Diarrhea is a very common affliction for dogs. Severity, frequency, and duration of the condition can fluctuate between patients. It typically goes away on its own, but persistent diarrhea in dogs may indicate a severe health issue.

We cover some of the many reasons that dogs experience diarrhea in this post, what to keep an eye out for as a symptom of something more serious, and when it’s time to call the doctor. We’ll also discuss the home remedies for dog diarrhea so you can start getting your pet back on the path to normal as quickly as you can.

Table of Contents:

• What is dog diarrhea?
• What causes diarrhea in dogs?
• Types of diarrhea in dogs
• What does different dog poop mean?
• Home remedies to stop dog diarrhea
• When to see the vet for dog diarrhea
• How to treat diarrhea in dogs
• Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

Pro Tip: In the event of intense diarrhea, do not wait to consult a vet. If you’re one of the lucky pet owners with a pet insurance plan, that can mean peace of mind about the cost of visiting the vet so your loved one gets the care they deserve.

What is dog diarrhea?

Diarrhea Loose, watery stools that occur more than three times in one day and are more than the patient considers normal. Diarrhea is not a separate disease but rather a specific symptom of several physical ailments.

What causes diarrhea in dogs?

Dogs have diarrhea because their digestive tract doesn’t have time to thaw out changing the bowels and giving them a flareup. Current and swelling intestine tissues lose the ability to retain water within the cell structure. That water then mixes with stools and it is excreted as the messy poop we know as diarrhea.

There are many things that can cause a bout of the runs, but the most frequent reasons for a dog to have diarrhea are:

Digestion of rotten food – Often dogs that eat anything (spoiled food on the ground or in the trash) develop what’s termed garbage gut. Garbage gut tends to be mild, with the classic symptom being an upset stomach. But possibly and depending upon what they eat, your pet could also get pancreatitis, a serious health issue which demands vet attention.

Eating certain human foods – Dogs have a vastly different system of digestion than we do. So difficult to digest for them are foods that are high in salts, sugar and fats and hence cause the fermentation of undigested food particles mostly smelt in form of gas. Before feeding your dog table scraps, be aware of food dogs can and can’t eat.

Consuming toxic foods – There are some food which are safe to be eaten by human but are poisonous for dogs like garlic, nuts and grapes. There are easily dozens of household plants that are toxic to dogs; ivy, honeysuckle and holly are just a few. Pharmaceutical, house cleaning products, ice packs, silica gel packs bulks for poisoning too. Toxicosis may lead to more than dog diarrhea – it may bring on liver failure. Rush to the vet right away in the event your pet ingests something harmful.

Swallowing something foreign – Dogs are known for eating things that were never meant to be eaten, from paper and socks to rocks, wrappers, and more. Some of these items can be ingested safely with no issues. But in some instances, they can cause a blockage in the intestine. If you believe your pet ingested something it shouldn’t have, keep an eye open for symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, projectile vomiting, decreased appetite, listlessness, constipation, and aggression when being touched.

Diet alteration– The diet is made for canines however, a sudden dietary change can lead to the onset of diarrhea. If you are transitioning your pet to a new food, attempt to do so gradually. Combine a little bit of the fresh food with their main diet and slowly increase the amount until they are getting recommended calories.

Intestinal Parasites – In dogs, parasitic infestations are extremely common, especially if your dog is near stagnant water, or in puddles or a creek, where giardia and other parasites live. These tiny microbes can infest a water dogs drink from, then property themselves in the intestinal lining. In these cases, poop may appear greasy, frothy, and may be coated in mucus. Your vet can suggest the most effective treatment to get rid of the parasite.

Viral and bacterial infections – such as canine distemper (in dogs) and puppy parvovirus are also contagious and can be fatal. Besides causing foul-smelling diarrhea, clinical signs can include vomiting, depression, fever and lack of appetite. Immediate veterinary care is required. Dogs can also get diarrhea from a bacterial infection from organisms such as Salmonella, which is found in raw and undercooked meats. Dogs become infected with the bacteria, in most cases, by direct exposure to infected dogs. With bacterial infections, you might see bloody diarrhea every two to four weeks.

Irritable bowel disease – This is a condition wherein the dog’s digestive system is constantly inflamed, IBD for short. Diarrhea is the most frequent sign of IBD in dogs.

Long-term diseases — Chronic conditions such as cancer, kidney failure or liver disease can cause diarrhea, too. Other potential warning signs for a serious health problem can include vomiting, weight loss, an arched body position, blood in the urine, poor appetite and lethargy. Heed these red flags the first time you see them.

