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"You are what you eat" is an old expression that applies to both humans and animals, and something that reveals a lot about what has been eaten is what comes out at the other end - the poop. The dog's feces can tell us a lot about the dog's health condition, but what should you really keep an eye on? And is it true that a lot of feces means that the food is of poor quality?

To fully understand this, we must first find out what dog poop really consists of. The food the dog eats is chewed, broken down and digested through the dog's gastrointestinal tract, and the residue that comes out at the other end consists mostly of water, but also bacteria, dead cells and "by-products" that the body needs to get rid of, and the indigestible contents of the food.

Digestibility measures how much of the food that can be absorbed by the body in the form of nutrition. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins have different levels of digestibility, and digestibility also varies between different nutritional sources. Indigestible parts of the food come out with the feces, and therefore contribute to the amount of stool. Insect protein has a high digestibility, which in studies has been shown to be between 89-97%. This can be compared to traditional animal protein sources which usually are around 81-89% depending on quality. A digestibility of the protein of over 80% counts as high digestibility.

Something that to a large extent also contributes to the amount of feces is the amount of fiber in a feed. Dietary fiber is a group of indigestible nutrients and can be found in ingredients from the plant kingdom; in our feed, among other things, beetroot and potatoes contribute to soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Dietary fibers come with several health benefits:

Having dietary fiber in the food thus contributes to a healthy intestinal system, and this has been confirmed in research. Studies performed on intestinal walls in dogs show an increased cell activity and health of the intestinal mucosa in dogs that have been fed a diet containing fiber.

Another ingredient that is also included in the dietary fiber group as they are not absorbed by the dog, is prebiotics. Prebiotics provide benefits by stimulating the growth of desirable bacterial species in the gastrointestinal tract. Two types of prebiotics are FOS and MOS. Both these ingredients contribute to good intestinal health, but in slightly different ways.

FOS is an abbreviation for fruit oligosaccharides. FOS is a natural fiber that is preferred by the good intestinal bacteria, and thus contributes to their growth. Conversely, harmful and pathogenic bacteria do not use FOS as an energy source. Studies have shown that FOS contributes to an increased amount of good intestinal bacteria and a reduced incidence of harmful intestinal bacteria in both dogs and cats. Our feed contains a natural source of FOS: inulin.

MOS is an abbreviation for mannan oligosaccharides and also contribute to a healthier intestinal flora, but through a different mechanism. MOS prevents harmful bacteria from attaching to the intestinal cell walls and colonizing, thus helping them to be excreted in the feces instead. Our food and treats contain natural sources of MOS: corn, brewer's yeast and yeast cell walls.

The intestinal health of dogs and the importance of a healthy bacterial flora for the immune system is something that has been researched more and more in recent years. There are even exciting studies that show that prebiotics in the feed of lactating females positively contribute to the quality and the amount of antibodies in the milk, and thus to the puppies' health and immune system.

So, finally, does more stool mean a low-quality food? No, not necessarily. What largely affects the amount of faeces is the digestibility of the feed. A low-quality feed with low digestibility will lead to more faeces, but a high-quality feed with high digestibility and healthy fiber content, including FOS and MOS, will also lead to more faeces compared to a feed with high digestibility but low fiber content.

In short, there are four parameters that can tell about the dog's well-being; the consistency, color. frequency and volume of the stool. Volume and what affects it has already been discussed, so below we will cover the three remaining parameters.

The most important parameter is the consistency. The stool should be firm and shaped. If the dog's stool is too loose or too firm, this may indicate a problem. It is perfectly normal for the guts to be upset if the dog has eaten something it should not, but the dog should not have periods of loose stools or diarrhea. This may have an underlying cause, such as intestinal diseases, allergies or hormonal diseases. If you have a dog with a very sensitive stomach, this can be a sign of illness, and you should therefore book a visit to your veterinarian to rule out any underlying causes.

The color of the stool can vary from light to dark brown and both can be completely normal for you dog. The color is affected to some extent by what the dog eats, but also by the amount of fluid in the stool. If the dog is hard in the stomach, the stool becomes darker, and loose in the stomach it becomes lighter. You should never see streaks of blood, as this may be due to inflammation in the intestines or problems with the anal sacs. A very dark, basically black stool, may also indicate bleeding further up in the gastrointestinal tract. Yellow stools can indicate problems with the liver or gallbladder, and stools with small white dots in them may indicate parasite infection.

The frequency also varies depending on what the dog eats. During a period of getting used to a new food, the dog may need a walk a little more often while the stomach gets used to it. Therefore, you should also take consistency into account; if the dog's faeces still look good in texture and shape, you don't have to worry about it, even if it might be little impractical. If the dog's stool is loose, the frequency will increase and the dog will need to go out much more often. A very low frequency is also not good, as this leads to a higher risk of constipation.

Enough talking about the poop itself - do not forget that it should be picked up too! As mentioned, dog faeces contain a lot of bacteria, and in addition to looking unpleasant when lying on sidewalks, there is a risk that infections are spread with dog poop left in nature. This is especially important if you feed your dog raw food. Studies have shown that dogs that eat raw food excrete more harmful and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their feces.

Pick up the poop in the best environmentally friendly way with our 100% compostable poop bags. Even though they are compostable, be sure to throw them away or compost them in a way that does not risk the spreading of infections.