What Little Black Bugs in Your Dog’s Poop Mean?

Let’s say you are waiting for your dog to poop, and when you go to scoop it up, you find tiny black bugs! I know the image itself is pretty off-putting, but it’s certainly a sight no one would like to see ever again. 

So now you are wondering how these bugs came from and why? Allow me to explain and clear your doubts. 

Firstly, I’d advise you not to panic. There’s no reason to worry if bugs show up near your puppy’s stools. Let’s understand what those black bugs are in your dog’s poop. 

 

Why do these little black bugs appear on dog poop?

If you notice black things on a dog’s poop, it’s best to have a closer look at it. Now, that sounds disgusting, but you must identify those bugs. Plus, it is not always easy to tell what is in the poop. Black bugs in dog poop could be a sign of a disease or internal parasites.

So, scoop the stool and use a glove to observe those bugs. Meanwhile, also check if those bugs are ants or beetles. If not, it could be dried blood in feces or something your dog ate. 

Although black house ants or beetles don’t always crowd around dog stool after they poop, it probably indicates you didn’t scoop them immediately, and thus, several bugs or ants found the stool before you could throw it away.

However, if you suspect it’s dried blood, it is a different scenario. I have discussed all of them for you in detail below.  

 

What are black bugs present on dog poop, and what does it mean?

 

The color of dog poop can be indicative of their health and diet. There is no need to panic if your dog’s poop is a different color, but it’s always best to watch it for a few days and see if the color changes again. 

Regardless, only after a proper observation can one tell what is present in the stool since those black bugs might be just black spots. 

A black dot on a dog’s feces can signify a bleeding ulcer, which requires treatment from a veterinarian.

 

1. Dung Beetles 

If you look closely at your dog stool and find some kind of beetle, then it’s probably dung beetles. These are entirely harmless to your dog and only show up after your pup has completed their poop business. 

But why do these black dung beetles come up? A dog’s stool can be helpful for them since black dung beetles make their burrows from dog poop and make tiny balls to attract mates. As a result, they often seek dog stools to fulfill their requirements. 

Is it bad if dung beetles are present in my dog’s poop? 

No, dung beetles have no relation with your dog’s health or any other problem. In fact, dung beetles are valuable species that maintain soil fertility by decomposing stools of dogs and other domestic animals like cats, rabbits, horses, etc. 

 

2. Black Ants 

Next, ants also appear on dog feces due to similar reasons to the dung beetles. Black house ants get drawn to the fecal matter because of the smell. Although, unlike the beetle, ants consume the dog stool for nutrients as it often contains undigested food.

Likewise, if you see the ants are dead and it means your doggo ate some food that had ants in them. 

Since dogs cannot disintegrate ants, their bodies might be present with poop. I know it’s surprising, but dogs are super notorious and often eat what they certainly shouldn’t. To tackle this issue, always watch whenever your dogs munch on anything and feed them nutritional food when they feel hungry. 

Are black ants in dog stool a sign of a health issue? 

No, black ants do not indicate your dog has any health issues at all. Since they appear after the poop has been there for more than a few hours. 

 

3. Wrong food

Like I said before, dogs sometimes munch on anything they find interesting. In such cases, you’ll see indefinite spots or flakes in your doggo’s poop. 

Dog’s are excellent at naturally eliminating any waste from their bodies, which is precisely what happens with these tiny black dots. They are typically the leftovers of whatever the dog has eaten and can be found in their stool.

Recently, many dog owners have been asking what are black specks in dog poop. The answer to this is not as straightforward as it may seem at first glance. 

In most cases, these black dots are the undigested pieces of food that your pet has ingested from its last meal. It could be a grape, a piece of meat, or any other type of food that your dog eats.-

Moreover, some foods cause allergic reactions in their bodies since they aren’t digested. A good example is pumpkin seeds and quinoa, and some dogs might be allergic to chicken too!

 

4. Dried blood 

Now that you have checked that those black specks are not ants or beetles, then it’s probably dried blood spots. Now, these can appear for various reasons, and they are as follows: 

Viral or bacterial infection 

IBS- inflammatory bowel syndrome

Black specks of undigested food

Hematochezia

Internal bleeding due to intestinal injury 

Parasitic infection 

Apart from that, your doggo might have more complex issues like hemorrhoids or anal gland infections, but it is essential to identify the cause first. 

In short, spots of fresh or dried blood in a dog’s stool can be a sign of an intestinal obstruction, which may lead to complications if not treated. 

Also, all these cases need the medical supervision of a vet. If you think it’s black specks, report them to a vet immediately, along with a feces sample. The vet will examine it for any intestinal parasites or worms and help your dog recover quickly. 

So there’s no reason to panic. Instead, get immediate treatment for your doggo and be attentive to their diet. 

If you have an adult dog, it’s best to visit the vet on the same day you found blood in their stools. It will be helpful for the vet to diagnose any concerning symptoms like cancer and give effective treatments. 

Remember to carry the stool containing the blood spots as the vet will need to assess it. Also, doctors perform several other tests to have a complete picture of the cause and why those black spots appeared.

 

How to stop my dog from eating something wrong 

All dog owners have to face this challenge at least once. Also, it’s tough to always keep an eye on what your dog is eating, whether indoors or outdoors. Thus, I have listed some tricks you can follow to keep your dog from eating inedible stuff. They are as follows: 

So one quick method you can use to distract them from eating anything obnoxious is by keeping a bunch of treats with you. By doing this, your doggo will stay close to you for the treats and will spare other bugs or fleas. 

Another way is to limit their outdoor space; try to make sure your dog plays within a range where they cannot find ants, bugs, or any funny thing to eat. 

Altogether, even after you find out that your doggo managed to eat something funny, then it’s not something to get too worried about. Eventually, your dog will excrete unnecessary waste from its body soon.  

But watch for any signs of discomfort and never hesitate to reach out to a vet.

 

Regular checkups are a must

You may have come across this quote pretty often that prevention is better than cure, and it is applied to everyone. One effective way to ensure your dog is free from any parasitic infection or illness is by going for regular checkups. 

You can opt for an annual fecal matter checkup, and it’s the best method to diagnose early symptoms of any parasite, fleas, or other infections. 

Simply put, it’s very rare that one finds strange things like black spots in dog stool. However, with enough evidence, you can identify if it’s concerning or not. 

Even so, regular visits to the vet will always be helpful for both you and your doggo. Moreover, you don’t need to go every month or so. Whenever you find time, try to pay a quick visit to the vet to ensure that everything is good with your pet. 

 

Conclusion

Altogether, finding black bugs in your dog’s feces can be a traumatic experience. Even so, it’s pretty essential to keep an eye on the color, texture, and presence of specks to check for any illness or symptoms. 

However, whether it is white or black specks, bugs, or ants, they are not always signs of some sickness. 

Hence, first, examine the poop well to check whether it’s ants or dung beetles. Meanwhile, it’s also not wise to neglect the occurrence of black dried blood spots as it may be a parasitic infection or internal bleeding problem.

I hope this article has helped you to understand the basics of what it means when you notice black matter in your dog’s poop. In case you have more questions, do not hesitate to comment below.