Free tool
Dog poop color chart
Tap the color closest to what you saw. Each one says what it can mean, what to do, and whether it is a vet call. The same colors and verdicts the PoopScout app uses.
How to read the chart
Healthy dog poop is chocolate brown, from bile pigments that are broken down on the way through the gut. Most other colors have an everyday explanation first (a new food, grass, a treat, something orange from the kitchen) and a medical one second. A few colors skip the everyday explanation and go straight to a vet call: black and tarry (digested blood from higher up), a lot of bright red (fresh blood from the lower gut), gray or greasy (fat not being digested) and jam-like pink or purple diarrhea (serious bleeding).
Color is only one of three things to check. Shape and consistency on the 1 to 7 stool score usually change first, and what is in the poop (blood, mucus, worms, foreign objects) matters as much as its color. How your dog is acting matters more than any of them.
Heads up
Bright, unnatural green or blue-green poop with any chance your dog got into rat or mouse bait is a Call a vet now, even if your dog seems fine. Signs of anticoagulant baits can take days to show. Call your vet or ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply).
Colors at a glance
| Color | Usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate brown | Normal | All clear |
| Dark brown | Still normal, as long as it is not black and tarry | All clear |
| Light tan or pale | Watch; if also loose, bulky or greasy, think pancreas or bile | Keep an eye |
| Yellow or orange | A food that did not agree, or bile moving fast; sometimes liver or gallbladder | Keep an eye |
| Green | Grass, plants; sometimes parasites or gallbladder; bait if unnaturally bright | Keep an eye, or now if bait is possible |
| Gray or greasy | Fat not being digested; pancreas or bile flow | Call your vet today |
| Black or tarry | Digested blood from the stomach or small intestine | Call a vet now |
| Red streaks | Fresh blood from the colon, rectum or around the bottom | Call your vet today; a lot of blood is now |
| White or chalky | Lots of bone or calcium in the diet; constipation | Keep an eye |
| Pink, purple, jam-like | Serious gut bleeding | Call a vet now |
What to do when the color is wrong
- Photograph it before you clean up. Daylight, from above, the whole poop in frame.
- Note the time, what your dog ate in the last day, and anything else you noticed: vomiting, straining, low energy, not eating.
- Lift the lip and look at the gums. Pink is normal. Pale or white is Call a vet now.
- Keep fresh water out. Do not give human medicines; some are dangerous for dogs.
- If the verdict is a call, bag a sample in case your vet wants it (a fresh sample in a sealed bag, kept cool, within a day).
The guides linked from each color go into the causes, what the vet will check, and what tends to happen next. For cats, use the cat poop chart.
Sources
The colors, meanings and verdicts in this chart follow the Merck Veterinary Manual (pet owner edition), VCA Animal Hospitals, the Companion Animal Parasite Council and ASPCA Animal Poison Control. Each linked guide names its sources in full.
Questions
What color is healthy dog poop?
Chocolate brown, firm and log shaped. Shades from medium to dark brown are normal and change a little with diet. The colors that need attention are black and tarry, bright red, gray or greasy, white or chalky, and jam-like pink or purple.
Why is my dog's poop black?
Black, sticky, tar-like poop usually means digested blood from the stomach or small intestine, which can come from ulcers, some rat baits, or hookworms in puppies. It is a Call a vet now, even if your dog seems fine. Dark brown from a diet change or a supplement is different.
Is yellow or orange dog poop serious?
Often not. A food that did not agree, a fast trip through the gut, or chicken and rice can turn it yellow or orange. If your dog is well, watch for a day or two. Call your vet if it continues or comes with diarrhea, vomiting or a poor appetite.
What does green dog poop mean?
Most often grass or plant matter passing through. It can also show up with parasites or gallbladder trouble. Bright, unnatural green with any chance of rat or mouse bait is a Call a vet now.
Can PoopScout tell me what is wrong from the color?
No. The chart and the app give general guidance from what you can see and what you tell them. They do not diagnose. A photo cannot show many parasites or anything happening inside; your vet can, with an exam and a fecal test.