Green Dog Poop – Is It Always a Cause For Concern?

It can be alarming to see your dog poop out bright green stool. Your dog’s poop may be different colors from time to time, and the specific color can give you a clue as to what is going on inside your pup. Green dog poop is something you shouldn’t ignore. Although green dog poop can be innocuous, it may also be a sign that something is seriously wrong with your dog’s health.

Why do dogs poop green? Sometimes, green dog poop is nothing to worry about.  

A blonde woman picking up dog poop.

Does green dog poop always require a trip to the vet? Photography ©AndreyPopov | iStock / Getty Images Plus.

“It really comes down to two things,” says Tracey Jensen, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, medical director at Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Wellington, Colorado. “The first is that the green color is pigment that’s passing through the intestinal tract relatively unchanged. Chlorophyll is one pigment that can, in high enough volume, pass through and give green color to the feces.”

So, green pigment in the stool is not always cause for concern. If your dog eats a large amount of grass or other plant material, it could tint his poop green. Dr. Jensen has also heard of cases of green dog poop occurring after dogs eat a large number of Greenies treats. I personally have witnessed my dog poop a veritable rainbow of colors after stealing and eating my son’s Crayons. (It’s a good thing they are nontoxic because Crayons are like doggie crack to him!).

But sometimes green dog poop is a sign of something serious.

Dog green poop can be a symptom of something very serious. Photography by By Monika Wisniewska / Shutterstock.

A scarier situation is if the green pigment is present due to your dog ingesting certain toxins. “A very dangerous pigment that can pass through is the pigment that’s used in rodenticides,” Dr. Jensen explains. Rodenticide (rat poison) can contain blue pigments as well as green.

If your dog has not ingested a pigment that is tinting his poop green, the color might indicate a health problem. “The second reason that feces will be green is because of altered absorption in the intestinal tract,” Dr. Jensen explains. “There’s a very important digestive juice called bile that has pigment to it. That pigment is usually resorbed, mostly in the colon, and recycled and reused. Sometimes with colitis — inflammation in the intestinal tract — the pigment will not be resorbed and it will pass through in the feces.”

How do you tell the difference between the two types of green dog poop?

You should always talk to your vet about green dog poop. Photography ©cynoclub | Thinkstock.

How can you tell if your dog’s poop is green because he just ate some grass or if he’s actually sick? “Many times, if the feces are altered in shape or if they’re mucousy, then the green you’re seeing is because the bile pigments aren’t being resorbed,” Dr. Jensen says. “If the feces are normal in shape and [show] consistency with green, then it very well could be that it’s something passing through the intestinal tract and not because of intestinal disease.”

Either way, place a call to your vet when you notice green dog poop. It’s hard to know if it’s green because your dog ate too much grass or because he ingested rodenticide. Bring a fresh sample so the vet can inspect and possibly test the green dog poop. If it’s poison, time is of the essence. The faster you seek veterinary care, the more likely it is that your dog will recover. Also, even if your dog just ate some grass, other complications can occur.

“Sometimes, dogs eating a large amount of grass is actually a symptom of gastrointestinal upset,” Dr. Jensen advises. “I had one [dog] who ended up obstructed after eating a lot of grass — some dogs simply do that because they like grass — so it’s always a good idea to give a call in.”

Tell us: Is your pup prone to green dog poop?

Thumbnail: Photography by By Paul S. Wolf / Shutterstock.

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