# Beamers Dad-light colored stools



## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

I noticed on another thread (I can't find it now) that you mentioned Beemer had light colored stool, which you said was from the raw food you were feeding. 
I just wanted to give you a heads up that his stools should not be light colored no matter what you are feeding him. I fed my dog raw food for months and she continued to have normal brown poops.
Light colored stools are/could be a sign of liver disease. If the liver isn't functioning correctly and the bile pigments aren't secreted into the intestine, then the stool will be a light color.
Have you had his bile acids tested? I know you have talked about him being a picky eater, and on the smaller side. (also both are signs of liver disease) Please know that light colored stools are not normal and should be looked into. Please consider having his bile acids tested if you haven't already~~
I just want whats best for your Beemer-boy!!


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## anneks (Mar 13, 2007)

From what I have read the higher level of calcium from the bones in the raw lightens their stools. Any extra calcium that isn't absorbed contributed to this. I am only going on what I have read about raw feeding and read on the forums. When Mirabel was on raw her's also were lighter in color.


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Hi Katie,

Thanks for the concern! Ok, I might have misspoken with what I said about Beamies poop. It comes out light to dark brown as your regular kibble poop does (still lighter I would say), BUT changes to white abit later as this FAQ says..

http://www.4loveofdog.com/benefits.htm#Poop

LOL.. I did'nt mean it actually comes out white --- I would deffinatly be concerned if it did! 

Ryan
PS--Beamer seems embarrased that his poop gets so much air time on the forum.. lol


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## casperkeep (May 16, 2007)

Ryan, Beamer looks thrilled in your avatar picture....please quit talkin about my poo dad!!! hahahaha


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## Cheryl (Mar 17, 2007)

I was thinking the same thing!!!


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

Ryan,
I'm so glad Beamer is OK, light poop and all. I remember a while back when Beamer was shaking so bad after he ate the cold raw food. With him being so small at that time I was so concerned that he had liver problems. I know his vet said he was OK and did not do the bile acid test. Beamer is so adorable!
Carole


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Interesting. I'd never heard about lighter stools being a possible sign of liver problems. I have heard of dog stools getting lighter when eating raw several times. A friend of mine had a big dog that was raw fed with such light tan stools that it was weird.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Here are some websites on liver disease signs and symptoms:
You will notice each one mentions light colored stools as a possible symptom.

http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/liverdisease.htm

http://lbah.com/liver.htm#symptoms

http://pethealth.petwellbeing.com/wiki/Dog_Liver_Disease

http://www.canine-seizures.freeservers.com/diseases_of_liver.htm


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

From everything I've read and from a few people I've spoken to all of whom are raw feeders, you will see lighter stools. My guys as well. It is really dependant on what I feed them. If I feed them chicken necks or give them beef necks, then the next morning they will have very light coloured poops. If I simply feed them a beef or lamb patty, they will have darker poops.

This is from the Tollden Farms website as well as Healthy Paws.



> 29) I've noticed my dog pooping less and it's almost white in colour, while other times it's very dark brown and softer. Is all this normal?
> Yes, this is completely normal for a raw fed dog. The reason your dog fecal matter is greatly reduced is because raw food is highly digestible and does not include "fillers" and grains. The bone content is what will produce whiter fecal matter. If you notice your pet straining when trying to eliminate, you may need to increase the vegetable matter or muscle meats in the diet.
> 
> When feeding muscle meats and organ meats, you will notice a softer stool and the colour will be a very dark brown/red colour. This is normal as well.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Thanks for the info on raw causing light colored stools~ I never experienced that when I fed raw~!
Just given some past symptoms of Beemer (slow grower, on the small side, picky eater, the shaking after eating and lighter colored stools) if he were my dog I would take him in and have a bile acid test run. Now I am not saying he has liver disease- I am no vet! LOL But I would say it's better to be safe than sorry~ I know Beemer is doing very well on the raw food and I think thats great. But I also know that Roxie shows no outward signs of liver disease and she has MVD~


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Beamer is 10+ pounds now, so I guess he does not fit into the little guy category anymore! I think 10lbs is rather average for a havanese? He did grow slowly in the beginning though (probably becuase he was not eating anything) But since 6 months old and being on the raw diet he has grown ALOT.. The shaking after eating - No clue what that was about! lol.. I never actually saw it myself, so I cannot really comment on that..

What MVD??


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Dr Karen Tobias describes MVD as this:

MicroVascular Dysplasia is microscopic changes in the liver that may cause blood to pass more quickly past the liver cells instead of slowly percolating by and through them. Dogs can have the same clinical signs and bloodwork changes as those with shunts, although more often the fed bile acids are not as high, the fasting bile acids are near normal, the albumin and blood urea nitrogen levels are normal, and the signs are less severe. Treatment includes low protein diets and lactulose, with or without antibiotics. Diagnosis is made by liver biopsy (the results of this are exactly the same as a shunt) and by proving that there is not a shunt.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

This is all news to me as my dogs’ stools have always been the color of their food. Way back when I feed the Boxers Ken L Ration, stools were always yellow.

Smarty’s stool can be several different colors. If she eats the Greenies or a green dog biscuit it is bright green, then brown for the kibble and yellow for her egg. She never seems to have any problems. I bet I wish I had not said that.

If it were black or had muscus,I would be concerned.


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