Allergy – If your pet is allergic to something their body will attempt to eliminate the allergen(s) in many ways, diarrhea is one of the methods. Other signs of an allergic reaction to be on the lookout for include sneezing, runny eyes, chewing or licking paws, and itchy skin.

Medication – While, pet parents ought to always look out for adverse reactions of a medication, certain medications can cause your pet to have diarrhea more than others. Some drugs, including pain-relieving NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), include a binding agent in the manufacturing process. In fact, what typically causes a dog to have diarrhea is the “delivery agent” (i.e., binding material, all that milk sugar) rather than the product it was supposed to deliver.

Stress or trauma – This is one of the most common, yet unnoticed causes of diarrhea in dogs, which most pet parents are not aware of as they tend to think that stress is something that affects humans, not dogs. Your pup’s mental state (like yours) has an effect on how they feel physically, so in order to try and figure out what has been distressing your dog before the onset of diarrhea, try your best to go back and think of any potential stress factors. Their book also discusses the issues of travel anxiety and environmental changes.

There could be many things that might be causing why a dog has diarrhea, and that can make identifying the issue a bit tricky. Your veterinarian will probably question whether other symptoms are present and how long the condition has persisted in order to help determine which type of diarrhea they will need to treat.

Types of diarrhea in dogs

Acute or Chonic Diarrhea in Dogs

Acute diarrhea generally clears up on its own, but you should contact a vet if:

It maintained for over 48 hours,

There’s blood in your stool, or

Dog exhibits second symptom (vomiting, for example).

In contrast, chronic diarrhea is repetitive, recurrences or resistant to initial management. It’s most commonly from parasites, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, hyperthyroidism, chronic exposure to a food they are sensitive to, etc) Chronic dog diarrhea can cause weight loss, lethargy and a dry hair coat as well.

Canine diarrhea can be categorized according to where it originates as small-bowel or large-bowel diarrhea.

Small-bowel diarrhea originates from the small intestine and is associated with frothy, voluminous, and fatty stools that occur at a normal stool frequency. There’s typically no mucus, blood or straining either. Diseased or inflamed small intestines can also result in weight loss, excessive hunger and a poor hair coat.

Large-bowel diarrhoea originates from the colon or large intestine and is characterized by frequent, small stools, blood and/or mucous in the faeces, and are usually associated with straining to pass “droppings”. Blood in the pup’s stool is not always a cause for alarm but should you repeatedly see blood in the stools or if the amount of blood is large you will want to contact your veterinarian.

What different dog poop tells you?

You can tell a lot about your dog’s health by the color and consistency of its stool. The poop of a healthy dog is compact, looks like logs, and is chocolate brown in color. It’s when you produce more poop than you need or the extra poop is watery or contains blood or mucus that it’s outside the realm of “normal.”

The color can tell you quite a bit about what’s happening in your pup’s body. Gray, green or orange colored stools can indicate problems with some organs, such as the pancreas, liver or gallbladder. Black stools could be a sign of internal bleeding, something to be taken extremely seriously, and blue diarrhea could mean your doggy ate a toy or rat poison (a common variety is blue). If you see this, call your vet immediately, and take a stool sample with you if you can.

In addition to color, there are a few other factors you’ll want to keep your eye on when it comes to how often and what consistency your dog’s poop is:

Normal dogs defecate one to two times a day.

Normal stool is about the consistency of cookie dough.

Chalky and crumbly stools are also typical if your dog is on a raw food diet with a lot of bone.

If you see solid objects in your dog’s stoolm, you might be able to get an idea if they ate something that wasn’t digestible.

The rice-like objects can be a symptom of a tapeworm infection.

In general, dog diarrhea lasts one to three days without treatment. But sometimes, diarrhea can be a clinical indicator of a serious, even life-threatening, disease, like cancer or organ system failure. Plus, diarrhea from a mild illness can turn into something more serious if its not treated and it leads to dehydration.

Diarrhea in puppies

If your puppy has diarrhea, monitor them closely; it may be indicative of a serious health condition, including intestinal parasites, harmful bacteria, parvovirus. Be sure to contact your vet if your puppy’s stool contains blood, smells bad, is black and tarry, or his diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting, pain, loss of appetite, and/or fever.

