White, Malodorous, Soft Stool

Question
Good evening Dr Huang.  Thank you for your time in assisting me with some knowledgable advice.  I have a soon-to-be nine year old, Miniature Pinscher, spayed female. She is an Indoor/Outdoor dog. Her diet consists on NO table food and a dry kibble by Purina. Here these past few years, she seems to have "aged" (looks like she could be 13 or so). Dull, dry hair coat as well, seems to be thinner than normal as well.  She is not on any medication, only Revolution. Tonight I came home and found an unusualy "pile" in the floor.  It was definately fresh, white, very soft, as well as malodorous. I am stumped as to what to do.  I don't believe it is an emergency to warrant an emergency visit to the vet. But could you give me some ideas as to what could potentially cause this could be(i.e. poisons, plants, metabolic). Thanking you in advance for yoiur response. I will also keep you posted onher diagnosis.

Jennifer in Georgia.

Answer
Sincere apologies for the delayed response. I have heard from some dog owners that rawhide treats and bones have given their dogs white stool but have not observed this phenomenon myself to test for certainty. Aside from consumed items white stool can occur with liver disease, as a lack of normally present bile pigments causes this change to occur.

If this pale stool has continued I would suggest having her seen by your veterinarian so that her liver function can be assessed.  If it was a one time occurrence I would attribute it to something she had eaten  while outdoors if you made no changes to her usual diet.

Best of luck to you and your canine companion.