[Reese B]

Hi everyone,
I recently transitioned my dog to nutrience grain free pork, lamb and venison. Her poop has become very dark, almost black. Otherwise it seems like a normal firm healthy poop. I was just wondering if this is normal or cause for concern? Thanks in advance for any insight you can give.

[Susan]

Hi, when Patch started to eat a kibble I cant remember which one it was now, this happened with him as well but after 1 week his poo went brown again, I don’t feed the same kibble, I rotate between 2 kibbles, 1 brand for breakfast Taste Of The Wild Roasted Lamb & Canidae for dinner or a cooked meal for dinner, maybe email Nutrience & ask is this normal…. Is the Nutrience kibble dark brown?? I’d rotate another brand in his diet just in case…. Have you tried Canidae Pure Formulas, Patches poo was brown, had no smell & was smaller when he ate Canidae Pure Land Bison…
http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[anonymously]

Probably okay. However, the only way to test for occult blood (occult blood presents as black, tarry), if that is what you are concerned about, is to take a fresh feces sample to her vet for a routine annual test, parasites could be ruled out too.

[C4D]

My dogs’ poop will also change in color based on what protein they’re eating. I recall rabbit and venison as being the darkest in color and chicken being the lightest in color. I haven’t fed lamb in a while since one of the dogs reacts to lamb. Susan is right. You can rotate to another brand or protein to see if the color changes. Dark tarry stools are the ones that you need to watch out for.

Here is a link on the subject

http://www.epi4dogs.com/poopchart.htm

[crazy4cats]

Hi Reese B-

I just recently switched my dogs from a chicken recipe to beef. The difference in the color of their poop was drastic. Along with the hot sun darkening them up, I was a little concerned too. Considering both dogs changed and it was consistent with the food rotation, I didn’t worry too much. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any change in their behavior or health. But, if you are really concerned, like Anon mentioned, you could always take a sample to the vet.

Also, I found a site where it was recommended to put a fresh “sample” on a white absorbent paper towel and see if there is any red that seeps from it. Here is the link: https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Causes-of-blood-in-a-dogs-stool

Hope this helps!

[Author]

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