A healthy and consistent diet is extremely important to your dog....but when your dog maintains a healthy balanced diet and you notice discoloration in your dog's poop, what does it mean?  Some of the colors below can indicate serious potential problems so make sure to know what to look for.  

The Chocolate Dog Poop

Depending on the dog food that is consumed, most dogs on a normal day should have a kind of chocolate poop.  It shouldn't be too soft and liquid, nor should it be hard to pass.  Pay attention to the healthy days as it will help you identify that rainbow of a different color(s) when it comes and/or what could be wrong.   

Dark Chocolate or Black Dog Poop

A "sticky" or "tarry" consistency may indicate that their is a gastrointestinal or stomach issue such as an ulcer.  Human medications such as aspirin can cause this, so if you notice this type of color consistently contact your vet. 

The Devil Poop (Red Dog Poop or Streaks of Blood) 

The red is an easy indicator of internal bleeding somewhere throughout the gastrointestinal tract.  This can be a variety of things such as a rectal injury, an anal gland infection, colitis, or even a tumor.  If you see a consistent red, it's time to contact a vet. 

Girly Poop (Pink or Purple Dog Poop)

If you notice a raspberry jam this could mean hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, which is not good.  Plenty of dogs die each year from this so seek emergency medical treatment as soon as possible.  With prompt treatment most will recover from this. 

Old Man Poop (Grey or Greasy-looking Poop)

If you notice a grey fatty, glistening poop this could mean your dog is suffering from Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI).  Referred to as maldigestion this is when the pancreas doesn't produce enough of the necessary enzymes to digest fat.  This is treatable, so if you notice this talk to your vet. 

Hulk Poop (Green Dog Poop)

Few different reasons here: your dog could have a parasite, rat bait poisoning, other internal issues....or eaten way too much grass.  Monitor and if it persists see your vet. 

The Umpa Lumpa Poop (Orange Dog Poop)

Again, there are a few different reasons on this one: it could indicate a liver issues, a biliary disease....or it just means your dog's waste moved through the gastrointestinal tract too quickly to pick up the bile (which changes the poop to a brown color that we're accustom to).  Again, if the orange color persists, contact your vet. 

The Sunlight Poop (Yellow Dog Poop)

Not necessarily as serious as some of the others, but this can indicate food intolerance.  If you've changed your pets diet and/or he's eaten something new recently it could cause a yellow discoloration which is upsetting his stomach. 

Salt & Pepper Poop (White Specks in Poop)

Especially common in puppies, if you notice white specs or what looks like grains of rice this is most likely worms.  This is treatable so contact your vet for more information. 

Image courtesy of AKC.org