What does it mean if your stool is grayish in color? Explore the common causes of pale or clay-colored stools, including liver issues, gallbladder problems, and more. Get insights on diagnosis and treatment options.

Understanding Stool Color Changes

Stool color can vary widely depending on your diet, medications, and underlying health conditions. While normal stools range in shades of brown, pale or light-colored stools may indicate an issue with your liver, gallbladder, or pancreas. If you persistently notice grayish or clay-colored bowel movements, it’s important to see a healthcare professional to determine the underlying cause and receive appropriate treatment.

Common Causes of Pale Stools

There are several potential causes for pale or grayish stools, including:

• Medications: Certain drugs, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, birth control pills, and some antibiotics, can cause drug-induced hepatitis and discolored stools.
• Viral Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver caused by hepatitis A, B, or C viruses can lead to pale stools.
• Alcoholic Hepatitis: Excessive alcohol consumption can cause liver inflammation and discolored bowel movements.
• Biliary Cirrhosis: This condition involves inflammation or irritation of the bile ducts, which can block the flow of bile to the intestines.
• Gallstones: Hardened deposits in the gallbladder can obstruct bile flow and result in pale stools.
• Sclerosing Cholangitis: This inflammation or scarring of the bile ducts can also cause pale or clay-colored bowel movements.
• Structural Defects: Some people are born with abnormalities in their biliary system that prevent proper bile flow.

Diagnosing the Cause of Pale Stools

If you have persistent pale or grayish stools, your healthcare provider will likely start by taking a medical history and performing a physical examination. They may order various tests, such as blood tests, imaging scans, or endoscopic procedures, to determine the underlying cause of your stool color changes.

Treating Pale Stools

The treatment for pale stools will depend on the underlying cause. Some common treatment approaches include:

• Discontinuing Offending Medications: If medications are the culprit, stopping the offending drugs can often resolve the issue.
• Addressing Liver Conditions: Medications, dietary changes, and abstaining from alcohol may be necessary to manage conditions like viral hepatitis or alcoholic hepatitis.
• Managing Bile Duct Issues: Medications, surgical procedures, or even a liver transplant may be required to treat conditions affecting the bile ducts, such as biliary cirrhosis or sclerosing cholangitis.
• Gallstone Removal: Medications or surgery may be needed to address gallstones and restore normal bile flow.

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you consistently notice pale or grayish stools, it’s important to see a healthcare provider. Persistent discolored bowel movements can be a sign of a serious underlying condition and should not be ignored. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent complications and improve your overall health.

Maintaining Healthy Digestion

In addition to addressing the root cause of pale stools, it’s important to focus on overall digestive health. This may include making dietary changes, staying hydrated, and incorporating probiotics or other supplements as recommended by your healthcare provider. By taking a proactive approach to your gut health, you can help support normal stool color and consistency.

Conclusion

Grayish or pale-colored stools can be a sign of an underlying health issue, such as liver, gallbladder, or pancreatic problems. If you consistently notice this change in your stool color, it’s important to seek medical attention to determine the cause and receive appropriate treatment. With the right diagnosis and management, you can restore normal stool color and improve your overall digestive health.

Pale Stools: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatments

Pale stools may suggest issues with your liver, gallbladder, or pancreas. If your bowel movements are a light clay color instead of brown, a healthcare professional can help you find the cause and recommend treatment.

Normal stools can vary in shades of brown, mostly due to your diet. Pale or light-colored stools, however, are not typical and may be a sign of an underlying health condition.

If your stools are pale or clay-colored, you may have a problem with the drainage of your biliary system, which includes your gallbladder, liver, and pancreas.

Your liver releases bile salts into your stools, giving the stools a brown color. If your liver is not producing enough bile, or if the flow of the bile is blocked and can’t drain from your liver, your stools may become pale or clay-colored.

Having occasional pale stools may not be a cause for concern. But if you persistently see pale stools, you may have a serious illness.

You should see a doctor whenever you have consistent pale or clay-colored stools to rule out illness and disease.

There are many possible causes of pale stools. Some of the common causes include:

Medications

Certain medications can cause drug-induced hepatitis. This is a swelling or inflammation of the liver caused by medications.

