Dog Diarrhea

Symptoms

Just like human diarrhea, dog diarrhea or gastrointestinal upset can be easily diagnosed. Your dog is having diarrhea if it has loose stools more than three times a day. Mild diarrhea can be cured quickly with simple treatments at home. However, unstoppable diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and other harmful effects to your dog, and it may be a sign of other critical illnesses like organ system failure or cancer. If you are concerned about your dog's abnormal diarrhea, don't hesitate and take him to the vet immediately. The key to judging whether diarrhea is serious is to watch out your pup's condition. If he is still energetic and plays around, then normally it's not a big deal.

Causes

There are different possible reasons for a dog to have diarrhea. We cannot list everything down here, but some most common ones. For acute diarrhea, reasons vary. Diarrhea can be caused by the infections of the virus or bacteria; it can result from a suddenly changed or unclean diet; it can also be led by a high level of anxiety or stress. For chronic diarrhea, it can be caused by different types of parasites, dietary allergies, or some more severe diseases like cancer, IBS or IBD. Your dogs are more likely to have diarrhea if they are puppies, senior dogs, or already be diagnosed with other diseases. Make sure to keep an eye on your dogs to prevent dehydration due to diarrhea.

Treatments

There are a bunch of things you can do to help your furry friend when he or she is having diarrhea. Treatments for dogs are not the same due to their own situations. For healthy adult dogs, you may take a conservative treatment after consulting with your vet. You can withhold all food for 12 hours to let your pup's stomach have a rest. But this treatment cannot apply to puppies, senior dogs, weak dogs, or dogs with other preexisting illnesses. Make sure you always provide enough water to your dog. Remember, the most direct consequence of diarrhea is dehydration. What's more, an easy digest meal plan is necessary for your dog to heal. Try a small amount of home-cooked plain meals for your pup. White-meat chicken and white rice are good choices to replace regular dry dog foods.

Prevention

You may notice that dogs like to put everything into their mouth, thus it seems impossible to prevent diarrhea. However, there still are some strategies we can follow to reduce their likelihood of having diarrhea. First, never suddenly introduce a new food to your pups. Any new treats without testing can be a potential cause of diarrhea. Second, be aware of the common diarrhea foods for dogs, such as milk, dairy, and some fatty foods.