constipation, loss of appetite, lethargy, weight loss, and stool containing blood and mucus. If you notice your dog has colitis, you should immediately take it to the veterinarian.
Other causes of mucus in dog poop are:
- Food intolerance
- Parvovirus
- Ingesting foreign objects
- Crohn’s Disease
- Fungal infection
- Clostridial Enterotoxicosis
- Polyps and tumors of the intestinal lining
- Dietary indiscretion
Treatment Of Mucus In Dog Poop
Having understood the different causes of mucus in dog poop, you will notice that some of these causes are serious and affect the dog’s health in other ways. It is necessary to know how to treat such conditions in dogs and prevent your dog from having excessive mucus in its stool.
If your dog has excessive mucus in its poop, you should not treat it yourself. The best thing to do is take the dog to the veterinarian for medical treatment because the cause of excessive mucus might be more dangerous than you think. Your veterinarian will detect the cause and provide the appropriate treatment.
However, if you see just a little mucus in your dog’s poop and the dog does not express any symptoms, you can treat it yourself. One of the first things you should consider when treating your dog is its diet. You can try adding additional fiber to its diet or switch to a highly digestible diet.
You can feed your dog with homemade options when you notice mucus in its poop. Get boiled white meat chicken with no skin or bones, white rice, and a teaspoon to a tablespoon of canned pumpkin. Mix these and feed them to your dog for a few days; after doing this, you may notice that there is no longer mucus in your dog’s poop.
A healthy dog with a little mucus in its poop might not need serious medication or medical treatment. Sometimes, a probiotic supplement is required; however, an expert should recommend this supplement.
You can also treat your dog with antibiotics or parasiticides if the cause of the mucus is parasites and infections. However, you should not get just any kind of antibiotics, but consult your veterinarian on the type and brand of antibiotics to get
Final Thoughts
Once you have a pet dog, one of the things you should always check out for is its poop. The poop of a dog says a lot about the health and behavior of the dog. Checking your dog’s poop regularly will help you know when it has any infection or illness that requires medical attention. This way, you will be able to get your dog treated before such infection or disease gets worse.
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Shawn Manaher is a serial entrepreneur but when he isn’t working, he loves dogs. He’s owned different pets over the years, and always gives a part of his heart to each pet.
