Why Are There White Specks In My Dog’s Poop?
Have you noticed white specks in your dog’s poop? These may be something that you need to be alarmed about, such as parasites, but these may be perfectly normal. If your dog is also not feeling well, it would be best for you to take this poop sample and your dog to your vet. They can examine your dog and the poop to see what these white specks are.
What to look for in my dog’s Poop?
When you first notice that your dog has white flakes in their poop, you need to examine their poop. These are some things that you need to look for to help you figure out what is causing these specks.
Size of white specks
The size of these specks can indicate many different things. These are common sizes that you need to look for:
- Small white circle
- Size of a grain of rice
- Long like spaghetti
- Globs of white
How many white specks
You need to look at see how many of these white speck are in your dog’s stool. If there is just one, this would not be as serious if there were a lot of these different specks.
Are they moving
You also need to see if these white specks that you are seeing are moving. If there is movement, this is most likely a parasite of some sort. Parasites can also be dead and not moving, so seeing specks that are not moving does not mean that these are not parasites that you are seeing.
What are these white specks in my dog’s poop?
These are some common causes for your dog to have a small white speck in their poop.
1.) Parasites
The most common cause of these white specks is parasites. There are two main parasites that you can see with the naked eye in your dog’s poop:
- Roundworms: Roundworms are long spaghetti-like worms. Usually, they will be moving, and you will see many of them in your dog’s poop.
- Tapeworms: Tapeworms look like grains of rice or sesame seeds. Your dog gets these worms from eating a flea.
Both of these parasites are not only seen in your dog’s poop but can be the cause of them having diarrhea or vomiting. If you notice any parasites in your dog’s poop, it is best for your vet to look at your dog and get them on the appropriate dewormer. Your dog cannot naturally get rid of these worms on their own; they will need a dewormer to help.
While there are some worms that you can see, there are many other worms that your dog may have that you cannot see.
The other common worms that are seen are:
- Hookworms
- Whipworms
- Coccidia
These are microscopic worms and can only be seen by looking at a sample of your dog’s poop under the microscope. So, if you see worms, it would be best for you to have to dog’s poop checked for other worms.
2.) Undigested food
Your dog may not have fully digested their food. Things like corn or bones are not easily digested and can pass out in your stool. If you are feeding your dog rawhides or other bones, these can also be seen in your dog’s poop.
3.) Parts of a Dog Toy
If your dog is known for swallowing large parts of their toys, they will also pass. Sometimes these white specks are pieces of stuffing out of the dog toy that they destroyed last week or even the rubber chew toy that they have been playing with. If you notice that your dog is eating things that they should not be eating, take these away from them for a few days and see if the white specks go away.
4.) Fly Larvae
If your dog’s poop has been sitting outside for a little while on a hot summer day, a fly could have laid eggs in your dog’s poop. Dog poop is a common place for this to happen. These worms that you are seeing would be fly larvae or maggots. These are nothing to worry about as they did not come from your dog. These are fatter worms that you would be seeing.
What to do about white flecks?
If you see these white flecks, there are many things that you can do to quickly get rid of these flecks in your dog’s poop.
Deworm your dog
If these white flecks are parasites, it is best for your dog to be dewormed. There are many different types of worms, and each has a different type of dewormer. Ask your vet which one is the best for your dog.
Remove old toys
If your dog is chewing and swallowing old toys, rawhides or bones, take these away from them. This may be what you see in their poop. Whenever you give your dog a new toy to play with, it is always best for you to watch them for a few hours to make sure that they are not going to destroy it or swallow it whole. Foreign body obstruction can commonly occur in younger dogs who eat things that they should not.
Clean the back yard
If this looks like maggots in your dog’s poop, cleaning your yard each day will help remove the fly larvae. It takes 2 to 3 days in hot weather for fly larvae to hatch. Picking up your dog’s feces is not only help to stop maggot but also the spread of other issues to you or your other pets.
See your vet
If you cannot figure out what the white speck in your dog’s poop is from, it would be best for you to see your vet. Your vet can examine your dog and their poop to see what these white spots are. If you can, bring a sample of the poop with the white fleck in there for your vet to see. Pictures and an actual sample of your dog’s poop will easily help your vet to be able to diagnose what is wrong with your dog.
Final Thoughts
If you are seeing white flecks in your dog’s poop, it is best to check out your dog’s poop to see what this is. While this is not going to be the most glamorous job of examining your dog’s poop but it has to be done. Look to see if these are worms or pieces of a toy or blanket. Once you have identified the cause, you can quickly work on a remedy to get rid of these white flecks in your dog’s poop.
Dr. Sara Ochoa, DVM graduated from St. George’s University Veterinary School in 2015. Since then, she has been at a small and exotic animal practice in Texas. In her free time, she loves making quilts and spending time with her husband Greg and their 4 fur kids. Two dogs, Ruby a schnoodle, and Bug a Japanese Chin, one cat named OJ and a leopard tortoise named Monkey.