Some examples include:

• acetaminophen (Tylenol)
• ibuprofen (Advil)
• naproxen (EC-Naprosyn)
• birth control pills
• some antibiotics
• anabolic steroids
• many herbal supplements
• statins (Lipitor)

For most people affected, drug-induced hepatitis and the related discolored stools usually go away within a few weeks after the medications are discontinued.

Viral hepatitis

Viral hepatitis is a swelling or inflammation of the liver caused by viruses such as hepatitis A, B, or C viruses. Hepatitis C often leads to liver disease.

A doctor can diagnose the type of hepatitis virus you have and help you figure out the best treatment plan for you.

Alcoholic hepatitis

Alcoholic hepatitis is swelling or inflammation of the liver caused by drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Alcoholic hepatitis can lead to liver disease or liver failure.

To treat this form of hepatitis, it’s recommended to stop drinking alcohol. A doctor can help you if have alcohol dependence.

Alcoholic hepatitis can also cause malnutrition, so a special diet may be required to get the vitamins and other nutrients you need.

Medications such as prednisone (Rayos) and pentoxifylline (Pentopak) can also treat liver inflammation temporarily. However, abstinence from alcohol is essential for long-term survival.

In severe cases, a liver transplant may be needed.

Biliary cirrhosis

Biliary cirrhosis is an inflammation or irritation of the bile ducts in the liver. The inflammation or irritation blocks the flow of bile to the intestines.

The exact cause of biliary cirrhosis is unknown.

There’s no cure for biliary cirrhosis, and the disease can be fatal.

Treatment can help manage your symptoms and prevent complications. Commonly prescribed medications include cholestyramine (Questran), which treats itching. Ursodiol (Urso Forte) may also be prescribed, which aids in removing bile from the bloodstream.

A doctor may also suggest taking vitamins A, K, E, and D to replace the nutrients that are lost in fatty stools.

Calcium supplements can also help prevent loss of bone density.

In severe cases, a doctor may suggest a liver treatment.

Gallstones

Gallstones are hardened deposits in the gallbladder that can block the flow of bile.

Medications can sometimes dissolve gallstones. You may need surgery to remove your gallstones if they’re large or medication isn’t effective.

Sclerosing cholangitis

Sclerosing cholangitis is an inflammation or scarring of the bile ducts, which are the tubes that carry bile throughout the body. The exact cause of this disease is unknown, but genetic factors may be partially responsible.

There’s no cure for sclerosing cholangitis other than a liver transplant. But certain medications and surgical procedures can help manage symptoms and reduce episodic flares.

Commonly prescribed medications include:

• cholestyramine (Questran)
• prednisone (RAYOS)
• ursodiol (Urso Forte)
• azathioprine (Azasan)
• cyclosporine (Sandimmune)

A doctor may also prescribe supplements for vitamins A, D, E, and K to replace what the body has lost. A doctor may also prescribe antibiotics.

Common surgeries used to treat sclerosing cholangitis include:

• endoscopic balloon, which involves inserting a balloon at the end of a long tube into the bile ducts to open any narrowing
• biliary drainage catheter, which involves placing a drain in the narrowing of the bile ducts
• removal of the colon and rectum in severe cases
• liver transplant

Structural defects in the biliary system

Some people are born with structural defects in their biliary system that prevent the flow of bile.

After a physical exam, a doctor may order several tests to determine if you have structural defects. These tests include blood tests, scans, and X-rays.

A doctor may be able to surgically repair the defects. The type of defect will determine the type of surgical procedure the doctor will use.

Biliary stricture

Gallbladder removal surgery can result in the narrowing of the bile ducts. This condition is known as biliary stricture.

A doctor may be able to correct the problems using surgery or a stent. A stent is a small tube that a surgeon places inside the ducts to keep them open so that bile can flow freely.

Tumors

Benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous) tumors in the biliary system can interfere with bile flow or inflame the liver.

A doctor may be able to remove the tumor surgically. If the tumor is cancerous, you may need radiation, a therapy that uses X-rays or gamma rays to destroy cancerous cells.

You may also need chemotherapy, which involves powerful drugs that destroy cancer cells.

Cysts

Cysts on the bile ducts can prevent the flow of bile.

The cysts may go away without treatment, or a doctor may perform surgery to remove them. The surgery is typically performed laparoscopically, allowing the doctor to see inside your abdomen by creating small incisions. This minimally invasive surgery causes less discomfort than open surgery.

