Why Does My Australian Shepherd Always Have Soft Stools? (Vet Answered)

Hi Alan,

Thanks so much for writing in. With a gorgeous, thick coat like Kona's, I can imagine that soft, sticky poop would be a nightmare! What I have learned over many years as both a vet and pet owner is just how much our pets' health is driven by their diet. What's frustrating is that there is no 'best' dog food, only what is best for your dog. What works for my dog might wreak havoc with yours, and vice versa, but there are a few things I can suggest that should put you on the right track.

Firstly, it's always a good idea to make sure there's no medical reason behind Kona's soft poops; no metabolic issues, internal parasites, or malabsorption problems (eg. EPI) that could be undermining your efforts. If Kona is bright, active, and maintaining a good body condition, these are less likely, but it's still best to rule them out completely.

Dogs that aren't producing solid, formed stools are often suffering from a form of inflammatory bowel disease, food intolerance (which is different from food allergy), or a lack of fiber in their diet, and often, it's a matter of a bit of trial-and-error until you find the right balance of ingredients that works for your dog.

I would always recommend going with a bit of a 'hard reset' and starting on a diet trial of a basic and bland food using a novel protein - ie. a meat source they haven't eaten before. Just make sure you check the ingredients list because many pet foods include trace amounts of other protein (eg. chicken meal, beef liver etc) even if it's labeled as 'salmon and rice'. You can either go with a commercial formulation for this or try a home-cooked diet for the purposes of the trial (although the commercial option is much easier for measuring portions). Look for products designed specifically for sensitive stomachs with less common flavors like fish, lamb, and rabbit, with rice or potato. Some good examples you could try are:

• Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food

• Wellness Simple Limited Ingredient Diet Lamb & Oatmeal Formula Dry Dog Food

If you see an improvement after 3 weeks on this food, we know that diet is the key here, and you can slowly reintroduce different ingredients to see what isn't working. Then you can look into some options that will work for you and your budget long term. I'm personally a huge fan of fresh foods like The Farmer’s Dog because they're made from human-grade ingredients, without preservatives or fillers, etc, but they aren't exactly the cheapest for larger dogs.

If you see no improvement after a feeding trial, it's even more important to have that work-up at the vet, but there are still some things you can try that may help improve Kona's stool quality.

Adding about half a cup of pumpkin, either fresh and lightly boiled or steamed, or canned (plain pumpkin, no sweeteners etc) can add some healthy fiber to the diet, as can psyllium husk (around a dessert spoon a day). I would also recommend trying some probiotics. These can do wonders for overall health and immunity, but are particularly helpful for rebalancing the gut microflora. Look for supplements that contain at least 1 billion CFUs (colony-forming units) and have gone through third-party testing.

I hope this helps,

Dr Karyn