5 things to check if your dog’s poo is always a mess
Three bags and an apology on every walk? One in your hand, a second already out of your pocket, and a quick “sorry” to whoever is coming down the path.
Poo is the most honest daily report you get on your dog’s digestion. Vets take it seriously enough to score it on a chart from 1 to 7, where 1 is hard, dry pellets and 7 is liquid. The aim is a 2 or a 3: firm, formed and easy to pick up in one go.
When the score keeps slipping, most owners blame the food and start the slow, expensive job of switching brands. Quite often the food is fine. The trouble is what goes on top of it. Vincent found that out with his own dog:
My dog was put on kibble by the vet…
My dog was put on kibble by the vet because of gut problems and she doesn’t like it unless there’s a bit of cheese or something on top. Since using the bone broth she’s cleared every bowl , I just sprinkle it on to the kibble and mix it up a bit. Thank you honest dog .
24 October 2026 • Unprompted review • Read on Trustpilot
Here are five things worth checking first, and the reason each one matters.
The topper is richer than the dinner
A spoon of gravy, a bit of tinned meat, a cube of cheese, last night’s leftovers. It gets the bowl eaten, but it is usually the fattiest thing in it.
Why it matters: fat is the hardest part of a meal for a dog to digest. It needs bile and enzymes from the pancreas to break it down, and whatever is not absorbed carries on into the large intestine, where it draws water in. The result is soft, sloppy poo. It is why vets so often put dogs with sensitive stomachs on a low fat diet. For scale, Cheddar is about a third fat and a pork sausage is about a fifth.
Check: the fat percentage on the back of whatever you add to the bowl.
The ingredient list is longer than it needs to be
Turn the gravy or topper round and read the label. Maltodextrin, rice flour, salt, “flavouring”. None of it is there for your dog.
Why it matters: when a vet wants to find out what is upsetting a dog, they strip the diet back to a very short list of ingredients and add things back one at a time. It works because a short list makes the culprit easy to spot. A topper with a dozen ingredients does the opposite. Gravy made for people is one to avoid altogether: it is heavily salted, and some contain onion, which dogs should not eat.
Check: can you count the ingredients on one hand?
It is something different every day
Chicken on Monday, cheese on Tuesday, a bit of sausage on Sunday. It feels like a treat, but a dog’s digestion likes routine.
Why it matters: your dog’s gut is home to billions of bacteria that do a lot of the work of digestion, and that population adapts to whatever is fed most often. Change the menu suddenly and it is caught out. This is why vets tell you to switch foods gradually, over a week or more. A different topper every night is a small sudden change, every night.
Check: has the bowl been the same for two weeks running?
Not enough water is going in
Wet food is around 75% water. Dry kibble is around 10%. A dog on dry food has to make up the whole difference at the water bowl, and plenty of them do not.
Why it matters: one of the large intestine’s main jobs is managing water. When a dog is short of it, poo turns dry, hard and difficult to pass, and the whole system works less smoothly. A splash of warm liquid over dry food is one of the simplest changes you can make.
Check: is anything in the bowl actually wet?
The topper is the only reason dinner gets eaten
If your dog is fussy, the topper is not optional. It is the reason dinner happens at all.
Why it matters: dogs learn fast. If holding out gets something tastier added, they hold out. That is how owners end up adding a little more, and a little richer, every week. You do not need to win that battle. You need a topper your dog loves that is also kind to their stomach.
What we would put on top instead
Honest Dog Co Beef Bone Broth is a powder you sprinkle on dinner or stir into warm water for a proper gravy. It answers all five checks.
- One ingredient. 100% beef bone broth and nothing else.
- Under 1% fat and naturally low in salt.
- The same simple topper every day, so their stomach gets a routine.
- Mix with warm water and it adds hydration to a dry bowl.
- Fussy dogs love the smell. Over 90% protein and rich in collagen.
From 33p a serving. 60 day money back guarantee.
