Humans can experience diarrhea and it can also happen to your fur baby, you may not be able to totally prevent diarrhea but it is very important for you as a fur parent to understand why your dogs have diarrhea and also know how to respond to it.
What is Diarrhea in Dog
Diarrhea in dog is characterized by the passing of watery or very soft stool that may also be accompanied by vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, lethargy, and other health problems. It is a common cause of pain or suffering to your fur baby especially if not attended properly.
Symptoms of Diarrhea in Dog
- Watery or very loose stools
- Flatulence
- Mucus in the stool
- Straining when defecating
- Lethargy
- Dehydration
- Fever
- Malaise
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Vomiting
- Listlessness
- Depression
- Abdominal pain
- An abnormally large volume of feces
- Frequency of defecation increases (2–4 times per day)
- Black, tarry stool
- An abnormally smaller volume of feces
- Bright, red blood in the feces and mucus
- Gaseous sounds from the gut
Causes of Diarrhea in Dog
There are many causes why a dog may develop watery or very soft stool, depending on their diarrhea (Acute diarrhea or Chronic diarrhea) below is the list of common causes or reasons for diarrhea in Dogs:
- Dietary indiscretion
- Change in diet
- Food intolerance
- Allergies
- Stress or emotional upset
- Parasites
- Poisonous substances or plants
- Swallowing an indigestible foreign body
- Infections with common viruses
- Illnesses
- Antibiotics and other medications
- Bacterial infections
Diarrhea is not considered to be normal especially if it occurs occasionally, it is a health issue that needs to be discussed with your veterinarian.
Prevention
Diarrhea cannot be prevented totally to occur but there are several ways to reduce its occurrence in dogs:
- Do not suddenly change your dog’s diet – if you are going to change your dog food do it gradually, you can mix the new food little by little to your old dog food until the amount of new dog food is greater than the old one.
- Do not let your dog play with small objects that could be swallowed – most dog eats whatever food or objects they can bite, make sure all small objects that might swallow your dog and can cause indigestion is not reachable of your dog.
- Do not give your dog bones as toys – chicken bone or any kind or type of bone might cause stomach pain or indigestion to your dog if eaten. The firm, rubber chew toys are a better choice as substitute toys for bones.
- Do not allow your dog to scavenge – dogs love to search and collect from discarded waste and sometimes they eat whatever looks edible for them, this might cause diarrhea and worse health problems to them.
- Do not feed your dog table scraps – not all human foods are safe for dogs so don’t feed them table scraps.
- Always keep your dog up-to-date with deworming and vaccinations – Vaccination is an important step in preventing our fur babies to get serious diseases, viruses, and other health problems and Deworming eliminates the presence of any worms found internally
Treatment
On and off diarrhea is considered a health issue and needs medical attention, if you notice your dog have diarrhea for more than a week or two consult your veterinarian, it is better to bring a sample of your dog stool to check for intestinal parasites. Your vet will also run some tests like X-ray, and blood testing, and from its result, your vet will give proper medications and supplements to your dog, some vet will advise dietary changes to your dog too.