My Dog Has Diarrhea

Well, dogs often get diarrhea and that is why it is not a reason to worry when noticed. A change in diet could possibly be a cause. However, a worse condition persisting past two days to a week should be a good reason enough to seek answers to the condition. The effects of diarrhea are universal, whether in animals or in human beings. Expect your dog to dehydrate a lot. A veterinary officer could be of great help to save your dog from a worse diarrhea condition. 

Common diarrhea causes in your dog could be:

• Spoilt or rotten food

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Intolerance of food

• A changed diet

• Colitis

• Stress

• Reaction against allergies

• Food poison

• Foreign bodies in the stomach – plastics, rubber

• Infection by a bacteria or virus

• Hemmorhagic gastroenteritis

• Parasites inside the dog’s body such as roundworms etc.

• Some dog medications

• Liver/kidney disease

• Digestive tract cancer

When a dog is suffering from diarrhea, it may show several signs. The dog may have difficulties while defecating. Other signs may include watery stools, unusual smell, bloody stool or with mucous. Some diarrhea in dogs may die out on their own. However, others would require serious treatment like conducting a surgery.    

Serious diarrhea conditions like blood in the stool accompanied by acute pain and straining is a dangerous situation for your dog. This is in particular for the small dogs. When your dog does both vomiting and diarrhea, there can be obstruction in the intestines calling for a surgical operation.

Examine the stool

When your dog has diarrhea, the first step required is to analyze your dog’s stool. This can be done easily using plastic bags to carefully examine the stool from your hands. After that, you can consult a vet officer if necessary.

There are important things to look for in the stool sample. Checks can be done for softness, color and uniformity, appearance, presence of mucus or blood and foreign bodies in the stool among others. This is a list of checks that the vet officer would be interested to know about your dog. You may also be required to carry a stool sample with you to the vet officer.

Check for vomiting

A mild diarrhea situation void of vomiting can be addressed by:

• Making sure that the dog does not dehydrate. Let your dog take a lot of water without food for about twelve hours.

• Small meals can be introduced before a full diet is given. Usually, samples of rice accompanied by white fish or chicken can help your dog have a more formed stool before getting to normal eating.  

For a dog that is vomiting slightly:

• The dog should be given small water portions on an hourly basis. Restrict it to water without food for about ten hours.

• Introduce the normal diet when vomiting stops.

• If the situation worsens, a vet officer would be useful.

Dog’s Plain Mash

What you need:

• Shredded boiled chicken

• White rice

• About a cup of warm water

Instructions:

1. Boil the chicken and cook the white rice. Take the boiled chicken and shred it.

2. With half a cup of water, mix the shredded chicken and rice thoroughly. Use this food to replace your dog’s normal meal.

3. This can be done in small samples all day long to help them handle with ease. The quantities to be given depend on the size of the dog.

Dog’s Sweetened Mash

What you need:

• Two-tablespoons of ordinary yoghurt

• 1/4 portion of mashed pumpkin without additives 

Instructions:

1. Cut the pumpkin into two. Scrape off the pulp and seeds in the pumpkin. Divide it into smaller pieces and use a baking sheet to roast them in an oven at 350^oC for 45 minutes.

2. Peel of the skins using a knife and mash the cooked pumpkin. Mix the ordinary yoghurt portion with the mashed pumpkin.

3. You should feed your dog this food before you can gradually introduce normal food in a few days’ time.

Dog’s Mish-Mash Squash

What you need:

• 0.25-0.5 cup of purely canned pumpkin

• 1/2 a cup of white rice

• At least 1 table spoon of ordinary yoghurt without flavor

• Natural boiled chicken without salt

• ¼ cup of warm water

Please note that these food portions are for a small puppy, a bigger dog would obviously need more.

Instructions:

1. Boil the chicken. Take a well cut pumpkin without seeds, then pulp and roast it in an oven to 350^oC for about 45 minutes. Mash the pumpkin.

2. Use the warm water to thoroughly mix the portion of pumpkin with the yoghurt. Add the rice, then the chicken in the mixture and squash it thoroughly.

3. This food should be given to your dog until its situation is addressed.

If you are not sure about the condition of your dog, it is always important to contact your veterinary officer. Instead of assessing the situation all by yourself, your vet can help you evaluate the severity of your dog’s diarrhea. It is important that you have answers to some questions he may ask like when it started, how many it has had, the appearance of the stool and if the dog shows signs of pain. Please mind not to place your dog under medication without your vet’s advice. If your dog shows the following signs, call your vet.

• Vomiting

• Tarry, black or bloody stools

• When a small puppy diarrheas before undergoing all vaccinations

• When there is a likelihood the dog has taken poison

• Depression or fever

• Unusual yellow or pale gums

• Pain