Brightly colored stools in children are usually caused by colorful foods like breakfast cereal. However, pale, white, or clay-colored stools in children can be caused by something more serious. Some of the causes are:

• a milk-only diet
• barium sulfate from barium enema
• antacids
• blocked bile ducts or liver disease

Seek medical care if your child has more than one abnormally colored stool, especially if they haven’t had any brightly colored foods or if the stools are pale, white, or clay-colored. Only a doctor can determine the exact cause and provide the proper treatment.

If the cause is food or medication, removing it from the child’s diet will clear up the condition. If the cause is liver disease or a blocked bile duct, this can be life threatening and may require surgery or medications.

An experienced healthcare professional will complete a thorough medical interview, including a history of your symptoms, the medications you take, your family history, and how much alcohol and other substances you take.

A physical exam will also be performed to help identify the cause of your pale stools.

Possible tests include:

• Blood tests: These can check for infections and jaundice.
• Computed tomography (CT) scans: These can determine if you have any swelling of your liver or bile ducts.
• Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP): This is a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that can capture detailed images of the biliary system.
• Abdominal ultrasound: This can develop a picture of your organs.

Once the underlying cause of pale stools is treated, your stools should return to a normal brown color.

However, some causes, such as liver disease and some cancerous tumors, are incurable. If the cause is incurable, you’ll continue to have pale or clay-colored stools.

Some of the causes of pale stools are not preventable, but others are.

Some forms of hepatitis have vaccines for prevention. Alcoholic hepatitis can be prevented by not drinking alcohol in excess.

If the cause is unknown, work toward having healthy bowel movements by eating a balanced diet that is high in fiber.

Are pale stools normal?

The color of your stools can be an indicator of your overall health. Color can range from dark brown to green. Normally, stools are a shade of brown.

If you observe pale stools that occur more than once, it can be a sign of bile duct blockage or liver problems.

When should I worry about pale stools?

Occasional pale stools may not be something to worry about.

However, if you’re experiencing frequent pale or light-colored stools, you may want to seek medical attention. This could be a sign of an underlying health condition.

Can fatty liver disease cause pale stools?

Pale stools may be a sign of liver disease or a blocked bile duct, especially in children.

Seek a doctor if you notice pale stools, as this may be a sign of liver disease.

Pale or Clay-Colored Stool: What Causes Light-Tan Poop?

If you have pale or clay-colored stool, it could be something you ate or a medication you are taking. Here are some of the most common causes of light-colored stool—some of them harmless and others that may require medical attention.

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If your skin is looking a bit pale (which can occur in people of any skin tone), there’s usually a reason. It could be anything from a vitamin B12 deficiency to a symptom of anemia. The same is true when your stool is a paler-than-normal color—it doesn’t usually happen randomly.

“There’s always going to be a reason,” says Christine Traxler, MD, a family practitioner at Invigor Medical, in Le Sueur, Minnesota, “but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re dealing with a serious issue.”

What’s a normal poop color?

Generally speaking, poop is brown because as the food you’ve eaten makes its way down your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it gets stained by bile, explains Harry Thomas, MD, a gastroenterologist in Austin, Texas.

Bile is made in the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and released via the bile duct relatively early on in the digestive process (after food moves from the stomach to the intestine). Bile helps break down fats in the food we eat. That means that your stool starts out a more bilious greenish-yellow but becomes increasingly brown before it finally exits the body. (Is your stool a funny color? Here’s why your poop is green.)

Bile has an important role in giving stool its brown color so when a patient tells Kumar Desai, MD, gastroenterologist, hepatologist, and pancreaticobiliary specialist in Thousand Oaks, California, that their stool appears pale—or the color of wet clay—his first thoughts are about bile and biliary function. Specifically, the issue is whether there isn’t enough bile being produced, or whether bile is, for some reason, being prevented from reaching the stool.

As you might imagine, these can be due to a variety of health issues. (Here are the signs your gut bacteria are unhealthy.)

A word about pale or clay-colored stool

That being said, if you notice pale or clay-colored stool, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have a serious health problem. Although pale stool is not normal, there are a number of reasons why this happens, says family practitioner Kavita Shanker-Patel, MD, practicing family medicine at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, Illinois. 

While some are serious, others are quite benign. In fact, pale-colored stool can be the result of something you’ve eaten or a medication you are taking.

