Your dog's stool tells you more about their health than any blood test can catch early. Colour, consistency, content, and coating — the "4 Cs" — are your daily health dashboard.
The colour chart
| Colour | What It Means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate brown | Normal, healthy | No action needed |
| Dark brown/firm | Slightly dehydrated or high-protein diet | Increase water access |
| Black/tarry | Upper GI bleeding (stomach/small intestine) | Vet immediately |
| Red streaks | Lower GI bleeding (colon/rectum) | Vet same day |
| Yellow/greasy | Liver, gallbladder, or pancreas issue | Vet within 24 hours |
| White/chalky | Too much calcium/bone in diet | Adjust diet, mention to vet |
| Green | Grass eating (mild stomach upset) or gallbladder issue | Monitor; vet if persistent |
| Grey/greasy | Pancreatic insufficiency | Vet within 24 hours |
| Orange | Liver or biliary issue | Vet within 24 hours |
The consistency scale
Ideal: Log-shaped, holds form when picked up, slightly moist. Like modelling clay.
Too hard: Dry pellets, straining = dehydration or insufficient fibre.
Too soft: Loses shape, pudding-like = diet change, stress, mild infection.
Liquid: Watery diarrhoea = infection, poisoning, or serious GI issue. Vet if persists >24 hours or contains blood.
When to rush to the vet
- Black or tarry stool (upper GI bleeding)
- Bright red blood in stool
- Diarrhoea + vomiting + lethargy (trifecta = emergency)
- No stool for 48+ hours
- Worms visible in stool
- Stool with mucus coating (persistent)
Monsoon stool changes
During monsoon, loose stools are more common due to contaminated water, humidity-related bacterial growth, and diet changes. If your dog has soft stool for more than 2 days during monsoon without other symptoms, switch to boiled chicken + rice for 3 days. If blood appears, vet immediately.
Petrāah's Stool Scanner
Take a photo of your dog's stool and Mitra AI analyses colour, consistency, and visible content — then tells you if it's normal, worth monitoring, or an emergency. Because you shouldn't need to Google "dog poop colour chart" at 6 AM. — Ranjiesh, Leo's dad.
The one thing to do today
On your next walk, actually look at your dog's stool. Note the colour and consistency. Compare to this chart. You've just done a free health check.
Your pet deserves better than scattered records
Petrāah keeps everything in one place — vaccination tracker, AI health companion, digital passport, and more. Founding members get it all at ₹3/day, locked for 3 years.
Reserve your founding spot →Sources & further reading
- Merck Vet Manual — Canine gastrointestinal assessment. www.merckvetmanual.com
- AVMA — Pet owner guide to stool assessment. www.avma.org
- Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine — Canine GI diagnostics. www.acvim.org
- WSAVA — Gastrointestinal health guidelines. wsava.org
- Indian Journal of Veterinary Medicine — GI diseases in Indian dogs. www.indianjournals.com