Do Your Dog's Bathroom Breaks Look Different Now? The White Dog Poop Phenomenon, Explained

While dog excrement isn't something most of us spend a lot of time thinking about, some pet parents may have noticed that their pup's fecal matter looks quite a bit different in 2024 than it did just a few decades ago.

For those who remember the phenomenon of white dog poop, you may realize that today's doggy diamonds no longer appear bright white when left out in the sun for several days.

So, what happened to white dog poop? And why don't you see it in your yard or on your afternoon walks anymore? Well, it may have something to do with what today's dogs don't do.

Keep reading to learn more, and to find out whether or not the disappearance of white dog poop is good news or bad news for our canine friends.

If you've never seen it, white dog poop looks the exact same as regular dog feces, just, you guessed it, white!

During the 1980s and 1990s, white fecal matter was common to see in the yards of people with dogs at home, or else along the grassy areas of popular dog walking trails. At some point, however, the appearance of these ghostly poops began to disappear, and most of us never noticed.

According to Drool, a blog by Australian veterinarian Dr. Chris Brown, this is because of the ingredients used in modern dog food. The foods manufactured for dogs used to be full of cooked bones since many companies used the material as filler.

After a dog's meal, the bone fragments and particles would pass through their digestive tract undigested, coming out the other end as a fine powdery substance.

Then, following a few days of baking under the hot sun, that powder became bleached, allowing it to stand out against the more natural colors of the grass, dirt, and ground.

While it's unusual to see as much white dog poop around thanks to the improved quality of most commercial dog food brands, it doesn't mean that the ghostly poo is entirely a thing of the past. There are a few reasons why pet parents may still spy the occasional spectral dung.

Some of the factors, like the weather and dogs who have diets that are high in calcium, are completely harmless, according to the Dogster blog.

That doesn't mean that there's nothing to worry about if you see white poop in your yard, as it could be a sign of some other health issues that may require a vet's attention, according to Dogster.

Conditions like gastrointestinal distress — which can be caused by things like infection or inflammatory bowel disease — should be checked out by your vet. Similarly, white poop accompanied by symptoms like a dog who drags their behind across the carpet could hint at other issues, like worms.

If you're worried about your dog's stool, it's best to contact a vet. But if you're just curious about why you're not longer seeing that white poop that used to be a staple of your childhood, you can consider that mystery solved!