What To Do If Your Dog Has Diarrhea But Acts Fine

Although fairly common, Diarrhea is never fun, and it’s always a symptom of something that’s not quite right with the intestinal tract. Your pup may act completely normal, but when your dog has a bout of diarrhea, your antenna should go up. Watch him closely to see if it’s a one-off or something that continues. If your dog has two or more episodes of diarrhea then it’s probably time to consult with your vet.

Is Your Dog Suffering From Chronic or Acute Diarrhea?

Dog with diarrhea.

Repeated bouts of diarrhea, over a short time, is called “chronic diarrhea” and may indicate a serious underlying health concern.  This is especially important if your dog is a puppy, a senior, or has a compromised immune system.  In this case, don’t hesitate to seek professional help from yourveterinarian or closest emergency animal hospital.

Isolated bouts of diarrhea are commonly caused by something introduced into your dog’s intestinal tract. Your pooch might eat or taste something smelly or half-rotten that he finds outside. In these cases, it’s not unusual for him to have a gastrointestinal/tummy upset. Most of the time, the symptoms will go away on their own and the stool will return to normal. But sometimes it may be necessary to get a vet’s input.

Dog Diarrhea Causes

Food allergies can lead to diarrhea in dogs.

Here are some of the possible culprits:

• Your dog eats something trashyand it upsets her tummy. Some vets refer to this as “garbage-gut.”
  
• Parasitescan easily get into your dog’s intestinal tract. They are commonly found in outside
  water or in animal stools.
  
• Food allergiescan cause stomach problems, even causing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• Abad reactionto a particular food item – especially a new dog food.To avoid an upsetto your dog’s tummy, try decreasing his current food slowly as you increase new food. A great visual is to imagine your dog’s food like a pie – equal slices.  Each day, swap one “piece” of the old for one new piece.
• Accidental poisoningcan occur when your dog gets into poisonous chemicals or foods.  You would be surprised at the potentiallytoxic itemsthat exist within your dog’s environment. Flowers and plants include bluebells, daffodils, ivy, honeysuckle, mistletoe, wild mushrooms. Add human medications and vitamins (especially Vitamin D), sunscreen and ice packs. Even silica gel packets found in moisture-sensitive goods can be toxic.
• Bacterial or viral infectionscan invade your dog’s system and keep him from absorbing nutrients.
• Ablockagecan happen when something gets lodged in your dog’s intestinal tract and causes diarrhea.
• Chronic illness, such as kidney, liver, stomach maladies or intestinal ulcers, colitis, and hormonal imbalances.
• Pancreatitis(inflammation of the pancreas).
• Drug side effectsfrom some canine medications.
• StressJust think about what happens to YOU when you have to speak in front of an audience!  Stress is an overlooked source of diarrhea. A difference in scheduling or longer owner absences can be a cause. An environmental change, whether it’s your pup’s living conditions or new companions…canine, feline or human! Stress results from the most unexpected circumstances.
  

When To Start Worrying About Your Dog’s Diarrhea

Monitor your dog. See your vet if recurrent bouts.

In most cases, a healthy dog that has diarrhea will have one “event” and then it’s over. If your dog seems fine afterward, simply keep a close watch to make sure the diarrhea ends without any further issues.

But if it continues, your dog may start showing other signs that things are not right. If your dog is small in size, old, or a puppy, he is more at risk of becoming dehydrated after several bouts of diarrhea. If your dog acts fine but the diarrhea continues in recurrent bouts, see the vet about it. Take along a fecal sample so the vet doesn’t have to extract it; your dog will need a  sample in order to determine if there is a bacterial or viral infection involved.

Even if he acts normally and doesn’t seem bothered, he may have an underlying condition that you should get checked by your veterinarian.

And if your dog is passing blood in the stool, the stool is yellow or green, or there is weakness or fatigue, along with the diarrhea, head straight to the vet.

What Can I Give My Dog For Diarrhea?