“Many things can change the color of stool, including food, medication, vitamins as well as certain illnesses,” says colorectal surgeon, Lynn O’Connor, MD, director of colon and rectal surgery of New York and section chief of colon and rectal surgery at Mercy Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in New York. (These are the vitamin mistakes you don’t realize you’re making.)

If pale or clay-colored stool (or acholic stool as your doctor might refer to it) is the result of a serious health issue, there are usually other symptoms. Here are some of the reasons you might have pale or clay-colored poop. (Find out the 9 most common reasons why your poop is black.)

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You take calcium supplements or calcium-supplemented antacids

As noted by Dr. O’Connor, certain drugs and supplements can cause the stool to appear pale or clay-like. Family care physician, Susan Besser, MD, has seen pale or clay-colored stools in people who habitually take calcium supplements and calcium-supplemented antacids. In fact, calcium-containing antacids are known to cause changes in stool color.

So if you notice pale or clay-colored stool for the first time, ask yourself if you might have inadvertently taken a calcium supplement in the form of an antacid tablet. In the absence of other symptoms, it’s OK to take a wait and see approach.

You have a parasitic infection

The parasitic infection, Giardia lamblia, can turn the stool yellow—anywhere from bright yellow to pale yellow, Dr. O’Connor explains. Symptoms of Giardia can include stomach pain, vomiting, and fever, so if you’re experiencing these symptoms along with pale stool that is yellow-tinged, it would be a good idea to check in with your doctor. Giardia is easily tested for and easily treated. “Most people feel better in a few days after taking medication prescribed by their doctor,” says Dr. O’Connor.

You took a barium test

Barium tests are used to examine the digestive tract using a white powder called barium sulfate that is dissolved in water and introduced into the GI tract via enema or by mouth, Dr. Shanker-Patel explains. Barium isn’t absorbed at all by the body, and what many people don’t realize is how common it is to pass pale, chalky, and/or clay-like stool for several days after swallowing barium. “It’s harmless,” Dr. Traxler agrees.

You eat fatty foods

The fattier the food, the more likely it is to produce pale or clay-colored stool. That’s why the first time you notice pale or clay-colored, in the absence of any other symptoms, it’s usually safe to wait and see if the next one returns to normal before calling a doctor. (Don’t miss these 12 tips for  choosing the best primary care physician.)

If you eat a lot of fatty food it can overwhelm the normal digestive process because you are delivering way more fat than your body is used to breaking down with bile. The result is called steatorrhea, which is bulky, smelly, and pale-colored stool that often floats in the toilet instead of sinking to the bottom due to its fatty or oily content.

If steatorrhea is a one-time thing after a particularly fatty meal, it’s not usually a cause for concern. However, if it’s a recurring issue you could have a problem with fat malabsorption, meaning your small intestine is not absorbing fat the way it’s supposed to.

You could have celiac disease

One of the less-known symptoms of celiac disease (an autoimmune condition in which the gluten proteins in wheat and other grains trigger an intestine-damaging immune response), is pale stool, particularly if it’s foul-smelling. Other celiac symptoms include pain, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, joint pain,  and other health problems, like infertility, malnutrition, and osteoporosis.

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It could be bile-related

When your stool is pale, and it’s not because of something you ingested, it can mean that your body is not producing enough bile, or that the bile is, for some reason, not reaching your stool. Either way, your stool will lack the pigmentation that makes it appear brown by the time it exits your body.

One of the three organs that make up the biliary system may be the culprit, according to Dr. Traxler. These are the liver, the gallbladder, and the pancreas.

Issues with the liver

One of the liver’s jobs is to produce bile. When it is not producing bile, or not producing enough, pale stools can be one of the symptoms.

Reasons, why the liver might have issues producing adequate bile, include:

• Liver damage from certain medications such as acetaminophen: High doses or regular, long-term use of acetaminophen can cause liver damage, especially if combined with alcohol.
• Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis of the liver, which is most often caused by chronic, excessive alcohol use, causes scar tissue to replace normal tissue in the liver.
• Fatty liver disease: Fatty liver disease (FLD) is essentially an inflammation of the liver. Although it can be caused by alcohol abuse, it is more often caused by obesity. (Here are 9 risk factors for non-alcohol-related FLD.)
• Liver infections: These include the various forms of hepatitis, which are liver-infecting viruses.
• Autoimmune disease of the liver, including autoimmune hepatitis
• Liver cancer: Malignant tumors of the liver are rare, but serious, and can be brought about or hastened by some of the other liver conditions noted here.
• Genetic liver disease: A genetic disorder, known as alagille syndrome, which presents by the age of two, can affect the liver, the heart, and other parts of the body.

