Picking up after your dog is not the most glamorous part of being a dog parent, but it’s necessary. Your pup’s stools can reveal a lot about their health, so it’s also a great opportunity to check it before you bag it and bin it.
A healthy poo is usually dark brown, firm, and easy to pick up, but if you’re seeing jelly-like mucus or their stools are encased in a slimy membrane, it’s time to take a closer look at your pup’s wellbeing. While some mucus is normal, an excess could signal an underlying health condition.
So, how can you tell what's okay and what’s not?
Let’s explore the common signs and symptoms that can help you decide when it’s safe to monitor at home and when it’s time to visit the V-E-T.
Mucus in your pup’s poo: what’s normal?
A little mucus in your dog’s stool is normal — it helps keep everything moving smoothly. Keep an eye on it over the next few days and check for any changes in their stools or overall health.
If you notice more mucus than normal for your dog, it could be a sign of illness, infection, or sensitivity. Mucus is rarely the only symptom, so look out for these other signs too:
Blood in mucus or stools
Pain when defecating
Lethargy
Decreased appetite
Changes in behaviour or mood
If you notice any of these symptoms, or you’re worried about your pup’s health, speak to your vet for advice. If their poo is like jelly with some visible blood, but they’re otherwise acting normally, it’s still better to veer on the side of caution.
Common causes of mucus in dog stools
There are numerous causes of mucus in your dog’s stools, and some have overlapping symptoms, which can be confusing. Use this information as a guide, but remember, only your vet can provide an actual diagnosis.
1. Changes to diet
A healthy gut microbiome is diverse and balanced, supporting a robust digestive system that can process a wide variety of food and absorb nutrients effectively. But if your dog eats the same food every day, like kibble, their microbiome becomes accustomed to a limited diet. Any sudden change in food, an increase in soluble or insoluble dietary fibre, or dietary indiscretion (eating things they shouldn’t) can impact the intestinal balance, leading to mucus in your pup’s poo.
Treatment:
Transition your dog to a new diet slowly. A gradual change gives their system time to adjust, supporting a healthier gut. You can also support their microbiome with probiotics, like Lyka’s Go-To Gut Helper. An increase in mucus related to changes in diet should be a temporary issue, but if you notice any other symptoms or red flags like blood in their stools, speak to your vet straight away.
🐶 Read more: Lyka’s step-by-step feeding guide: how to switch your dog to real food
2. Food allergies or intolerances
If your dog is allergic or intolerant to an ingredient in their food, it can irritate and inflame their bowels. In addition to mucus in their stools, you might also notice other signs like diarrhoea, vomiting, itchy skin, and ear infections.
Treatment:
Common food allergens for dogs include chicken, beef, wheat, soy, corn, egg and dairy, but dogs can develop sensitivities to any ingredient. The best way to identify the trigger food is with a vet-supported elimination diet. Lyka’s Hypoallergenic Pro is a therapeutic meal designed for dogs with a food allergy or intolerance. Formulated with novel goat protein, it’s ideal for elimination diets and long-term feeding.
🐶 Read more: What is hypoallergenic dog food? A vet expert’s guide
3. Parasites
Parasites like giardia, whipworms, and tapeworms can irritate the intestinal lining, causing mucus and other symptoms, like those listed above. You may even notice evidence of worms in their poo.
Treatment:
Dogs can unknowingly ingest parasites from their environment, making parasite prevention an important part of their health routine. Every dog is different, so speak to your vet about suitable treatments for your pup.
4. Infections (viral or bacterial)
From discarded food scraps at the park, to mucky puddle water, or playtime with young and unvaccinated pups, it can be easy for dogs to pick up an infection. E-Coli, canine parvovirus, and salmonella all infect the gastrointestinal tract often triggering diarrhoea, vomiting, inappetence, and mucus.
Treatment:
If your pup is experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, make an urgent appointment with your veterinarian to get to the root cause and prevent dangerous dehydration. Some infections can be highly contagious, so you may need to separate your dog from other members of the family and remember to wash your hands thoroughly after contact.
5. Chronic enteropathy
Chronic enteropathy (CE) is a broad diagnosis for dogs with long-term symptoms of gut issues, with no other known cause.
The common signs of CE include mucus in stools and the following:
Diarrhoea or more than three poos per day
Weight loss
Fussiness or changes in appetite
Regular foul-smelling wind
Changes in mood and behaviour
Treatment:
Pups with CE often have damaged gut lining that impairs their ability to absorb nutrients1 from their food. In 50% - 66% of all chronic gut health cases, dogs see an improvement after making a dietary change. Feeding a highly bioavailable diet, like Lyka, can make it easier for your dog’s system to digest their food and absorb nutrients.
If you’re concerned about your chronic enteropathy, make an appointment with your vet for a thorough check-up, diagnosis, and treatment plan.
🐶 Read more: Put your pup on a path towards long-term relief: how to resolve chronic gut issues
6. Anxiety or stress
Like us, dogs can experience anxiety or stress leading to unsettled stomachs and increased gut motility, often triggering an increase in mucus and loose stools.
Treatment:
The easiest remedy for anxiety is to remove the stressor or move your dog away from the situation and reassure your pup with plenty of praise and affection.
Where possible, minimise sudden disruptions to your routine or prepare for anticipated changes, like moving house, to help your dog adjust.
🐶 Read more: Top 5 types of dog anxiety and how to treat them naturally
7. Colitis
Colitis is inflammation of the colon or the large intestine. As well as mucus in your dog’s poo, you may notice other signs like loose stools or diarrhoea, often with specks of bright red blood. Your dog may need to go to the bathroom more often and can show signs of pain while straining or defecating.
Treatment:
If your vet diagnoses colitis, they may suggest antibiotics, a period of fasting, and increasing the fibre in your dog’s diet to form healthy, firm poos.
Home remedies to prevent excess mucus in your dog’s stools
You can support your dog’s digestive system by making simple changes to the dietary fibre in their diet.
Soluble fibre absorbs water, helping to form firmer poos, ideal if your dog has a tendency towards loose stools. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to help regulate the speed and frequency of your dog’s bowel movements.
Adding more fibre to your dog’s diet is easy: a small serving of fresh vegetables like cooked butternut squash, carrots, or sweet potato should do the trick. Other rich sources of fibre include chia seeds, psyllium seed husk, cooked green cabbage, and kelp.
Lyka: the secret to good guts and perfect poos
At Lyka, we understand the importance of gut health for your dog’s overall wellbeing. Our gently cooked meals, crafted by board-certified veterinary nutritionists, are packed with natural ingredients and the right balance of dietary fibre to support a healthy digestive system. With Lyka, you can take proactive steps to nourish your pup’s gut microbiome2, promote optimal digestion, and ensure those stools stay healthy. Because when it comes to your dog, real food leads to real results!
Give your dog the balanced, nutritious meals they deserve — try Lyka for better health inside and out!
1 Dietary management of chronic enteropathy in dogs
2 The Role of the Canine Gut Microbiome and Metabolome in Health and Gastrointestinal Disease
