Answers to Top Frequently Asked Questions About Dogs

Dog Behavior Articles

questions about dogs

Anatomically and physiologically dogs share a lot of common characteristics with other mammals, including humans! But some of their behaviors and physical differences leave us scratching our heads asking, “Why do they do that?”

Let’s answer some of those frequently asked questions about dogs and as always, I welcome feedback and am happy to answer any of your common dog questions.

Commonly Asked Questions About Dogs

Why do dogs have wet noses?

A dogs’ ability to detect scents is up to 10,000 time more sensitive than the human nose. As an example, they can sniff out one rotten apple among 2 MILLION barrels of apples. A wet nose enhances the ability to trap olfactory chemicals in the secretions produced in the glands of the nose.

Some dogs lick their nose, contributing to the “wet nose”  look and enhancing the process of scent detection as those chemicals are processed in olfactory centers in the roof of their mouths. Dogs also produce more secretions from their nose as a way of regulating body temperature.

Sweat glands are found in the feet and nose and as such, a wet nose helps keep them cool. Should I worry if my dog has a dry nose? Nope! If the dog is otherwise happy and healthy, without dried discharge around the nostrils, a dry nose is not an indicator of illness.

Why is my dog panting?

We are back to the unique distribution of sweat glands in your pup and his ability to cool down. Because they don’t sweat like humans, excessive heat is lost as air moves through your dog’s airways. While normal respiration in dogs can be up to 30-40 breaths per minute, a panting dog can exchange air up to 300-400 times per minute.

Some causes of abnormal panting can include stress, pain, endocrine diseases, heatstroke, and heart or respiratory disorders such as tracheal collapse. If your dog doesn’t need to chill out in a warm environment, bring abnormal panting to your veterinarian’s attention.

Why does my dog eat poop?

This is a gross one, especially if you witness the event and then your dog wants to plant a big, sloppy kiss on you. From an evolutionary perspective, dog moms eat the poop of their young pups to keep the den clean and free from odors that may attract predators.

Some puppies bring this behavior to their new home, though most grow out of it as the dog matures; if they aren’t on a well-balanced diet or experience digestive disorders such as intestinal parasites or pancreatic disease, the behavior may persist.

Some dogs eat stool (coprophagy) because they are stressed, bored, like the attention they receive, even negative attention, or to avoid punishment.

Some dogs eat poop just because they like the taste! Discourage the opportunity to eat stool by picking up poop immediately or contact Pet Butler to scoop the poop. A sprinkle of meat tenderizer or a product called Forbid on their kibble make stools less enticing.

Why Do Dogs Sniff Each Other’s Butts?

Anal glands, which secrete a foul-smelling liquid, are used for scent marking and identification. Because of their complex olfactory system which includes a component called Jacobsen’s organ in addition to their nose, they can also process scents that have no detectable odor like pheromones.

A butt sniff is the equivalent of a human handshake enabling dogs to recognize each other as individuals and identify sex, age, variabilities in health and social order.

Dogs also communicate using body language and physical cues; raised, waving tails indicate happiness and tucked tails appear when fearful. A wagging tail can help to spread those chemical scents when greeting other pups. Tails are useful for balance and movement, such as the rudder-like tail of the swimming retriever or the whip-like tail of the sight-hound which helps them change direction in the blink of an eye.

Why Do Dogs Walk in Circles Before Lying Down?

Back in the days before fluffy pillows, dogs had to make their own bed. By flattening the grasses and brush for themselves and their young, they made a comfortable nest and drove out critters such as snakes. Scratching imparts a scent to their bed expressed by the small glands in the feet, further defining the space as their own.

While we’ve domesticated pets, some of these instinctual behaviors and functional anatomic features are part of what makes dogs such fascinating creatures! We hope these answered some of your questions about dogs, and check out the rest of our Wellness Guide to learn more!

Is Pet Waste Harmful to Humans? Diseases From Dog Poop

Pet Health Articles

diseases from dog poop

Picking up poop can be a stinky job, but not doing it can have its consequences. “It’s too much work,” “it’s only in my yard”, “the poop will break down on it’s own”,“my dog is small” are common reasons why people don’t pick up the pet waste. Both humans and canines can acquire certain diseases from dog poop. In humans, diseases transmitted between species are known as zoonoses.

Roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms are commonly known gastrointestinal parasites that shed eggs in dog feces. Human activities such as gardening, walking barefoot in the yard, or playing sports increase the risk of encountering those parasite eggs and subsequent larvae.

Young children with less than stellar hygiene often go right from the sandbox to the lunchbox, where microscopic eggs can be consumed along with soil on the hands resulting in those diseases from dog poop. Likewise, your dog, who by nature greets new playmates with a nose to rear acknowledgement, can acquire a new infection from a contaminated yard or surface. To spell it out plainly, dogs eat poop. Other protozoal parasites often found in dog waste are cryptosporidia and giardia.

How Diseases Transmit Between Animals and Humans

These tiny organisms are easily transmitted between animals and people causing signs of illness common to most parasitic infections: vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, anorexia, poor fur coat, anemia and lethargy.

In some cases, healthy adult animals and people exhibit no symptoms at all, but can be actively shedding pathogens. Because humans are not the typical “host” for parasites such as roundworms, sometimes larval and adult worms take up residence outside of the gut.

Migration in tissues has caused disease in the lung, eye (which can lead to blindness), and skin. Besides direct hand to mouth transmission and direct skin contact with larvae, bacteria and parasites can be disseminated from a pile of fecal matter on lawn mower blades, the bottoms of shoes, after rainfall to areas of water run-off and nearby streams, and even on the bottoms of tiny fly feet.

What are other diseases form dog poop? Salmonella, E. Coli, and Campylobacter are bacteria that are excreted in the feces of even healthy dogs.

The Georgia-based Clean Water Campaign estimated that a single gram of dog waste can contain 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, which are known to cause cramps, diarrhea, intestinal illness, dehydration, and kidney disorders in humans. You can do the math or trust mine; more than 70 million dogs in the United States alone produce over 10 million tons of poop each year.

Pet Waste Toxic for the Environment

Human and diseases from dog poop is not the only reason dog waste is harmful. Feces in the water supply contributes nutrients that lead to overgrowth of harmful algae and weeds, killing fish and other wildlife.

In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency lists dog poop as number three on its list of non-point sources of environmental contamination, meaning it comes from more than one source, millions of dogs.

How can we address the problems caused by the more than 40% of pet owners who do not take pet waste removal seriously? Education is the first step to promoting a healthy environment.

Many people erroneously believe that dog waste disappears into the dirt. In fact, the 200,000 eggs laid by a single roundworm each day can persist for years without treatment from a concentrated bleach solution or flame thrower.

You can start your pet on an oral or topical parasite preventative dispensed by your vet and insist upon bi-annual fecal screening.

Let Pet Butler Handle the Poop Scooping

If you’re not doing the poop scooping on a regular basis and want to avoid diseases from dog poop, you may be interested in hiring a professional pet waste removal company like Pet Butler.

With weekly poop scooping service, Pet Butler will help minimize yard contamination and disease transmission. The Pet Butler team disposes of dog waste in a timely and environmentally safe manner; no more excuses. Call 1-800-PET-BUTLER (1-800-738-2885) today!

Sources:

Clean Water Campaign
Dog Poop Environment Pollution
Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments
Eliminating Pet Poop Pollution

What Does Healthy Dog Poop Look Like?

Pet Health Articles

Keeping Your Pets Safe In The Summer Heat

Why must inspiration always strike in the wee hours of the morning? Perhaps it’s because we have had a dearth of calls regarding unusually colored stool and, let’s just say it, diarrhea.  Perhaps it’s because I am dreading the dog waste to be revealed after the great snow melt this weekend.

Regardless, let’s get to the heart, or colon, of this article.  Dog poop.  What does healthy dog poop look like? How do you know if your pet is in distress and needs medical attention? What are some common causes of loose or hard stools in dogs and what can you do to help? Is color of a dog’s poop related to their overall health and well-being?

Fecal consistency is primarily a function of the amount of moisture in the stool and can be used to identify changes in colonic health as well as other medical problems. Ideally, in a healthy animal, stools should be firm but not hard, pliable, segmented, and easy to pick up. One to two bowel movements daily are ideal. Identify poop based on a scoring system.  A healthy dog should have a Score of 2 on the dog poop scale.