The symptoms of any of these liver problems may include:

• nausea and vomiting
• dark urine
• swelling in the ankles or legs
• persistent itching
• pain in the abdomen and back
• swelling of the belly
• weight loss
• jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and or the white parts of the eyes, which is the result of elevated bilirubin levels in the body, which is consistent with biliary malfunction).

Issues with the gallbladder

The gallbladder stores bile the liver has made, and the bile ducts leading out of the gallbladder are responsible for releasing bile into the GI tract to support digestion. If the gallbladder is malfunctioning, the result may be pale stools. The reasons for gallbladder malfunction include:

Gallbladder stones (aka gallstones): A gallstone is a small pebble-like mixture of bile, cholesterol, and calcium. Gallstones can block bile ducts or otherwise hinder gallbladder function. The symptoms of gallstones include nausea, vomiting, and right upper quadrant pain, according to Dr. Traxler.

Cholangitis (aka gallbladder infection or inflammation of the gallbladder): Cholangitis is a bacterial infection within the biliary system that is often associated with gallstones or other bile duct obstruction, according to Dr. Shanker-Patel. Symptoms include those of gallstones, as well as pain radiating all the way to the right shoulder and the right side of the upper back.

Gallbladder Cancer: It’s uncommon, but it can happen and can affect the color of stool. Gallbladder cancer doesn’t always start with gallstones, although it can; here are 7 other symptoms of gallbladder cancer.

A condition called sclerosing cholangitis is a serious condition causing inflammation of the bile ducts affecting the gallbladder and liver. Other conditions like biliary strictures (narrowing of the bile ducts), bile duct cysts, and congenital structural defects all can block the flow of bile.

Issues with the pancreas

“If the pancreas isn’t working, is infected or inflamed, the overall absorption of nutrients will be poor,” explains Dr. Traxler. Pale stools that are visibly fatty and/or unusually foul-smelling could (but does not necessarily) indicate fats aren’t being absorbed properly as a result of pancreatic malfunction.

Pancreatitis, which can be caused by gallstones or a pancreatic tumor, and pancreatic cancer (a malignant pancreatic tumor) are two possible causes for pancreatic malfunction.

When to see a doctor

As we said, if you’ve had a single bowel movement with pale or clay-colored stool, it is probably safe to wait and see if the next bowel movement appears normal.  However, the following co-occurring symptoms require urgent attention. If you experience any of these, it is a sign you need to get immediate medical attention and see a doctor:

• Fever—which could indicate acute infection/inflammation.
• Abdominal pain—which can also indicate acute infection/inflammation.
• Jaundice—it’s never a good idea to ignore a problem that’s causing your skin or the whites of your eyes to turn yellow.
• Unintended weight loss/lack of appetite—this could indicate serious illness when coupled with pale stools and warrants medical attention.
• Severe diarrhea with signs of dehydration. Diarrhea can cause dehydration, which can quickly become life-threatening in some patients.

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💩 Wrong Dog Stool Color: A Guide

Did you know that you can learn a lot about your dog’s health and well-being by checking the color of his stool?

It turns out that its color can be a harbinger of health problems and, if you know what to look for, it will help you recognize the disease in time.

Have you ever encountered black or yellow dog stool and wondered what could be causing it?

Very dark or even black dog poop can be a sign of stomach ulcers in dogs or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Black dog feces get their color because the blood is not fresh – it has been digested and has darkened.

What to do: Keep an eye on your dog’s litter. If they lose weight and vomit regularly, as well as leaving black dog poop, call your veterinarian.

Gray stool appears if your dog’s digestive system struggles with the breakdown of fats.

This can happen either as a result of eating too much fatty food or because of a more complex problem with the pancreas.

What to do: Review your dog’s diet, he may be eating too many fatty foods, or he has the ability to secretly absorb them from you.

It is unlikely that you will see white dog feces , but if there are many white spots in the feces (which look like small grains of rice), this is a sure sign that they have tapeworms.

