Honestly, honestly, that poor little puppy probably has to go pee every hour. I can’t imagine that somebody is letting him out to pee every hour.
I agree and I don’t believe they provide him with enough water and that the poor dog is dehydrated most of the time. The water bowl at the dump is usually not full of water. Remember Stephanie bragging about how Ratso’s poop was always dry? She never took the dog to the vet to see why.
Is is constipation, not enough exercise, or STRESS?
Dry Dog Poop: 7 Causes For Dry or Crumbly Stool
Here are a few possible reasons why your dog poop is dry, powdery, or
crumbly:
Constipation
Have you seen your pup struggle to defecate lately?
One of the main reasons why your pup's poo is dry and crumbly is because of constipation.
It is the inability to poop normally or comfortably daily.
It may not be as common as dog diarrhea, but it does happen quite often for growing dogs.
This health issue makes the colon muscles sluggish due to dehydration or a lack of fiber.
A few signs of dog constipation are a lack of defecation or general difficulties when defecating.
Another sign of constipation is hard, dry stools that feel like pebbles when you pick them up.
The most common causes of constipation are:
- Interluminal Causes – This group involves the partial or complete blockage of the colon, usually by indigestible matter.
- Extraluminal Causes – Blocks originating outside the colon, such as tumors or pelvic fractures. This is a much more life-threatening group.
- Intrinsic Causes – This is used for a group of neuromuscular causes. These can be anything from nerve injury to various diseases.
If your dog is constipated, make sure to add fiber to your dog's diet and encourage them to drink plenty of water to make their poo smooth and moist.
Dehydration
Next on the list of causes is dehydration (which can be another cause of constipation).
Dehydration is when a dog forfeits more water than it drinks and it causes the body not to function properly.
There are plenty of signs of dehydration in dogs.
A few of these are lethargy, dry mouth, and tongue, sunken eyes, and dry or powdery stools.
The cause of dehydration can be a lot of reasons. This includes sickness, excessive urination, excessive exercise, vomiting, and too much exposure to heat.
As dog owners, we must make sure that our dogs are given and drinking water daily.
Blockage in the Intestines
Dogs are curious creatures and sometimes they'll swallow large or inedible objects (garbage, hair, roach baits, or pacifiers) that can cause Bowel Obstruction.
Bowel obstruction is a blockage in the intestines that stops the passage of food and feces.
And when this happens, it can be the cause of dry powdery stools in dogs.
Bowel obstruction can lead to serious health problems if left untreated.
For instance, food and water will not pass through the gastrointestinal tract and this can be fatal due to intestinal blockage.
Excessive Self-Grooming
Another thing that can cause dry and crumbly poo is when a dog excessively grooms itself causing it to have too much hair in its stool.
Swallowing lots of hair can cause dry and crumbly stools in dogs.
If you notice that your pup is grooming regularly, try to bathe him every once in a while to help reduce itching and keep their body clean.
Also, it can reduce his self-grooming habit which causes dry dog
Stress Philip and Steohanie yelling at Ratso for pooping and peeing inside the Dump.
Believe it or not, stress can lead to a lot of physical problems in dogs. This includes dry, powdery poop.
The hesitation to defecate in dogs is usually due to fear or anxiety from past stressful events
The reluctance to defecate can also happen for dogs that are kept in cages where there is not enough space to move around and poop.
When this happens, dogs will try to fight off their natural urge to poop.
Then the stool will just stay there getting drier and powdery as time pass.
Medication
When a dog gets sick, of course, it'll be prescribed medication to help relieve pain or symptoms for various conditions.
Unfortunately, constipation is a common side effect of a lot of medications. Causing your pup pain, stress, dry stools, and more.
A few examples of
medication that can cause constipation are Corticosteroids, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), and Iron supplements.
These medications can slow down the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract.