Have you recently noticed mucus in your furry friend’s poop? As part of your daily routine, you take your dog to the empty area near your home for them to relieve themselves. As a responsible dog owner, you grab the poop bag to clean up, only to notice something gelatinous—or maybe slimy—mixed in your dog’s stool. Naturally, you might panic as negative thoughts race through your mind. For instance, have you fed them something wrong? Is your pup’s life in danger?
We understand that seeing mucus in your dog’s poop can be alarming; however, you need to relax because it’s not always a cause for concern. Instead of stressing, remember that mucus also acts as a natural lubricant in the body, protecting the delicate lining of the intestine. Furthermore, small amounts of mucus are normal. According to Buddy and Lola, it is quite common to see a little mucus, as it usually accompanies your dog’s poop. However, be cautious if the mucus increases in amount, changes color, or is accompanied by other symptoms, as this may require you to pay more attention and consult your trusted vet.
Do you want to address this issue before it intensifies? Let the blog offer possible reasons for this so you can obtain an accurate diagnosis and begin treating your furry friend in the best ways possible. After all, your dog can provide hints through their behavior, and it’s your responsibility to understand the problems they are trying to communicate, including those that may not be easy to identify.
Why Is Some Mucus Normal?
The thing is that your dog’s intestines are a complicated system, constantly working on digesting food, absorbing necessary nutrients, and eliminating waste. Now, you need to understand that the stomach is lined with a layer of mucus, which also acts as a barrier. This layer is produced by special cells and guards the lining around the intestines from bacteria, irritants, and the frequent wear and tear of digestion. In short, you can say that it is your dog’s gut’s bodyguard.
Therefore, a small amount of jelly-like and transparent is usually not stress-worthy as it simply shows that the gut is functioning normally, where things are moving in a flow with protection. You will find this true, especially when you find your dog’s stool in its usual form is brown and your dog poops without putting much effort.
What Are The Main Causes Behind Mucus In Your Dog’s Poop?
If the mucus in your dog’s poop increases drastically, changes colour from brown to yellow or green, contains specks of blood or is accompanied by other signs in the shape of vomiting, lethargy, diarrhoea, or lack of hunger. This must have made you eager to know more, hence let’s discuss the main causes behind mucus in your dog’s poop:
Dietary Imbalance
Dogs are born with scavenging habits, meaning they are always on the hunt, during which your pup may also end up eating something that they shouldn’t have, causing a dietary imbalance. This can be in the form of food that got stale or spoiled, picked from garbage or randomly eaten, any foreign objects that they saw lying around them, or you forgot to pick them up. Once they consume any of these, it tends to annoy their digestive tract, resulting in a lot of mucus production. Because on one end the gut is actually doing its job: protecting itself while moving the foreign objects out. And on the other side, you can feel your dog’s gut say, “ I should have kept my curiosity aside and stuck to what my owner feeds me”.
Food Allergies or Intolerances
Dogs are also allergic to different kinds of food. For instance, the very common culprits are chicken, dairy, beef, and wheat. If your dog has eaten any of these or food consisting of them as ingredients, then it can create inflammation in your dog’s gut, boosting the amount of mucus. And discomforts your pal with other digestive issues as well. To identify what exactly caused this nuisance, you must schedule an appointment with your vet, who will probably suggest you make the most out of the elimination approach. Here, you will need to prepare a special diet for your dog to recover faster.
Infections
Since we are discussing the causes of mucus in dog poop, then let us inform you that even infections can be held responsible. What kind of infections? Well viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections can easily become troublesome for your dog’s digestive system, resulting in swelling and adding to the mucus production. If you want to take a deeper look into the specific types of infections, then these are Giardia, Coccidia, E.coli, and Salmonella. These infections also make your dog experience vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, or other symptoms. Hence, if you notice your dog doing any of the above, then it is highly suggested you take them to the vet so they can give you the right medication to address the issue.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Then you have the inflammatory bowel disease. What is it? It is a chronic inflammatory condition that impacts your dog’s digestive tract, causing a bunch of symptoms such as an increased quantity of mucus, vomiting, weight loss, and diarrhoea. Can you diagnose this condition yourself? We understand your concern as a pet owner, but there are some things that are beyond your control, and this is one of them. Hence, your vet will diagnose it through several tests such as blood samples, analyzing the faeces, and at times, even biopsies.
Colitis
Is it the first time you have heard about colitis? If so, then let us tell you that it is simply the swelling of the large intestine. Again, colitis is caused by a number of factors, such as consuming something out of their safe food chart, taking stress, suffering from infections, and inflammatory bowel disease. One of the saddest parts about colitis is that you will usually witness increased mucus in your dog’s stool, have diarrhoea, which will make them run to their assigned pooping stop multiple times a day, and feel exhausted due to immense abdominal uneasiness.
Parasites
Yes, even intestinal parasites in the form of hook, round, and whipworms can also make your furry fellow’s life miserable. How? Well, these insects tend to irritate the intestinal lining, elevating mucus production. Therefore, take them to the vet for regular deworming and ask them for the best deworming medication to treat your dog personally, too. In this way, at least this situation will not happen again in the future.
Stress
Like humans, dogs can feel stressed, too. According to BlueCross, dogs may experience stress due to boredom, frustration, anxiety, or fear. You might be wondering what makes them so tense. The common causes include noticing changes in their regular routine, traveling without their owners, or encountering new faces. If you've done any of these, the resulting stress can lead your dog to experience severe episodes of irritable bowel syndrome, increasing the mucus in their stool and causing other related issues. Can it be treated? Absolutely! All you need to do is switch their diet back to what they were accustomed to, travel with them, help them become familiar with strangers or new environments, or provide specific medications. You'll notice a reduction in mucus soon after.
