Dog Diarrhea: What to Do If Your Dog Has Diarrhea

Diarrhea is a condition that is more likely to occur in dogs. The owner will become very anxious when the dog looks uncomfortable, but most of the time you can calm down first. Diarrhea in dogs is not a serious problem, just because their large intestines move too fast, so that the food is not completely processed, resulting in excessive water content in the feces to be excreted, which causes diarrhea.

Usually when the dog’s gastrointestinal self-protection mechanism works, it may be due to diarrhea caused by eating the wrong food or catching cold. In mild cases, you can even solve it quickly by simple methods. When a dog has diarrhea, you should choose dog food according to the type and size of the dog, so that they can recover health and thrive as soon as possible.The following is to share with you the reasons why dogs keep having diarrhea and how to take care of them.

10 reasons why dogs keep having diarrhea

  1. Sudden change of feed
  2. Food poisoning
  3. Environmental changes
  4. Suffering from gastroenteritis
  5. Indigestion
  6. Feeding time
  7. Stress
  8. Parasites
  9. Drug poisoning
  10. Caused by cold

1. Sudden change of feed

It is a good habit to change the feed for the dog regularly, but you may not understand the many types of dog food on the market today, and the proportion of ingredients in them are also different. For dogs with sensitive stomachs, it is easy to cause diarrhea situation. For the dog to adapt to the change of feed, you can gradually increase the amount of new dog food when feeding, to prevent them from refusing to eat while reducing the possibility of diarrhea.

2. Food poisoning

In general, dogs eat food that is of poor quality, indigestible, or even contaminated, which can also cause them to have diarrhea and vomiting. Therefore, when feeding, we must also pay attention to which foods the dog will have an allergic reaction to. Because the ingredients that cause each dog’s allergies are different, you can use a small amount of feed first, and then observe for a while.

3. Environmental changes

Dogs entering an unfamiliar environment may cause them to become nervous, stressed, and have diarrhea. If you want to move, take them to the new home in advance and bring some familiar items to increase the sense of security.

4. Suffering from gastroenteritis

The early manifestation of dog gastroenteritis is also diarrhea, they will become anxious to walk back and forth or become listless and have no appetite. It is a more serious situation. At this time, you can choose to fasting and reduce the amount of water that can help the dog to reduce the burden on the stomach, and to send it to the doctor in time.

5. Indigestion

Dogs with indigestion can cause diarrhea due to poor gastrointestinal absorption capacity. It is recommended to take a small number of meals and improve the quality of food when feeding. They eat oily, salty, long-lasting, and irritating foods that can easily cause diarrhea.

6. Feeding time

It is also important whether to feed the dog at a fixed time, to prevent them from being full for a while and hungry for a while.

7. Stress

If the dog’s nerves are kept in a high degree of tension for a long time to produce excessive pressure, it will also be more likely to cause diarrhea and gastroenteritis.

8. Parasites

Parasites are usually infected by other feces when the dog is out for a walk. In general, loss of appetite, vomiting, and dull fur will occur. If blood is observed in the stool, it may be infected with parasites. This is also a more serious situation, and it must be sent to a doctor for examination in time.

9. Drug poisoning

Most human medicines are not suitable for dogs. If dogs accidentally take them, they may also cause diarrhea.

10. Caused by cold

Changes in the temperature of the outside weather or feeding raw and cold foods can easily lead to gastrointestinal disorders and diarrhea in dogs.

5 recommended ways to take care of dogs with diarrhea

  1. Fasting
  2. Replenish moisture
  3. Adjust the dog’s diet
  4. Deworming
  5. See a doctor promptly

1. Fasting

Fasting can reduce the gastrointestinal burden of dogs. Generally, adult dogs fast for 24 hours and puppies for 12 hours. The amount of water to drink is also appropriately restricted.

2. Replenish moisture

When fasting, you can feed the dog warm boiled water to add moisture to avoid dehydration, or use 500 ml of water with 20 grams of sugar and 2 grams of salt for it to drink.

3. Adjust the dog’s diet

Adjust your dog’s diet and feed some warm liquid foods that are good for digestion and high in nutrition, but avoid foods such as milk, raw and cold meat.

4. Deworming

Dogs who had gastrointestinal problems caused by parasites before and now have bloodshot stools should be sent to the doctor in time. In addition to the medicine given by the doctor, parasite medicine should be used regularly to avoid re-infection.

5. See a doctor promptly

Most diarrhea may resolve on its own within a day or two. If your dog has diarrhea for more than two days or has other serious problems, you need to take them to the doctor as soon as possible.

What can a dog eat when it has diarrhea?

Although you need to fast when you find that your dog has diarrhea, you should pay attention to their diet for a while after returning to normal. You should avoid feeding greasy food, you can feed it some liquid food such as white porridge, oatmeal porridge, etc. After observing that stool returns to normal for two or three days, you can resume feeding. After that, you can properly feed your dog some probiotics. Pet probiotics can help dogs strengthen the ability of their intestines to digest difficult foods.

How to prevent diarrhea in dogs

1. Avoid irregular feeding time

There is no fixed feeding time, which can easily cause uneven hunger and fullness in dogs. When they are too hungry, they are prone to overeating, leading to indigestion and gastroenteritis.

2. Strengthen resistance

Bring more dogs to exercise, eat less greasy food, and usually clean more can strengthen the resistance. Decreased resistance will be more likely to be infected with bacteria and weaken the intestinal capacity.

3. Maintain the balance of the digestive tract flora

Usually feeding some pet probiotics can maintain the balance of the digestive tract flora, and can also promote defecation and reduce allergic reactions and bad breath.

4. Strengthen the management of daily life

In his daily life, avoid giving your dog stale and inedible foods, such as chocolate, grapes, etc.

5. Clean feeding utensils

For dogs’ feeding utensils, you should clean them frequently to ensure hygiene, otherwise, a bacterial film will easily form on the surface and make their intestines worse.

6. Regular deworming in and out of their body

Deworming the dog inside and outside every 3-6 months can effectively avoid gastroenteritis caused by parasites.

Good care is taken in the early stages of diarrhea, and most of them can fully recover. However, diarrhea that exceeds two to three days requires standardized diet management or medication to control it. If there is no sign of recovery for three to four days, you should consult a professional veterinarian for diagnosis and examination as soon as possible.

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