When you spend as much time around dog poop as we do, you learn one thing pretty quickly: it doesn’t always come in brown.
If you’ve spotted green dog poop in your yard, you may be wondering whether your dog simply ate something unusual—or whether it’s time to call the veterinarian. The good news is that green stool can have some fairly harmless explanations, but it can also occasionally signal a health problem.
Your Dog May Have Been Eating Grass
One of the simplest explanations for green dog poop is exactly what you might expect: your dog ate something green.
Many dogs eat grass, and according to PetMD, grass-eating is common and is usually considered normal behavior. Grass itself can pass through the digestive system and affect the appearance of a dog’s stool.
The American Kennel Club also lists eating grass as one possible explanation for green stool.
Food, treats, or other items containing green coloring may sometimes be responsible as well.
Sometimes Green Poop Points to Digestive Trouble
Color isn't the only thing worth noticing. Consistency and changes from your dog's normal poop matter, too.
VCA Animal Hospitals notes that yellow or green stool can occur when material moves through the intestinal tract too quickly. Loose green stool may sometimes be associated with infection or problems involving the liver or gallbladder.
That doesn't mean one green poop automatically signals a medical problem. If your dog is acting normally and the next bowel movements return to their usual chocolate-brown color, you may simply want to keep an eye on things.
However, contact your veterinarian if the unusual color continues or is accompanied by symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, blood, or other noticeable changes.
One special caution: very bright or unusual green stool can sometimes be associated with ingestion of certain rodenticides. If there's any possibility your dog could have gotten into rat or mouse poison, contact a veterinarian immediately rather than waiting to see what happens.
Pay Attention to What You Scoop
Your dog's poop isn't glamorous, but it can provide useful clues about what's happening with their health.
And whether it's brown, green—or some other surprising shade—regularly removing pet waste makes it much easier to notice when something changes.
At Big Business Scoopers, we’ve been keeping New Jersey yards cleaner since 2003. And because we’re regularly seeing what’s in our clients’ yards, we also keep an eye out for anything unusual. If we notice a change in a dog’s stool that seems worth mentioning, we let the client know — something we’ve done many times over the years. We may be there to scoop the poop, but paying attention is part of taking good care of our clients, too.
Sources
American Kennel Club, How to Tell If Your Dog's Poop Is Healthy
VCA Animal Hospitals, The Colors of Poop and Environmentally Friendly Ways to Scoop It
PetMD, Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?