Cancer
This information may be distressing, but cancer is also a possible cause of this mucus issue. The positive aspect is that it is uncommon and typically affects older dogs or those with pre-existing digestive issues. Therefore, if your dog is older and has related digestive concerns, you should promptly consult a veterinarian to discuss how to address the problem.
Try To Observe The Mucus In Your Dog’s Poop
If you are closest to your dog in the entire family, they let you touch them or show their problems to you only; then you have an excellent opportunity to notice the amount of mucus in their poop. So try to observe the mucus in your dog’s poop to confirm your dog’s health in the following ways:
How Much Mucus Is There?
Carefully examine how much mucus is in your dog’s poop. Is it like a speck or way too much that it is covering the entire stool?
What Is The Colour Of Mucus?
Next is the colour of mucus. Look at its colour and note whether it is transparent, green, yellow, or consists of blood.
What Is The Stool’s Texture?
The stool’s texture also plays a pivotal role in answering your question. Examine the stool's texture and note whether it is soft, loose, watery, or in proper solid form.
How Frequently Is Your Dog Pooping?
Since your dog is very close to you, then you might be accompanying it to their assigned pooping spot. Therefore, notice how many times your dog is pooping and whether they are passing stool more or less often. Their pooping behaviour can offer you some clarity.
Is It Showing Other Symptoms?
As you spend time with your dog, look for additional symptoms. For example, be alert if they suddenly vomit, seem lethargic, lose interest in their favorite treats, rest their paws on their abdomen, or strain excessively to relieve themselves. If you notice any of these signs, contact your vet. Alternatively, you can take your dog with you for a better evaluation of the issue and guidance on the necessary medications.
How Will A Vet Diagnose Mucus In Your Dog’s Poop?
Mucus in your dog’s poop isn’t something to be overly concerned about. However, as a pet owner, you likely want reassurance that your dog is okay. Therefore, when you visit your veterinarian's clinic, they will conduct the following tests to diagnose the presence of mucus in your dog’s stool:
Take History and Physical Exam
First of all, they can take a history and physical exam to help them in a more accurate diagnosis in the following ways:
Detailed History
Like in the case of humans, vets will also take your dog’s detailed history, where they can ask you several questions. For instance, they might ask you about what breed your dog is, how old they are, what you feed them, did you change their routine in any style, and does your pet display any other symptoms. Furthermore, tell them how long the mucus has been a part of your dog’s poop and its quantity.
Physical Exam
After getting all their required answers, your vet will take your dog for a physical examination. What will happen here? Well, the doctor will simply put their stethoscope on your furry fellow’s abdomen to feel the palpitation. This will assist them in checking whether there are any kinds of abnormalities, such as swelling in a particular part, lumps, masses, or pain.
Diagnostic Tests
Now, your vet will use that detailed history and the idea they got from the physical tests to suggest you carry out some diagnostic tests in the following ways:
Faecal Examination
A faecal examination is regarded as one of the most common tests. This is done to check whether your dog’s intestines are infected by parasites such as protozoa or worms. Hence, feel free to carry a sample of your dog’s stool along with you for the vet to examine it under their microscope. In this way, you will get to know the exact results as well.
Blood Work
Then, you have blood work, where the concerned vet does a complete blood count. This blood work or CBC is carried out to assist in identifying if your dog’s gut is experiencing swelling or viral infections. Furthermore, it can also unfold hidden problems related to the functioning of your dog’s organs.
Biochemistry Profile
A biochemistry profile is another type of blood test that evaluates the degrees of a variety of substances present in your dog’s blood. How is it helpful? Well, it helps in showing that there are problems with your dog’s liver, kidneys, or pancreas. Hence, it can offer you with more clarity as well.
Radiographs
Don’t confuse the term radiographs with other terms. These are basically X-rays that provide visuals of your dog’s abdominal organs, making it easier for the vet to spot any foreign objects or blockages in the digestive tract. They will later explain the results to you so you know exactly where things went wrong and can remain cautious in the future as well.
Ultrasound
This diagnostic test is not limited to humans only. Ultrasound allows the vet to create images of your dog’s abdominal organs via sound waves. Plus, it helps them in identifying tumours, other concerning abnormalities, or abscesses. Therefore, through ultrasound you can get to know a lot better regarding your dog’s abdomen and the reason behind the mucus.
Endoscopy
You might have heard about endoscopy but may not know what actually happens during the procedure. It involves a thin tube with a camera attached to its end. This tube is inserted into your dog’s digestive tract, allowing your vet to see the lining of your pet’s intestines and proceed with biopsies if necessary.
Ways To Prevent This Problem
As a true dog lover, you will not prefer letting your dog experience the mucus issue in the future as well. Therefore, you can work on a few ways to control some causes, if not all. What are those? Let’s take a quick glimpse:
Offer a High-Quality Diet
First of all, you need to offer a high-quality diet to your dog. How? You will go to the store and grab dog food that is made according to your dog’s age, activity level, and breed. Kindly avoid adding food consisting of flavours, preservatives, and colours. Why? That will only lead to more mucus in their poop and maybe other digestive issues as well.
Gradually Introduce New Foods
Even when your dog is on the road to recovery, we still recommend you gradually introduce new foods. In this way, the food will not upset your dog’s digestive system. Hence, keep this in mind before planning to do so.
Make Them Wear A Leash
Whenever you take them for a walk, make them wear a leash. This will keep them in your control and change your routes, where they don’t push you to let them hunt.
Conclusion
Now, you should have a better understanding that the presence of some mucus in your dog’s poop is normal because it helps protect your dog’s intestines. However, it becomes concerning when there is a significant amount of mucus, especially in different colors. In such cases, you should take your dog to the vet so the doctor can provide the necessary medications.