There are a few things you can do help your dog get back to normal. Make sure you consult with your vet before making major changes to your dog’s diet. If your dog has a medical condition that’s causing the diarrhea, the vet may have some specific treatments to recommend.

Fast for 12-24 hours.

If your dog’s diarrhea was caused by something she ate, this treatment gives your dog’s stomach a chance to rest. Then your pup will eliminate whatever bad stuff she ingested. Make sure you provide plenty of fresh water to prevent dehydration.

Bland diet.

After that brief fasting period, feed your dog foods that don’t have any upsetting ingredients. Examples are commercially available bland dog foods, or your own concoction ofboiled chicken or boiled ground beef.Be sure to remove all skin and fat cooking. Combine with cooked plain white rice, not brown rice. A good guideline for rice to meat is 2 to 1.  In other words, if you want to feed your dog one cup, it should contain 2/3 cup of white rice to 1/3 cup of boiled chicken or ground beef.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), “brown rice is never prescribed for dogshaving gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea.”Dr. Carly Fox, DVM, staff veterinarian at New York City’s Animal Medical Center, statesthat brown rice has a seed coat where the nutrients are stored, making brown rice harder for dogs to digest. The seed coat is missing from white rice. (Note that a change in diet can sometimes make the diarrhea come back, especially if a food allergy caused it in the first place). Offer the food slowly – divide the meal into four parts and feed your dog every 4-6 hours to avoid stomach upsets. If your dog’s stool improves, you can feed him two meals a day; keep that up until the stools are back to normal, then transition back to normal food.

Banixx Pet Shampoo

Introduce probiotics and fiber.

Talk to your vet about supplements that help generate healthy bacteria in your dog’s gut. There are several over-the-counter probiotics. Take a second look at your dog’s diet.  Fresh or canned pumpkin, (NOT pie filling) can do wonders for a dog that experiences too dry a stool (problem defecating) or too loose of a stool.  Read the product label to verify ingredients (only pumpkin-no added spices, sugars) Check our blog,Pumpkin-Super Food for Dogs.Pumpkin did wonders for our pup! Along with pumpkin, there are other natural ingredients that you can add to your dog’s diet for tummy upset or diarrhea. Cinnamon, for example, was recommended as early as 2700 BC for nausea and diarrhea.  Another not so common item is Carob; it’s great for calming the tummy and a cure for diarrhea.  Ginger too has healing properties including protecting the gastric system by supporting digestive enzyme activity.

Bathtime!

Along with the probiotics and fiber, you’ll likely need to give your dog a bath!Banixx Medicated Shampoois just the job for this.  It has no harsh detergents to dry out your pup’s skin, but, instead has sudsy surfactants that easily release any “accidents” from your dog’s hair.  Additionally, it contains moisturizing, replenishing marine collagen (the most pure collagen) that will leave your dog’s coat soft as silk and unbelievably shiny! Sometimes  your dog will just end up with a messy “behind” that doesn’t need a bath.  In this case, you’ll be able to simply clean him up using ourBanixx Pet Care.

Conclusion

To conclude, diarrhea is a common problem but not one that you should ignore. If it doesn’t go away quickly by itself and persists more than a few days – even if your dog “acts fine’ – get to the vet. And don’t wait around to go to the doc if you start to notice other symptoms, such as loss of appetite, energy or other “sick” behavior. Your dog’s health and life could be at stake!

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about taking care of other small pets by reading more of our blogs,such as rabbit care.Or if you have ever wondered about something more frivolous such ashow long can my dog go without peeingor, more seriously,what to do if your dog eats a grape.

Our blog posts aim to provide comprehensive, accurate, and objective information on all types of dogs, helping our readers make informed choices.  We advocate exploring adoption first when looking to add a new family member to the household.  Countless wonderful dogs, from all walks…mixed breeds and purebreds, await their forever homes in Shelters. Remember, with #AdoptDontShop, you can give a deserving Rescue a second chance at happiness.