What to do: Deworm your dog as soon as possible! Your veterinarian will be able to help you find the right tapeworm product for you.

Red stool that contains red streaks can be a sign of several things:

• Colitis
• Anal gland infection 2 There is always a possibility that the cause of the appearance of red stool is also a cut on the the anus of the dog, which does not cause immediate concern.

  What to do: If you see red streaks in your dog’s stool, contact your veterinarian if this happens repeatedly.

  If your dog has stool that is pink or purple like jam, contact your veterinarian immediately. This may be a sign of severe gastroenteritis.

  Yellow stool in a dog is usually a sign of a food intolerance.

  What to do: If you have recently changed your dog’s diet or know that he has eaten something he shouldn’t, consider changing his diet. If you haven’t made any changes and don’t know why your dog has yellow stools, talk to your veterinarian.

  Orange stool may indicate that the dog’s digestive system is effectively getting rid of digested food ahead of time.

  Look at the liver or gallbladder. Bile breaks down food, turning stool brown.

  Green feces . The dog was eating grass again. But green stool can also be a sign of poisons or parasites.

  What to do: It all comes down to circumstances. You probably don’t have anything to worry about if you know your dog has eaten a lot of grass, but if other symptoms are showing, such as restlessness and vomiting, see your veterinarian.

  Black feces in a child – Life

  Black stools can be a symptom of serious diseases of the digestive system, but there are also non-dangerous reasons for such coloring of stools. It is also important to note that the black color for the baby’s stool immediately after birth is absolutely normal. This stool is called meconium.

  Harmless reasons
  

  Acquisition of black stool can be caused by the use of prunes, blueberries, dark grapes, blackberries, cherries, pomegranates, beets and other products.

  Some foods may turn stool black, this should not be a cause for concern

  Black grains
  

  If you notice inclusions of various forms of black color in the feces, then most often these are food residues that have not been digested in the children’s intestines. In the form of black dots with the feces of a child, fragments of the skin and seeds of grapes, currants, raspberries and other food can be excreted.

  Worms, threads, veins
  

  Black worm-like inclusions in the stool may result from eating bananas. Such inclusions are often perceived by adults as worms, but in reality there are no black worms (almost always they are white or yellowish worms).

  The use of bananas can cause black inclusions in the form of worms in the feces. Don’t worry, there are no black worms

  Iron preparations, activated charcoal
  

  Black stools are caused by drugs containing iron. These can be both iron preparations and vitamins or dietary supplements that include this element. In artificial children, mixtures with a large amount of iron can lead to black coloring of feces. Also, the stool of a child who was given activated charcoal takes on a black color.

  Drugs that can cause black stools also include anti-clotting drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs. By themselves, they do not change the color of the stool, but they can cause internal bleeding, manifested by black diarrhea.

  Serious causes
  

  One of the most dangerous causes of black stools is internal bleeding from one of the sections of the digestive tract. Discharge with such bleeding looks like black diarrhea. The blood that is secreted from the esophagus and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract changes color under the influence of intestinal bacteria and enzymes. Pathology is manifested not only by the black color of the stool, but also by dizziness, weakness, pallor.

  In case of black diarrhea in a child, do not hesitate and call a doctor

  With blood
  

  If your baby has black, bloody stools, this may be a symptom of some serious bowel disease (such as Crohn’s disease). With this type of feces, you must definitely call a doctor.

  After surgery
  

  Black stools in the postoperative period may indicate internal bleeding.

  Temperature and black-green
  

  These symptoms are characteristic of an intestinal infection and are also accompanied by nausea and abdominal pain.

  Gray
  

  This coloration of the feces often appears after the introduction of a new mixture in the diet of the artificial crumbs. Also, a grayish tint is characteristic of the stool of babies receiving undiluted cow’s milk. Some complementary foods and medicines can also cause this shade of feces.

  Gray color of feces is most often harmless and caused by introduction of complementary foods.

  Gray color of liquefied feces is characteristic of rotavirus infection, which, along with diarrhea, is manifested by fever, abdominal pain. In addition, a light gray color of feces is possible with pathologies of the liver and pancreas.

  What to do?
  

  Having noticed the darkening of the child’s feces, it is necessary to analyze what foods, medicines and drinks the baby has consumed in recent days.