Assessing Dog Poop On a Scoring System

Score 1

  • Stool very hard and dry
  • Much effort required to expel feces from body
  • No residue left on the ground when feces picked up
  • Often expelled as individual pellets

Score 2

  • Stool firm but not hard
  • Pliable and segmented in appearance
  • Little or no residue left on ground when picked up

Score 3

  • Stool log-like
  • No segmentation visible
  • Moist, shiny surface
  • Leaves residue but remains firm when picked up

Score 4

  • Feces very moist (soggy)
  • Distinct log shape
  • Leave residue and loses form when picked up

Score 5 

  • Feces very moist
  • Loses shape (piles rather than log shape)
  • Leaves residue and loses form when picked up

Score 6

  • Feces has texture but no defined shape
  • Occurs in piles or looks like spots
  • Leaves residue when picked up

Score 7

  • Feces watery, flat, with no texture
  • Occurs as a puddle
  • Leaves residue when picked up

Check out Purina Fecal Scoring Chart to see some visual images of the poops mentioned above.

In general, a pet that has acute, chronic, or even intermittent diarrhea should be examined and some basic labwork run.  Especially concerning is the pet with diarrhea, weight loss, and/or lethargy; concurrent vomiting also necessitates a call in to your pet’s doctor.  Your vet (me) will want a detailed history of your pet’s activities, diet, stresses, frequency and consistency of stool, difficulty in passing stool, blood or mucous in the stool, and any other predisposing factors such as exposure to parasites or eating from the garbage can. Your vet asks for a fresh fecal sample, just a marble-sized amount will do. The causes of diarrhea are many and in deducing the reason for distress.

 

Two General Types of Diarrhea: Acute (sudden onset) and Chronic (long-term)

ACUTE DIARRHEA: diet change (eating part of a rope toy), drug or toxin induced diarrhea, parasites, viral or bacterial infection. Occasionally an extra-intestinal problem such as pancreatitis, bloat, or liver disease will lead to acute diarrhea.  

CHRONIC DIARRHEA: causes may include some of those mentioned above as well as a host of other diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, fungal disease, pancreatic disease, food allergy, protozoal diseases (toxoplasmosis), bacterial overgrowth, cancer, liver and kidney disease, irritable bowel syndrome, many more.

These cases can be very challenging to diagnose and even more difficult to treat.  Chronic diarrhea is often managed, not cured, and relapses during times of physical or emotional stress, dietary indiscretion.

A color change in your dog’s poop can be indicative of a problem, even if the consistency is normal.  Light brown to dark brown is normal based on your dog’s diet.  Black and tarry poop may indicate the presence of digested blood in the stool, fresh blood with mucous is common with large bowel disease, and white stool can occur if there is a problem with bile excretion or liver disease.  Yellow or orange poop can also be present with liver disease or if the stool is moving too quickly through the GI tract. Certain antacids or medications can affect the color of the poop. Dogs that like to eat grass or have ingested certain toxic mouse baits can have green-blue colored stool.

What do you do if your dog is constipated or has a poop problem?

Fiber is great!  It is the great poop regulator and is as close as the plain canned pumpkin at Trader Joe’s. Because it contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, it can bind some of the excess water in the intestinal tract, bulking up the stool and slowing digestion. The insoluble fiber in pumpkin can benefit those suffering from constipation, but it is best to avoid feeding too much insoluble fiber since it can act as a natural laxative.  Helpful if you are constipated, not if the stools are already loose.

Keep an accurate history of your dog’s habits including appetite, frequency and effort of bowel movements, and environmental changes such as boarding.  You should have a Pet Butler technician frequently scoop poop to minimize spread of disease and yard contamination as well as to monitor your pet’s poop for spaghetti or rice grain type parasites, color, or consistency change. For acute causes of diarrhea, we often recommend fasting for 24 hours with access to water only if your pet is not lethargic or vomiting.  Then, we gradually resume feeding limited amounts of a bland diet which can include boiled chicken or ground turkey, scrambled eggs or cottage cheese and a bland carbohydrate source like rice or pasta in a 1:4 ratio. To get the gut back on track, small frequent meals are best with a gradual return to the pet’s normal diet.

Hopefully this helps clear up some of the deeper, darker mysteries of your pet’s gastrointestinal system. Keep that yard clean and dog poop-free!

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