Apologies for the unpleasant subject matter, but something funny seems to be happening with Molly's digestive system.  When she goes for a poo, it initially comes out very solid, but by the end it is usually soft, if not drippy.  Sometimes she will go two or three times on a single walk (first time fine, subsequent ones runny).  On some days she can be fine in the morning, but runny in the afternoon and then back to normal again the next morning.  I'm not really sure why this is, or what to do as it doesn't seem to be a simple case of diarrohea.  Am I maybe overfeeding her? She has Burns venison and rice, two mugfuls a day - but I am sure this is what I was told by Burns was the right quantity.  She is 8 months old, a working cocker, and weighs just over 10 kilos.  She is very lean, so I'm pretty sure I'm not feeding her too much.   In the past I have used the Pro-Kolin paste from the vets which seems to sort it out for a few days, but then we'll have the same problem again.  I don't want to keep using this stuff just to get rid of the symptoms if there is an underlying cause that needs to be sorted out, though.  Does anyone have any advice, please?

I have no idea of the cause, but if it's any consolation, my boy Piglet is exactly the same! The first poo is firm, but by the end of a walk he has squeezed every drop out of his tract. He's 4 1/2 now, and has always been the same. Like yours, he is very lean - the vets say they wish everybody's dog was in the condition he is. If anyone knows the reason, and a way to 'slow down' his system, I'd like to hear it too ...
:)

Hi Rosemarie

I don't know the reason either, but my lab Luna does it too. She is 10 months old. I always thought, that it was thin in the end because she was almost finished, and hadn't been out since morning.
I live in Denmark, and can't buy Burns, so its not the food!

I don't think its anything to worry about. Lunas poos are never worse, than I still can pick it up in a bag.

Jeanette

When I walk my dog her first poo is always solid - and then she will squeeze out what's left in her system the next few times on the walk. (She has managed 4 poos on our mile walk - and this is after an initial deposit in my garden!)  The last are always looser - if not almost liquid.  Not to mention the last deposit is so small I have to admire what she must do to speed up her digestive system to get the last drop out before we get to home, boring home.   In the garden she is always a solid, single pooer. :-)

If you are concerned you might want to switch her off the venison to a different Burns recipe.   I know my dog does not tolerate lamb well, her poos get very soft on it.  It's possible the venison is contributing to your dog's situation.

Stacey

I feed Burns chicken and rice, Murphy is fine on it, but if I up the amount he has ( as he is a growing puppy ), he gets runny poo too so I just go back to what he was on the day before - Burns quote as saying 20g for every kg of weight per day, so you should only be feeding 200g a day in total for your dog, it doesnt look alot I know! My boy weighs 20kg at the mo, but 400g split into 3 meals takes him seconds to wolf down!! Also, dont forget to deduct from that for any additional treats you feed - I have also found the chewsticks give Murphy the runs, so all he has in a day is his Burns, and treats of liver cake and cheese for training, and he is fine.

Hi Rosemarie
I am so glad that you wrote about strange poos as my 20month old German Shepherd is doing exactly the same. Her first, perhaps 2 poos are perfect in a morning but then in the afternoon it gets very soft and sometimes coated with slime.  She appears to be perfectly healthy and has a lovely glossy coat, full of energy she goes for 2x2hr walks a day but I do find it a bit worrying when she has been passing some mucus over the last week. I feed her on James Wellbeloved dry food with a bit of steamed chicken or fish. Will take her to the vets anyway for a check-up on Monday.

Hi not sur3e if it will help or not but when mine gets runny pooh or colitis the vet told me to cook her different vegetables to normal ones and add a spoonful of bran instead of giving her medicine and touch wood it works for mine.

Wow!  Once again CD to the rescue, I thought it was only my springer who did this!!  If I didn't know better I would think he could empty every inch of his bowel on demand.  The first bit is always perfectly pick-upable as is anything that is in the garden.  He doesn't do the runny bit at home, only on long walks!  I do feed him on a gluten free diet (Autarky) and he is much better than he used to be, but I'm always puzzled by this.  It's almost as if he thinks he's got to empty completely whilst out.  He is walked twice a day and normally doesn't use the garden but waits until we are out (he likes to be hidden in the bush when he does his business!).

I've come to the conclusion over the years that it's just something HE does and was pondering over it this morning whilst he was doing his 6th poo whilst out!!!  He is not very food orientated, muscular but lean and otherwise healthy.

Excuse me, jackyjat, but are you sure your springer isn't my Piglet in disguise?! The behaviour sounds exactly like him ...
:)

Jeangenie, if your Piglet is a dalmatian then it could be so!!  Charlie has very spotty dog legs and we always say there's a dally in there trying to get out!

Perhaps this is just "normal" for dogs to do.

Thanks for the advice on giving bran.  I gave some to Sasha, and the next day her poos were perfect.  Saved me taking her to the vets, Thanks so much
Sue

Glad it worked for you, its always worked for ours :) Now its the first thing I try :)

Ebony - I bought some bran today.  When you say a spoonful, do you mean a tablespoon?
Thanks, Rosie :-)

Yes a heaped tablespoonful is what I mix in (I have labs if you have small dogs you may want to reduce it a bit as meal sizes will be smaller etc)

Thanks, Ebony.  Molly is a working cocker so I'll use a bit less.  :-)

Try giving your dogs a tub of bio yogurt my staffie used to do the same, i was advised off this site to try natrual bio yogurt but she didnt like it but she love strawberry one and guess what? her poos are now normal! She was also bald within a week her hair started growing back dont know if there is any conection but she looks in great health now.
JO

Try Naturediet Lite. It is brilliant food. Our Bedlington had colitis for weeks. Then we were recommended this by another forum user and within 2 days she was sorted! We buy ours from Pets at Home and it is readilly available. There is a website www.naturediet.co.uk. We tried so called sensitive dry foods but they did no good and neither did the vet's wet food. Can not recommend Naturediet highly enough.

I have never heard of such a thing and if it is drippy it is dihrea and if it is solid I don't know I hope she/he gets better.chelsea.xxxx

hi Rosemarie

The reason why the poo gets more runnier by the end of the walk is that the fisrt poo it is fine, but if the dog runs around it churns up the poo inside making it more sloppy therefore a poo later in the walk is more runnier than a poo at the beginning because it has not run about alot churning it all up.  This is one therory and all that i can think possible, i used to experiance it with my dog but now it has stopped.

I was told its the exercise causing things to move along more quickly :) a tablespoon of yoghurt every day seems to sort most problems out tho :D

A couple of my labs have always done this - I'm sure that sometimes it can be linked to excitement eg if they think they're going out shooting for the day and get really excited about it it'll nearly always happen.

Also if the oldest one has been 'recycling' (cleaning up after the younger ones before I can get there with the scoop - yuk :-( ) she will also produce horrid poos.

After nearly 7 yrs of her doing progressively runnier poos on a walk, i've got used to it and don't worry - she's fine in herself, and the first one is always good and firm!

Cheers, Di :-)

I have a theory why this is the case (but it has no scientific back up).  My dogs firmest poo is the one first thing in the morning as this one has most of the liquid evaporated (?) off it because it has been in the poo canal since the night before.  At the end of each walk - if she has been running about lots - they are nearly liquid, as like Lauren says, they are fresh.  In my mind its kind of the same as when people/dogs are constipated, the poo is firmer because it has been there longer.  sorry to be so graphic.  this theory may be total rubbish but it makes sense in my head which is why I'm sharing it with you all.