Diarrhea in dogs: reasons and what to do

Does your dog have diarrhea? And you want to know how you end up with your dog’s diarrhea? Here you can find out what the excuse is, if your dog is seriously ill and what you should do.

Diarrhea, also known as diarrhea, is characterized by a pasty to liquid consistency in the stool. Defecation may occur frequently. Diarrhea in dogs is primarily a protective function of the body to quickly get rid of harmful substances. It can be caused by a change in diet or a serious illness or infection.

There is acute diarrhoea, in which the dog is usually in a bad mood in general, and chronic, in which the state in general can be undisturbed, except for a loss of weight that usually accompanies it. Harmless diarrhea in dogs usually only lasts a day or two and goes away on its own with the right diet. However, prolonged diarrhea can also be dangerous for the dog, both due to the loss of fluids and the lack of food intake.

Causes of diarrhea in dogs

There are so many possible causes that can promote diarrhea that it would be an extremely long list if we went through them all. However, here is a list of the main causes:

1. Nutrition

• Feed change – changing feed very quickly
• Foster intolerance is one of the most common causes of diarrhea
• Improper provisions since milk
• chemicals and medicines
• Provisions or leftover food contaminated with bacteria
• Poor quality feed with too many carbs

2. Gastrointestinal disease

parasites – Worms can irritate your dog’s gastrointestinal tract, causing diarrhea. In young puppies with insufficient deworming of the mother, diarrhea caused by parasites occurs more frequently. Giardia can also promote variable diarrhea.

infections – Bacterial and especially viral infections can also promote diarrhea. Particularly dangerous for puppies is parvovirus, an infectious viral disease that causes severe, often uncontrollable diarrhea. Unfortunately, many puppies with parvovirus die despite intensive care. Fortunately, it is possible to vaccinate against parvovirus.

Cancerimmunoreactive inflammation and pancreatitis (cancer in dogs)

bowel obstruction – Diarrhea can be caused by a foreign object or bone blocking your dog’s stomach tract. As long as the intestinal passage is not completely closed, the liquid components can still bypass the constriction and be excreted, so that a feeling of diarrhea may arise, although a complete intestinal obstruction is imminent, which may quickly become unavoidable.

3. Other causes

• Stress, impatience and excitement can also promote diarrhea in dogs.
• As an accompanying symptom of other organic problems and metabolic disorders
• Provisions or indigestible objects
• hormonal diseases

With some causes, the stools have a typical particularity (typical smell, appearance, evident), but unfortunately not all. In the case of chronic or recurrent diarrhea, more in-depth diagnoses are often needed.

What Dog Poop Says About Your Health

In general, it is recommended to consult a veterinarian instead of diagnosing your pet yourself. However, I would like to briefly explain a few things about dog poop to help you learn about the symptoms.

Content in dog feces

Yes, this is disgusting. But if you take a closer look at the poop, it’s a good way to see how the GI tract is working. You must confirm that the food is very digested. If you also feed your dog healthy, high-fiber vegetables, small pieces of vegetables can certainly occur. Anything else you can see doesn’t belong there. Thin, white spots, for example, could indicate worms.

The color

Your dog’s poop should always be chocolate brown in color. The color of the poop gives you a theory of what’s going on in the stomach tract. If the stool is black as pitch, then this could indicate bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Blood in the outer section of stool does not necessarily have to be associated with serious problems. The intestinal mucosa is very well supplied with blood and bleeds quite easily when irritated. However, bacteria can enter the systemic circulation through these small defects and promote further problems.

Blood in the stool can also indicate major bleeding in the intestinal tract and can have serious causes. Differentiation is often difficult. Therefore, do not wait if there is blood in the stool, but immediately go to the veterinarian!

Mucus in the stool indicates a stressed gut. Goblet cells in the gut attempt to protect the intestinal mucosa by increasing mucus formation. Stool discoloration can be caused by different foods, metabolic problems or even toxic substances.

the consistency

Your dog’s poop should always be quite soft, but firm and formed. Very hard stools can indicate constipation, while loose and watery stools indicate diarrhea and a host of other problems. Diet can often have a big impact on consistency. Therefore, you must be particularly scrupulous after changing your diet.

Especially in older, unneutered male dogs, a change in the shape of the stool can also indicate problems with the prostate. Enlarged prostate flattens the stool and can lead to difficulties in passing stool. The increase in size can be harmless with age, but it can also be triggered by more serious problems, such as a tumor.

Treating mild diarrhea in dogs

If at any time your dog has a fever, is very sluggish or bloated, has a large amount of blood in the stool, is black to pitch black in the stool, or is vomiting profusely, seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. But for those dealing with mild diarrhea, here are some tips that might help.

Most animals undergo a partial diet when suffering from a digestive illness. To calm the gastrointestinal tract, you must support it and offer less food in many small portions. You should pay attention to easily digestible foods.

With any type of diarrhea, your dog always needs a fresh shower! This is very important because he loses a lot of fluid through diarrhea. Even if the stool looks normal again after a short period of time, you should put your dog on a bland diet for about three days and slowly return to a normal feeding routine.

You can use rice as a bland diet and a small amount of baby food, or just use some chicken to get the protein you need. You can also offer your sweetheart the rice decoction rain as it still contains some electrolytes.

However, I should mention here that food intolerances, also known as allergies, often affect birds. Another option would be a mixture of rice, mesocarp with low fat text, such as steak tartar and cottage cheese with low fat text.

Dog has diarrhea: when to consult a veterinarian

If the diarrhea persists for more than three days, it’s time to take your dog to the vet. you should wait Noif your dog appears to be sick, he bloody diarrhea hat, often vomits, has lost a lot of fluid and is showing signs of dehydration show or he Fever receive raises.

Even with puppies, you shouldn’t wait and take them to the vet the same day. They hardly have reserves to gratify the loss of foodstuffs and liquids. If you are unsure whether or not a vet visit is necessary, please do not hesitate to contact your vet. This text was written by veterinarian Dr. Berit Ullmann revised.

You might also be interested in these topics about dogs: