Dogs can defecate more than once a day, up to 5 being normal, especially when they are puppies. However, an increase of more than 5 defecations per day and changes in the characteristics of the feces should be cause for alert for caregivers.
Generally, the increase in daily bowel movements usually corresponds to diarrhea in the large intestine, and can have very diverse origins, from certain parasites and infections to tumors, passing through inflammatory and anatomical diseases. Keep reading this article on our site where we address the why a dog poops a lot, its causes and solutions, to discover what may be happening to your furry companion.
How many times does a dog defecate?
Do you wonder why your dog poops many times a day? A dog's average number of bowel movements per day varies depending on a number of factors, including age, amount of daily food, diet, degree of hydration, and movement. Generally, they can defecate between 1 and 5 times a day without it being pathological.
Increased frequency of defecation in a dog can also indicate that it has diarrhoea, so you must also take into account the appearance of these stools, if they contain parasites, blood, changes in consistency, smell, color and quantity. If the stools have become softer and even almost liquid and more yellowish in color, it indicates diarrhea and you should always go to a veterinary center to diagnose the problem that is causing this to your dog. Diarrhea is a frequent cause of an increase in the number of times a dog relieves itself, since the feces have an excess of water, which increases the fluidity and frequency of defecation.
Diarrhea, in turn, can be from the small intestine or from the large intestine. In both, an increase in the frequency of stools can occur, but it is in large intestine diarrhea when the increase in daily bowel movements is greatly increased, so it will be this that we will talk about especially in this article.
How many times does a puppy defecate?
Young dogs tend to defecate more often than adults due to their small size, their higher energy needs, their great activity and their faster metabolism that increase intestinal transit. Because of this, if you are wondering if it is normal for your puppy to poop 6 times a day, yes, it can be normal, as long as it is not accompanied by changes in the stool that indicate diarrhea.
Why does my dog poop a lot?
We have commented that the increase in the frequency of defecation of a dog can respond to many factors. For example, a high-fiber diet, the frequent exercise, and theincrease in water consumption can increase the number of times a dog defecates per day due to greater intestinal transit. In these cases, we would speak of an increase that does not exceed the limit of 5 times a day.
We have also seen that age can affect this. Thus, the older the dogs, the more likely they are to defecate less due, on many occasions, to reduced movement. However, other older dogs defecate more, but in these cases this increase would respond to diseases that cause diarrhea.
However, if a dog poops more than 5 times a day and the appearance of the stool has changed, this is not normal and could indicate that he has bowel diarrhea thickand will have to investigate. Let's see below why this situation can occur.
Large intestine diarrhea in dogs: causes and symptoms
Large bowel diarrhea occurs when the absorption of the volume of water from the stool in the colon is decreased, causing semi-formed, mucous and even bloody stools, caused by various circumstances, such as:
- Parasitization by Trichuris vulpis.
- Hookworm colitis.
- Enterocolitis due to Salmonella, Campylobacter and Costridium.
- Lymphoplasmacytic colitis.
- Granulomatous colitis.
- Eosinophilic colitis.
- Histiocytic ulcerative colitis.
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
- Colourectal polyp.
- Colonic cancer.
- Colitis secondary to kidney, liver, biliary or thyroid disease.
- Abrasive colitis (due to ingestion of inappropriate foods or plants).
- Pancreatitis.
- Perineal hernia.
- Perianal tumor.
Now, how do we identify this type of diarrhea? Unlike small bowel diarrhoea, dogs do not usually appear unwell, dehydrated or with weight loss and anorexia, because the site of nutrient absorption and digestion has already passed by the time they reach the large intestine. However, dogs with increased defecation frequency due to large bowel diarrhea may present:
- Pain on defecation (dyschezia).
- Difficult defecation (tenesmus).
- Mucus in stool.
- Fresh blood in the stool (hematochezia).
- Irritation.
- Vomiting.
- Fever.
- Decay.
- Abdominal pain.
- Small feces around the house.
- Normal or increased stool volume.
Why does my dog poop a lot at night?
If you wonder why your dog poops at home at night, it can be for these 4 main reasons:
- Age: puppies can defecate and urinate around the house if they have not been properly trained. You have to be patient because each dog is different and they have a different pace of learning.
- Faecal incontinence: Various conditions can affect the external anal sphincter that controls defecation, such as cauda equina or other spinal and nerve disorders, as well as muscle damage, perianal fistula, certain drugs and parasites.
- Stress or insecurity: if your dog detects something at night that makes him stressed or is insecure because he has just been separated from the mother, it can cause her not to wait until the next morning to relieve herself.
- Large bowel diarrhea: As we have seen, large bowel diarrhea causes an increase of more than 5 stools per day.
If your dog is a puppy and the problem lies in incorrect training, we can help you!
What to do if my dog poops a lot?
If we have a very active puppy it is normal for him to defecate several times a day, however, if those stools become more liquid, with a worse smell or lighter in color, they may indicate that he has bowel diarrhea thick. At that age it is often due to some infectious process and you should go to a veterinary center as soon as possible, since puppies are at greater risk of getting worse faster than adult dogs.
When the origin of the increase in the number of daily bowel movements corresponds to some change in diet, intensity of exercise or water, the solution is to balance the altered factor. However, in adult dogs that defecate more than 5 times a day with no apparent change in diet, intensity of exercise, or daily amount of food and water, but with changes in stool consistency and appearance,Investigate the cause of diarrhea in the large intestine using laboratory tests, imaging techniques and obtaining samples for culture or histopathological analysis in order to apply specific treatment as soon as possible.
