[Max01]

Why does my dog poop several times a day and in smaller amounts? It is not runny and looks normal. He just goes often, almost every time we go out. He seems to be in good health. He is a cockapoo.

[Cat1864]

How often do you feed him? Is food left down for him all the time? Does he get a lot of treats?

[Aurora_Bell]

Have you recently changed his diet? Do you give him table scraps?
When was the last time he was treated for worms?
Do you free feed him, or do you have specific feeding times?
One of the syptoms of Colitis is frequent bowel movements. Some of the things that can cause Colitis are: bacteria, stress, allergies, parasites and colon cancer.
So if you are concerned about it, you should take him to the vet with a stool smaple. Just to be on the safe side.

[Aurora_Bell]

Ha Cat, you beat me to it!

[Cat1864]

Ha Cat, you beat me to it!

But you went in to more detail. :)

Seriously, I forgot to ask how old the dog is and how long you have had him?

As you can tell there are a lot of factors that can affect the number of times a dog needs to defecate.

If you are concerned, his vet is the best person to tell you if it is a medical problem or if his feeding needs to be adjusted.

[Lucky098]

The dogs diet could be high in fiber... Lots of fiber in the diet can cause frequency.

[Max01]

How often do you feed him? Is food left down for him all the time? Does he get a lot of treats?

He gets fed once a day in the morning. I feed him Iams. He does get a couple of treats during the day, but that is about it. He turned 1 in Jan.

[Max01]

Have you recently changed his diet? Do you give him table scraps?
When was the last time he was treated for worms?
Do you free feed him, or do you have specific feeding times?
One of the syptoms of Colitis is frequent bowel movements. Some of the things that can cause Colitis are: bacteria, stress, allergies, parasites and colon cancer.
So if you are concerned about it, you should take him to the vet with a stool smaple. Just to be on the safe side.

I feed him Iams in the a.m. once a day and he does not eat any table scraps. He does get a couple of treats a day, but usually no more. He is up to date on all his shots and worm treatments. I do use frontline once a month and also give him once a month iverhart plus for heartworm disease.

[Aurora_Bell]

Well it wouldn't hurt to get him checked out by your vet if funds are avalible. Only because like I said one of the most common symptoms of colin cancer is frequesnt bowel movements. Not to freak you out or anything.
You can always call the vet, and ask if you could bring down a stool sample to err on the side of caution.
What are you giving him for treats?
Sometimes after they eat small amounts like a treat, it can put enough pressure on the bowel to make a movement.
Stool is a great way to check for any infection or internal goings on...
The poop should be firm and roundish, med-dark brown. If they look normal chances are nothing too serious is going on. But again, no one can diagnose him over the internet, so it's always best to let the professionals do their jobs! :)

[Lucky098]

If the dog has colitis, he'd have bad diarrhea.

Its very possible that your dogs digestive system is changing has he gets older. If your dog has solid stools... I wouldn't really worry about it. He could also be on a high fiber diet that when he was younger was OK, now that he's older, you might need to change to Senior.

I would also highly consider changing his feeding schedule. Feeding once a day is not healthy. The dog gulps down or eats his food too fast. The results of that can be a turned stomach which is very expensive surgery, lifetime care, or even in severe cases, death.

How would you feel if you only got fed once a day? HUNGRY! Dogs are not designed to eat every 18+ hours. You need to change him to twice.. morning and evening.

This could very well be the reason for frequency. His digestive system is going into overload and is working hard to get nutrients from the food.

Like I said, he may have done OK on this schedule before, but his body could be changing. He might need to be switched to a Senior food. Or a high protein weight management formula...

How long have you had this dog?

[Aurora_Bell]

In many cases, dogs with colitis will pass bowel movements more frequently than is normal for a healthy dog. This will be evident, since a dog may whine to be let outside more often than usual. If your dog is kept primarily outdoors, you may see them assuming the "pooping" pose (back legs squatted, tail up) on a regular basis. Since it may be difficult to distinguish between a "normal" number of bowel movements and an "excessive" number, it may be easiest to first identify other symptoms of Colitis.


Copy and pasted from
Symptoms Of Colitis In Dogs - What Are The Signs Of Canine Colitis?

They don't always have diarrhea. Especially in the early stages.

[Lucky098]

My dog has colitis... Diagnosed first part of Jan.

Main symptom... Diarrhea. What lead the doc to believing it colitis was based on more than just frequency... It was due to the fact the dog had explosive, projectile diarrhea.

I still think this dog is having issues due to being fed once a day... But it could be more.

[Aurora_Bell]

Aww that's too bad for your pooch. :(
I don't think the OP's dog has colitis, just saying in the early stages, this is one of the symptoms. Not all of them, just one.

I hope if the OP decides it is really concerning that she will take her dog to the vet.
But your right about the being fed once a day.
Is there any reason you only feed your dog once a day? Is she left alone for long periods? My dog usually has 2-3 good bowel movements a day. Sometimes more sometimes less but 2-3 seems to be the average.

[Max01]

If the dog has colitis, he'd have bad diarrhea.

Its very possible that your dogs digestive system is changing has he gets older. If your dog has solid stools...I wouldnt really worry about it. He could also be on a high fiber diet that when he was younger was ok, now that he's older, you might need to change to Senior.

I would also highly consider changing his feeding schedule. Feeding once a day is not healthy. The dog gulps down or eats his food too fast. The results of that can be a turned stomache which is very expensive surgery, lifetime care, or even in severe cases, death.

How would you feel if you only got fed once a day? HUNGRY! Dogs are not designed to eat every 18+ hours. You need to change him to twice.. morning and evening.

This could very well be the reason for frequency. His digestive system is going into overload and is working hard to get nutrients from the food.

Like I said, he may have done ok on this schedule before, but his body could be changing. He might need to be switched to a Senior food. Or a high protein weight management formula....

How long have you had this dog??

I got him when he was 8 weeks old. He has firm round stools, just in small amounts and frequently. I will start feeding him in the morning and of an evening. If this doesn't work I will take a stool and go see his vet. Thank you for the info I appreciate it. He is a spoiled boy and stays in the house accident free, just wants out a lot during the day. Nights he goes 9 hours before going out. He gets to sleep in a dog bed in our kitchen, not in a kennel and he does great! Thanks again!