white poo

[kimpton]

hi there.  i read other posts about this.  my dog has these without a change in the diet and it comes with possible nausea or stomach upset.  she doesn't vomit, but she eats grass.  i have been to three different vets, including a specialist and they say it's calcium, but i haven't changed her diet.  are there specific tests that i should be looking into?  thanks.  kimpton

[popo2]

our dog is 13 and eats lamb bones for glands problems her stools are white and chalk like she smells really bad cant explain how bad. we give her dry food and porridge.

[Ghilly]

NinaB72, you will get more responses to your question if you start a new thread.  The thread you have attached your question to is almost three years old and isn't likely to generate a whole lot of interest on the forum.  To start a new thread, simply click the brown button at the top right of the page that says "Post a Question", type your question into the box provided for that purpose and then click the "post" button at the bottom of the box.

In the meantime I will respond to your question here just in case you choose not to repost it in its own thread.  White stools are common when a dog is on the BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet, but in a case such as yours where it is something that has just started and is uncommon in your dog, it has a medical reason.

The fact that your dog's liver is "huge", as you put it, means that there is some type of biliary blockage that is causing the white stools.  A blocked bile duct or ducts or a bile duct problem will cause the stools to be anywhere from a chalky, yellowy-white color to stark white.  Even though you are aware that your dog has health issues already I would still bring this development to your vet's attention.

Ghilly

[NinaB72]

Ginger,  my dog, too, has had white stool lately.  She is a very old (14) Springer Spaniel/Brittany mix.  I have been do the vet, who did an x-ray and blood test.  Her liver is huge (probably liver cancer and Cushing's).  And her calcium levels are through the roof.  We have her on Denamarin and a rice/boiled chicken breast diet.  I throw in some steamed veggies occasionally, too, to help get some fiber in her diet.  I'm just trying to make her comfortable.  Ever since we changed her diet, her appetite has come back and she's seems to be so much happier.  She loves being fed rice and chicken breasts.  Should I worry about the continued white stool?  Should I add anything else to her diet to help her liver out?

[ginger899]

Well far be it from me to lay down the law, because I know every dog is different, just like some people can eat certain things and be fine, while the same things can badly disagree with other people. So I guess it can be the same for dogs...?
But, my other dog definitely had a really hard time after eating bones. He was terribly constipated, straining to do his business, and even yelped occasionally while doing it! I couldn't bear that. They were raw bones too, beef bones, so I thought they'd be ok for him.
But after that I decided not to let him have them again.
He was fine, regular, healthy etc on all his other foods. So he wasn't a sick dog or anything.
Yet I did know other dogs who could gnaw on a bone with apparently no bad effects!
And of course wild canines chew on them. And while wild canines may not live as long as our dogs, they don't immediately drop dead after eating bones, sure.

The marrow in bones is definitely very nutritious.

[casidhe7000]

Neither cats or Dogs eat grass because they are sick.It is a natural and essential part of their diet. In the wild,dogs and other carnivores and also Omnivores eat the stomach contents of their prey containing grass,vegetation and sometimes fruit and vegetables(depending on what kind of animal ).

As to bones ,they aren't bad either .Tom Lonssdale a veterinarian in New South Wales, Australia and author of Raw Meaty Bones Promote Health states raw bones are but a natural, healthy food for dogs.He states "Bones that contain some meat, provide your canine pet with protein. What's more, they contain a balance of essential minerals which your dog needs."They also serve as nature's toothbrush," and help prevent periodontal disease and can even reverse its effects."

Some vets advise against dogs eating bones but nature knows best and out in the wild dogs,wolves,foxes,dingoes etc eat them ! Some vets worry about bones getting lodged in the mouth or throat, intestinal obstruction, fractured teeth, and digestive upset but the fact is most vets rarely encounter dogs with injury or illness due to eating bones. There are way more complications with toys, rocks, plastic bags, clothing, and string than with bones."

All my dogs eat bones and raw hide and sometimes have white stools but all my dogs are healthy ! Let nature be your guide. Your dogs teeth are designed to chew on bones and their stomachs can easily digest them. Banning bones for dogs is like banning peaches for people because occassionaly someone chokes on the stone ....Just my opinion

[ginger899]

Are you absolutely certain she is not getting into any bones anywhere?

For instance, I NEVER used to give my other dog bones, but found out one day that a neighbour was throwing bones over into the garden for my dog! Of course after I realized this,I asked him very politely not to. He thought he was giving the dog a treat. I guess it was really because he didn't know what else to do with those old beef bones! There still are some people who think giving a dog a bone is the thing to do.  When he had eaten bone his stools were exactly as you described.

Yes it sounds like she's eating the grass as a laxative.

[kimpton]

hi.  she has a long relationship with grass, but eating it has coincided with the white stools.  they are literally dry & look like chalk.  it's the strangest thing.  she has a really hard time passing them.  i'm sure there's lots of reason for eating the grass.  i'll check into the tests.  she's gone as long as a month like this.  i've often wondered if she was depleting her calcium.  :-)  thanks.  

[ginger899]

Hi kimpton,
It is possible there could be a liver upset of some kind going on. Some change in the bile levels. When you say there is nausea or stomach upset, is this because you see her eating grass? Or because she is off her food? Sometimes dogs eat grass because they don't feel well, but sometimes they just eat it anyway.

You could mention a liver function test to your vet, and get the blood analyzed for enzymes and bilirubin levels, and you could take a stool sample for testing.

Calcium in stools would show up as white. That's why if a dog eats bone, it will have white stools. But if your dog isn't eating anything like this, then there has to be another cause.