| Stool Change | Possible Cause |
| Black or red color | diet, GI bleeding, drug side effect, intestinal polyps, colon cancer, PUD |
| Bulky | diet, constipation, malabsorption, drug side effect |
| Floating or greasy | Malabsorption, gallbladder disease, pancreatitis |
| Loose | diet, gastroenteritis, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel, malabsorption |
| Pale, clay or yellow color | Liver, Gallbladder disease, Pancreatitis |
| Small, thin or stringy | diet, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel, ischemic colitis, colon cancer |
Dietary causes for red stool include:
- Large amounts of beets
- Tomato juice
- Tomato soup
- Red Kool-Aid
- Red gelatin
- Large amounts of red popsicles
Other causes for
black stools include:
