Oh no, your dog has the runs! Dog diarrhea is not just gross; it’s a sign that something isn’t right in your best friend’s gut. If you ask, “How to firm up dog poop?” you are in the right place! We have all the tips you need to help naturally firm up dog stool and have solid, perfect dog poop take its place!
The not-so-perfect poop: Why does dog diarrhea happen?
No one likes it when their dog has soft stool or diarrhea. It’s ooey and gooey and a mess for both you and your dog. Imagine picking up your dog’s poop on the street…
What is it that makes our dogs pass soft stools? And a better question, how do I firm up dog stool, so it’s not a mess for my dog or for you?
To answer this, we need to know what exactly happens in your dog’s gut as it digests food.
From the first bite, your dog’s teeth tear and crush his food. It starts to produce digestive enzymes that will later break down the food, and their salivary enzymes will work on killing any bacteria it comes across. Then it goes down the esophagus.
As it goes down, it’s in chunks and pieces, and your dog’s stomach acids are waiting to break those chunks and pieces into smaller pieces so the nutrients can be absorbed. A dog’s stomach acids are about three times as strong as a human’s, and so they’re pretty good at breaking down even food that is wholly intact.
As it’s digested and broken down and nutrients are absorbed by your dog, the waste and leftovers continue through the digestive system on its way to the rectum. The waste (or poop) takes its final trip through and pops out when your dog does its business.
If optimal digestion has occurred, and your pup’s gut is healthy, that looks like those fun little swirls of poop we all giggle at. That’s what we call #poopgoals.
But if that’s not the case, your dog can struggle with gastrointestinal issues like constipation and of course, dreaded diarrhea.
Dog diarrhea: What causes loose stool in dogs?
If your dog has diarrhea, many things can be causing it. Maybe they got into the garbage or ate some spoiled food or dead animals. Vets actually call this “Garbage Toxicosis” or “Garbage Gut.”
Maybe they’re eating different dog foods and their gut is adapting to it. That’s why many dog food manufacturers recommend changing your pet’s diet gradually and slowly to help guts acclimate properly.
Maybe they have been eating too many fatty foods recently.
Maybe they’ve got a food intolerance or an allergy or even a weak immune system that has a hard time allowing their digestive system to work properly.
Maybe he’s been on a course of medicine that’s killing his gut flora and preventing the good bacteria from doing their job in the dog’s digestive system.
Whatever it is, though, it’s usually a sign that the gut is unhealthy. Sure, your dog may have diarrhea because he’s suffering from things like inflammatory bowel disease, kidney and liver disease, or dealing with parasites, viruses, or bacterial infections that cause him to be sick, or even dealing with cancer. You’ll want to rule those out if diarrhea continues and you continue having difficulty firming up dog stool.
Likely, though…it’s an unhealthy gut, and you need to help him balance it ASAP if you want to firm up dog poop..
How to firm up dog poop (properly)?
When your dog has loose stool, the best way to start helping firm up dog poop is to make sure he’s getting enough fiber. And we mean good, quality fiber. Fiber intake will help bulk his poop up because one of its main jobs as it goes through the digestive tract is to absorb excess liquid…this is what causes the runs in dogs. You want to make sure your dog has both insoluble and soluble fiber because he needs to have food go through his system at just the right speed (soluble fiber does this) and just the right consistency (insoluble fiber helps this) for optimal nutrient absorption.
The next step in ensuring your dog’s gut is healthy is ensuring he has the right balance of beneficial bacteria in his gut. Probiotics are the helpful bacteria in your dog’s gut, and when there are plenty of them, and they’re fed well by the addition of prebiotics, they’ll get rid of bad bacteria that can cause leaky gut, colitis and diarrhea.
You also want to be sure that your dog has a sufficient amount of enzymes that aid digestion to break his food down as well as it can be. The more it’s broken down into smaller pieces, the better it is for nutrient absorption. This helps your dog’s gut be healthier and that prevents fewer diarrhea bouts.
Additionally, there are a handful of other ways you can naturally firm up dog stool.
Feed high protein diet to firm up dog poop
Protein is key to a dog’s diet, and for perfect poops, dogs need quality, high-protein diets. It’s important that there is enough digestible protein in your dog’s diet to fuel their body and optimize nutrition. The key to firmer poop is maximum nutrient absorption and a high protein diet can help. Typically, experts recommend meat-based diets for dogs, and chicken or turkey are a bit leaner but packed with protein.
Consider eliminating dairy to naturally firm up dog stool
If you want to naturally firm up dog poop, dairy should definitely be a no-go. Dairy isn’t typically recommended for dogs anyway; some pet parents do give small quantities of dairy in frozen yogurt treats or even ‘Pupacinos’, but generally speaking, dairy isn’t going to do much for your dog’s gut health. If you are looking to make dog poop solid, be sure dairy’s out of the picture.
Avoid fatty foods to naturally firm up dog poop
Fatty foods aren’t really great for any diet–yours or your dogs. But, avoiding fatty foods as well as limiting processed foods with preservatives can help if you want to know how to make dog poop solid. Additionally, avoid products that contain soy or corn and instead, consider products that have rice.
Feed your dog boiled chicken and white rice
There’s a reason vets always suggest this as a go-to when dogs have gastrointestinal issues. The basic, bland boiled chicken is high in protein but not prone to throw their gut health off, and the white rice is a great source of fiber to help bulk their poop up. If you are looking for how to naturally firm up dog stool, this is typically an unbeatable combination for a few days. You can also add pumpkin, but be careful not to let this be their only diet for more than a couple of days. It’s important for dogs to get full nutrition from their foods, particularly if they’re puppies, so check with your vet if your dog has diarrhea longer than a couple of days or it gets worse in frequency and consistency.
Bernie’s Perfect Poop: The most delicious way to firm up your dog’s poop
The best news there is when it comes to helping your dog form a solid stool is that Bernie’s Perfect Poop adds all the necessary elements to naturally firm up dog poop into one delicious combination of grass bits.
Perfect Poop combines Miscanthus grass, pumpkin and flaxseed so that your dog gets the perfect amount of insoluble and soluble fiber supplements he needs to bulk up his stool and perfect his poop. That soluble-to-insoluble ratio of premium fiber also helps your dog’s microbiome be more balanced, which is key for firming up dog poop.
Additionally, as we said, pre- and probiotics are key to helping your dog’s intestinal flora / digestive tract and microbiome be balanced. Bernie’s Perfect Poop has Inulin which is a fertilizer to feed all the helpful bacteria and ensure they thrive. It also has Xylooligosaccharides (say that 3 times fast!), or XOS. This XOS is clinically shown to improve gut health and keeps your best friend’s gut in the healthy, balanced state it should be.
The digestive enzymes in Bernie’s Perfect Poop are what round it out, and ensure that your dog’s food is broken down to the size it needs to be for maximum nutrient absorption. This means there’s less waste, including the ooey, gooey diarrhea no one wants to deal with.
Good dog gut health: How to make dog poop solid every time
The key to how to make dog poop solid is starting with your dog’s gut health. A healthy gut typically proves itself with a healthy butt (and the things that come from it). If you’re looking for how to firm up your dog’s stool, give them Bernie’s Perfect Poop! Thousands of dog parents just like you have found relief for their dogs (and themselves) and you can too!
[1] https://drbarchas.com/dietary-indiscretion-garbage-gut-in-dogs/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4528259/
