How Often Should A Puppy Poop?

Puppies are frequently the topic of conversation, but their pooping habits usually don’t make for a pleasant discussion. It is not common to hear people talk about puppy stools (or how much there is of it), even if the topic is important. For the sake of your pet’s well-being, let’s talk puppy poop.

Puppies have between three and five bowel movements in a day. Less than two poops can indicate that a puppy might be constipated, and more than six could mean the puppy is suffering from diarrhea. Other factors such as diet and exercise will also determine how many bowel movements a puppy has.

Analyzing poop can tell us if our puppies are healthy or need extra help to make sure they poop as they should. How often a puppy evacuates their bowels depends on several factors.

How Many Poops Are Healthy For A Puppy?

How many trips to the grass your puppy should make in a day depends on a few things, such as age, diet, and activity levels.

Younger Puppies Poop More

Puppies need to eat small regular meals to keep healthy; puppies younger than four months should eat four meals a day. Between four and six months, puppies have three meals a day and then only twice a day when they hit their half-year mark.

Eating smaller meals during the day can affect how many times puppies need to relieve themselves. You can expect at least one poop per meal. Usually, dogs go shortly after their meals, so keeping track of their activities is easy.

On four meals a day, a puppy will poop between three and five times, and by the age of 12 months, your puppy won’t need to go as often; between two and four bowel movements a day falls within the normal range.

What We Feed Our Puppies Affect How Often They Poop

High-quality food is enriched with all the nutrients your puppy needs to grow up healthy; their bodies use most of the fuel from the food, and their poop will reflect this.

Feeding lower-quality food often leads to gastrointestinal issues in puppies. It can increase bowel movements; the fillers in the food simply pass through the puppy because their bodies don’t use it.

However, it should be noted that this can also occur with higher quality food, and when this happens, the food you picked might not be the correct formula for your puppy’s breed.

Puppies can also suffer from food allergies that can produce more stool. Their tummies are sensitive at this age; if you think your puppy might have food allergies, switching their food is the only treatment for this.

Remember that overfeeding or underfeeding your puppy will determine how often they have bowel movements. You can ask animal healthcare professionals for advice on what (and how much) to feed your pet – this is probably the best way to get a quick solution.

Active Puppies Might Poop More

A healthy metabolism has three crucial factors, a balanced diet, exercise, and water. Less active puppies might not poop as often as puppies who benefit from an active lifestyle.

Of course, you should still keep your puppy’s age in mind; according to the Kennel Club, it is easy to work out how much exercise is healthy for your puppy by allowing five minutes for each month of age.

By six months old, your puppy can walk for 30 minutes a day; it might even be a good idea to split the time in two and allow for two walks a day. It is important that you never over-exercise your puppy as they grow because this can cause damage to all the moving parts that still need time to develop.

What Is Considered Healthy Bowel Movements In Puppies?

If you are worried that your precious puppy might be pooping too much or not enough, a change in diet or exercise can solve the problem; other times, it can indicate a problem or illness.

Is Your Puppy Pooping Too Much?

Puppies must eat good quality food for healthy development, but there is another reason why puppies should not be fed just any type of food. Diarrhea is a common ailment in puppies because their tummies are sensitive.

If your puppy needs more trips to the loo than usual and their poop is very soft or runny, there is a problem. Puppies like to chew on all sorts of things, and they might have swallowed something they weren’t supposed to – however, it can also be a symptom of other illnesses.

Give your puppy a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice (no spices or gravy) and monitor the stools. If there is no improvement by the following morning, your puppy should get a diagnosis and professional care from a vet.

Is Your Puppy Not Pooping Enough?

Hard or infrequent poops are signs of constipation, another condition that can be solved by adjusting a puppy’s diet and ensuring adequate exercise for their age. Make sure your puppy has access to cool fresh water every day.

You can treat constipation at home by offering your puppy pumpkin puree or wet dog food. These remedies ease the symptoms of constipation and help your pet pass stool without too much strain. However, it might be time to see the vet if the condition does not improve.

If your puppy is not pooping at all, there is a big problem. It can be due to either obstipation or obstruction. Both are severe conditions that need emergency veterinary care.

Healthy Puppy Poop

How often your pet passes stool is only one part of a healthy metabolism; according to PetMD, poop should be firm, chocolate brown, and free from any foreign objects or coatings.

When looking at your puppy’s poop, there are four things to consider, color, consistency, content, and coating. If any of these changes from the regular appearance of your pet’s stool, you’ll want to investigate further to eliminate any possible illnesses.

Conclusion

As a loving pet owner, the best thing you can do for your puppy is to make sure they get the best quality food you can afford, fresh water, and the right amount of exercise according to their age and breed; the rest should fall into place, and they’ll poop as often as they should. If you are worried about your puppy’s poop, getting your vet’s opinion won’t hurt.