What owners say on Trustpilot
I have a surprisingly fussy lab
I have a surprisingly fussy lab, who struggles to eat his dinner. It’s like he has a phobia!! Anyway, I bought the chicken broth, expecting it not to help. How wrong was I, Bruce loves it. I sprinkle a couple of teaspoons over his dry food and he eats. Yes it smells but it’s so worth it when he asks for his dinner and also his poo seems better. Thank you
30 July 2026 • Unprompted review • Read on Trustpilot
We are now on our 2nd bag and my cocker…
We are now on our 2nd bag and my cocker spaniel loves the taste. Signed up for a subscription as we notice how much his mobility has improved, his coat is glossier and he is all in all a happier dog. We spoon into his bowl and mix with warm water, then add his venison kibble into it. As Alfie has a sensitive tummy, this just works and there have been no issues whatsoever. Great product
8 October 2026 • Unprompted review • Read on Trustpilot
My dogs love it
This bone broth is so easy to mix with hot water - unlike other brands I have tried, it doesn’t clump. My two spaniels have it on their meat meal every evening and love it! Even the fussier one gobbles it up. They have lovely shiny coats and good digestion. Definitely recommend.
6 October 2026 • Unprompted review • Read on Trustpilot
Why bone broth? The science in plain English
Bone broth is made by simmering bones for hours, until the collagen in them dissolves into the liquid. Ours is then gently dried into a powder with nothing added. What is left is over 90% protein, around 80% of it collagen, and under 1% fat.
1. Almost no fat
This is the big one. Swap a fatty topper for one with under 1% fat and you remove the most common trigger for a loose stomach, without taking away the flavour that gets dinner eaten.
2. Collagen that holds on to water
Cooked collagen is gelatine, the reason a good broth sets to a jelly in the fridge. Gelatine holds water. Stirred into warm water and poured over kibble, it carries extra fluid into a dry meal in a form your dog will actually finish.
3. The amino acids the gut lining is built from
The lining of your dog’s gut renews itself every few days, and it needs a steady supply of amino acids to do it. Collagen is about one third glycine, with plenty of proline alongside it. These are amino acids the body uses to build and repair tissue, including the gut wall.
4. One ingredient, every day
Nothing to react to except beef, and the same bowl each night, so the bacteria in the gut can settle into a routine.
What we will not claim: nobody has run a large trial on bone broth and dogs’ poo, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What is well established is everything above: fat, sudden changes and too little water unsettle a dog’s digestion, and a single ingredient, low fat, water-based topper removes all three.
What is really on top of the bowl
| Topper | What is in it |
|---|---|
| Cheddar cheese | About a third fat, plus salt |
| Pork sausage | About a fifth fat, plus salt and seasoning |
| Gravy made for people | Starch, oil, a lot of salt and flavourings. Some contain onion |
| Tinned meat in gravy | Often a long list: mixed meats, thickeners and sugars |
| Honest Dog Beef Bone Broth | One ingredient. Under 1% fat. No added salt |
How to start
- Start small. Half a teaspoon a day for the first few days. Any new food is best introduced slowly, even a gentle one.
- Build up over a week to the amount shown on the pack for your dog’s weight.
- Drop the other toppers while you do it. If the cheese and the gravy stay, you will never know what made the difference.
- Add warm water if your dog eats dry food. It makes a gravy and gets more fluid in.
- Keep it the same every day and judge it over a full pouch.
“I recommend bone broth to most dogs in my care, particularly those starting to slow down. The collagen and amino acids work alongside the body to support joint comfort and gut health in a way few supplements can match.”
Dr. Miller, Veterinary Nutritionist
The honest bit
Bone broth is food, not medicine. If your dog has ongoing diarrhoea, blood in their poo or has gone off their food, see your vet first.
For the everyday “why is it like this again” dog, changing what goes on top of the bowl is the simplest thing to try. Use it daily and give it a full pouch before you judge it.
Rated 4.7 by 925 pet parents. Free shipping when you subscribe, cancel anytime.