poop color question

Jake's poop has two colors- light and dark. Usually the light is the top layer and then it is darker on the inside...Is that normal?? I'm curious because when he had diarrhea a few days ago the color was exactly like a tootsie roll, but now that his poop is very very hard and pellet like it's like this- in two colors...Anyone know what that means?

Originally Posted by ut0pia

Jake's poop has two colors- light and dark. Usually the light is the top layer and then it is darker on the inside...Is that normal?? I'm curious because when he had diarrhea a few days ago the color was exactly like a tootsie roll, but now that his poop is very very hard and pellet like it's like this- in two colors...Anyone know what that means?

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I think it depends on what they eat...

Luna's poop changes colour depending on what kind of food she's eaten...it's a very light colour if she's been eating casserole type foods or food with lots of gravy or juice stuff, and darker if she's been eating loafs.

It's black if she's been eating non edible items though................

At least some of the dark inside will be his own hair, from grooming himself. That hair tends to get coated with the normal fecal material while passing through the system.

This may sound gross, but maybe because the outer layer is moister, it could be lighter coloured?

And as others were saying, foods could have something to do with it!

as the son of a Gastroenterologist who has Crohns himself - I know a TON about poop (how sad and gross is that? lol)

What prompted him to have loose stools/diarrhea before?

What is he eating? Wet food or dry food or both?

Is he on any medications right now for anything? If so, what?

It's black if she's been eating non edible items though................

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Black stool can also indicate intestinal bleeding.

Anyways, the dual color thing is probably nothing. Unless it's accompanied by abdominal pain, vomiting, loss of appetite, or inexplicable sudden changes in stool consistency, I wouldn't worry about it.

Originally Posted by LawGuy

as the son of a Gastroenterologist who has Crohns himself - I know a TON about poop (how sad and gross is that? lol)

What prompted him to have loose stools/diarrhea before?

What is he eating? Wet food or dry food or both?

Is he on any medications right now for anything? If so, what?



Black stool can also indicate intestinal bleeding.

Anyways, the dual color thing is probably nothing. Unless it's accompanied by abdominal pain, vomiting, loss of appetite, or inexplicable sudden changes in stool consistency, I wouldn't worry about it.

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The loose stools were just for two days, I have several theories as to why but I'm not 100% sure..Some theories are- from purina kitten chow that I fed him, from feeding only wet the previous day or because the wet food stayed out for a few hours and it's possible some bacteria got in it..It's all better now though. But while he had diarrhea I had him on dry food (royal canin). Now that that's all better, I have him back on a mix of both wet and dry and the poop color is different- it has less light color...The dark isn't really too dark to be dangerous, I was more worried about the light because I read somewhere that it can indicate liver problems...Now the color is closer to the perfect tootsie roll color although it still has some steaks of very light in it.

Wait til you see cat poop from cats on a raw diet.

Leslie

A lighter color usually just means rap[id transit through the system. It's not a big deal