Keeping a pet as adorable as a dog is truly a wonderful and enriching experience. But, you have to understand that taking care of a dog is quite a responsibility. And, as repulsive as it might sound, pet parents have to glance at times at their dog’s waste to ensure that all is well inside their tummies.
Say that you do happen to spot something odd in your dog’s poop – something like yellow balls – then you might wonder what it means and what you can do to help your dog out.
So, what do yellow balls in dog poop mean? Yellow balls in dog poop can mean that your dog has been eating something that it’s having a tough time digesting, like corn. Or, it could mean something a bit more serious, like worms.
There’s no need to worry, as the first thing you can do to put your mind at ease is book an appointment with the local vet. Going through the internet conducting some research will also help you become well-informed and give you plenty of ideas about how you can help out your dearest dog.
So, without further ado, let’s get to the matter of why you might find yellow-colored balls in your canine’s poop.
What Could It Mean And Where Do These Yellow Balls Come From?
Often when pet guardians find small-sized yellow flecks in their canine’s waste, the first impulse is to panic. Perhaps, the very next thought is of worms. Being a pet owner, you must know that dogs tend to get worms and stomach parasites, much like humans.
It is true that if your dog has worms, you are bound to find some in its stool. Nonetheless, most parasite eggs, such as tapeworm eggs, are too small to be visible to the naked eye.
Therefore, if you do have the suspicion that your pooch might have worms, you will have to get a stool test done on your dog to determine if your guess is correct or otherwise. It takes a microscopic inspection of canine stool to determine if the dog has worms or not.
Now, your pooch can get yellow balls in their poop from several different sources, so read on to find out.
1. Undigested Food Sources
If your dog is munching away on corn on the cob, yellow bell peppers, or some hefty amount of squash, there’s bound to be traces found in the poop of your dog. While it might be at first shocking to see something as unnatural as yellow globules in your dog’s feces, a closer inspection will quite easily put your doubts to rest.
2. Worms
Usually, when canines have worms, the only real way to tell that they might not be doing so well is through other symptoms rather than glancing at their stool. Most stomach parasites are difficult to see – their color is a translucent white that is not easily identified.
However, there have been times when dog stool has apparent signs of being infected with worms. In such cases, the worms in the dog feces have dried up to take on a yellow tinge and are thus visible.
3. Unidentified Materials That Have Been Swallowed
As a pet parent, you must surely realize that it isn’t always possible for you to monitor your pet throughout the day. And if your dog loves to chew and swallow weird items such as packing material, cigarette butts, or even Orbeez (water beads or gel beads), then you are bound to find all kinds of weird things in your dog’s dung.
Orbeez or micro styrofoam beads are pretty tiny. It is common knowledge that dogs love to chase balls of all kinds, no matter how large or small. So, when the vet investigates, they may find that their furry patient has actually swallowed toys or packing materials.
How Can You Tell If Your Pup Has Worms?
As mentioned earlier, if you feel that your dog has worms, you will have to take them to the vet and run some tests. That is the only way to be 100% sure whether your pup has worms or not.
When you visit a vet, one of the first tests they will probably ask you to run on your furry friend is fecal flotation. The test detects eggs of mature parasites that live inside the body and pass the eggs on to the outside through stool.
Luckily, there is little for you to fear for your pet’s well-being if they do have worms. Most dogs get worms at one stage or another in their lives.
Canines can get worms from a variety of sources – from their mother’s milk when they are puppies, eating dead animals or prey when outside, from fleas that carry worm larvae, and even from coming into contact with the feces of other animals that have worms.
But, even when you can’t plainly see in your dog’s stool clear evidence of worms, there are often apparent symptoms associated with canine worms.
Let’s look at the list of some of the signs that will indicate that your dog might have worms:
- Weight loss even when your dog’s appetite appears to be perfectly normal
- Lethargy
- Excessive tiredness
- Diarrhea
- Bloating and a distended abdomen
- Vomiting
- A dull fur coat
- Inactiveness and loss of interest in regular activities
- Tapeworms in their poop
If your dog is showing any or all of the signs mentioned above, you shouldn’t waste any valuable time and head for the vet immediately.
You don’t have to worry that your pet’s life is in immediate danger. But, internal parasites need blood to survive and live in any environment. So, if your pet has worms, you can be sure that your dog will lose quite a bit of weight if their condition is not detected or treated.
What Steps Should You Take To Ensure That Your Dog Doesn’t Get Worms?
If your dog’s fecal flotation tests are positive, you need not consider it to be the end of the world for yourself and your pet. There are plenty of medications available in the market that are specially formulated to help your dog be rid of worms.
Most of these medications have very mild side-effects or none at all. Also, there is much you can do to prevent the occasion from recurring ever again..
An essential step that you must take as a pet parent is always to be extra careful about your pet’s hygiene, living conditions, and diet. Make sure you wash your dog’s food and water bowls daily. If you have a multiple pet household, you should always reserve different food and water bowls for each pet.
It would be best to supervise your pet when you take them out for walks or go in the park for some playtime. Dogs aren’t very particular about hygiene, and they explore the world through their mouth.
So, practically everything goes into your pet’s mouth if they want to determine what the object is and that can be an extremely unhealthy habit for your pet. So, it would be best if you kept a close eye on your dog when you go outside.
Another aspect of a healthy dog is to ensure that you have regular medical check-ups. The more your pet gets used to the vet’s presence, the easier it will be for the vet to diagnose what is wrong with your dog. Earlier detection of most infections, illnesses, and diseases means sooner recovery.
Furthermore, it would help if you were pretty regular about applying flea medication to be used on all dogs on a monthly basis. It might be a disgusting job, but as a pet parent, you do need to check your dog’s stool to make sure that your dog is as healthy on the inside as they are on the outside.
Final Thoughts
It’s a pleasant experience to discover that your faithful companion might be bothered by something as foul and damaging as worms. But, you don’t need to go into a panic, as it is common for canines to get worms. The most alarming fact is that it is relatively easy to contract worms from all kinds of sources.
So, if you do see your dog looking lethargic, vomiting, or suffering from unnecessary weight loss, you should consult a vet.
Even if your dog has got worms, you need to take it easy and give them the medication they nee. But, in most cases, you should know that the pea-sized balls that you might have seen in your dog’s poop are nothing more than the undigested remnant of yesterday’s meal.
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