Natural remedies to cure dog diarrhea at home

Common dog diarrhea (and accompanying tummy upset) can often be taken care of at home. Here’s what you can do to soothe your pet at home:

Fasting

Fasting. If your dog gets a case of out of nowhere diarrhea, fast them from food 12-24 hours and offer small amounts of water frequently. This may help identify the trigger that upset the system and to give the GI tract time to calm down. Before you decide to put your dog on a fast, make certain that it can withstand one. For example, puppies and elder dogs may not be able to boast a sufficient amount of physical stores and have to take in sufficient nutrients.

Probiotics

Probiotics are live micro-organisms that are good for the digestive system. They’re used to help treat and prevent a variety of health problems, including diarrhea. (Your vet can steer you to the right probiotics for your dog.)

Medication

Human over-the-counter (OTC) medicinesSome OTC medicines are safe for dogs to use for treating conditions like diarrhea, but you should be cautious and only give them if your specialist has advised this.

Diet

Both yogurt and fruit are benign in prectically all cases, as long as the dog isn’t allergic to a componentin these.Dogs eat their poop for many reasons such as a lack of nutrition, isnutrient-absorbing parasites living in their intestines, diarrhea, or they may have a crush or an infatuationon another dog owned by the same people as them. Once your dog’s diarrhea is in control, you can begin to introduce food slowly. Some of the best foods to feed are white or brown rice, and the water in which the rice is boiled, plain yogurt, canned pumpkin, cottage cheese, boiled chicken (skinned), eggs and some herbs like fennel. It’s also a mild way to continue to get your dog back to their regular diet. Just check that they’re low in sodium and not overly processed.

Certain companies also produce dog food specifically to ease stomach discomfort. (You may need to ask your veterinarian for those supplements.)

When to take your dog to the vet for diarrhea

If your dog’s health is good and the immune system is strong, home remedies are just fine to make use of to stem the tide of diarrhea, as long as things resolve in less than 48 hours. But here are some scenarios in which the vet visit is compulsory:

If the home remedies don’t work and diarrhea persists for more than three days;

If you dog displays other clinical signs like vomiting, weakness, lethargy, fever, dry or pale gums, etc;

If they are using medicines such as antibiotics;

If they are elderly or have certain conditions such as diabetes, cancer or Cushing’s disease.

When you visit the vet, they will begin by taking a health history for your dog, as well as asking you how long the diarrhea has been happening and what clinical signs you have observed. The vet may also inquire about the color of the stool and whether or not your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t have. This information will enable the vet to whittle down the list of tests they would like to run.

Some of the most common tests that vets may use to try to whittle down their list of possibilities are fecal flotation to look for intestinal parasites, Parvo tests, Giardia tests, CPL tests to test for pancreatic lipase, gram stains to look for specific types of bacteria in the intestines, complete blood count to evaluate for inflammation, protein loss, anemia or metabolic disease etc. Your vet may also recommend X-rays or ultrasound to check for signs of an obstruction, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, gallbladder disease, etc.

How to treat diarrhea in dogs

Your veterinarian will prescribe an appropriate treatment once a diagnosis has been determined.

Common anti-diarrhea medications such as Metronidazole and Tylosin also decrease intestinal inflammation that can lead to diarrhea.

Commonly used dewormers are Panacur, Dolpac and Drontal.

If your dog is vomiting or not eating, the vet may prescribe anti-nausea medication.

You may be given chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer-related diarrhea

Protect stomach lining and provide dog antacids to regulate the stomach pH together with antacids and stomach protectants.

A bland, hypoallergenic or high-energy diet may be prescribed as part of the treatment.

As a reminder, it’s always best to contact your vet whenever you have concerns about your dog’s health.

Pro Tip: Not all pups can be kept healthy without a little help from the vet. The best way to cover these costs is with pet insurance, which can protect your four-legged friend and your wallet.

What is the prognosis?

The prognosis for dogs will depend on the underlying cause of diarrhea and dog’s response to treatment. Mild cases of diarrhea in dogs usually resolve by themselves with proper care, but long-term or chronic diarrhea can be more serious and may require medication or diet management in order to keep the condition in check.

Key Takeaways

This condition is characterized by the passage of a liquid or loose stool. It is generally dietetic in origin.

In general, dog diarrhea isn’t something that will kill your dog or that they will have forever. There is not much you can do for your dog at home other than starving him for 12-24 hours and giving him a probiotic such as a jar of willchards, holistic select, or provet.

You will need to contact your vet immediately if the diarrhea is still happening or if your dog has other clinical signs such as vomiting, lethargy, blood in stool, and loss of appetite.