what do I do if my dog has diarrhea?

Answer 1

Hi there I am a Veterinarian Technician and hope to help!! I am sorry to hear about your sick pup! Unfortunately, at one time or another every dog will have diarrhea. What I would recommend is to collect a same of the diarrhea and bring it into your Vet tomorrow for a fecal exam for parasites. This should cost you about $16 and only takes about 20 minutes (a "normal" solid fecal takes 10 minutes, any loose stool should be run for 20). That way you can rule out any intestinal parasites. Most likely even if your dog does not have any parasites your Vet will prescribe Metronidazole which will help to get rid of the diarrhea.

In the mean time (I know it is Sunday and you probably cannot get to your Vet until tomorrow) I would advise you to fast your dog for a full 24 hours. Your dog needs a full 24 hours of no food to rid the body of the diarrhea. No food, no bones, no treats, no toys from which pieces can be swallowed. HOWEVER, offer plenty of cold water (frequently!) to keep your dog hydrated.

Once you have fasted your dog for the full 24 hours then you should feed a bland diet. You can either purchase i/d prescription food from your Vet, or (if you don't mind cooking!) you can boil either chicken and rice or hamberg and rice. It is very important that you rinse off all the fat before boiling and please do not add seasoning or anything extra (that will cause diarrhea! you want to keep it as "bland" as possible! Trust me, I have seen everything!).

You are going to feed small frequent meals of the bland diet. About 1/3 of a cup 6 times daily. Again, make sure your baby is drinking plenty of water. I still would limit any bones (especially rawhides or anything similar) so you give your dogs stomach a little rest.

Feed the bland diet until your dog has a solid stool (if you are feeding the bland diet while giving your dog Metronidazole- do not expect any bowel movements for 3-7 days! So, don't panic if your dog does not poop for several days. That is to be expected on the prescription.). IF you are still seeing diarrhea on the bland diet then it is even more important to bring a fecal sample into the Vet (if you haven't done so already).

Please do not give your dog Pepto unless YOUR Vet directs you to. It actually isn't recommended for any animal, nevermind dogs. At our clinic we never use Pepto because sometimes it does more harm then good :(

Here are some questions your Vet is going to want to know:
1) When did the diarrhea start?
2) Did you change anything in his/her diet? ie- new food, new bone, new treats, etc.
3) Did he/she get into something he/she should not have?
4) On heartworm prevention year round?
5) Any vomiting?
6) Eating/drinking/acting like normal?
7) And of course they are going to want to see the fecal sample!

Hope this helps!! Let me know how he/she is doing and if I can help you more.

Answer 2

There are many reasons a dog might have diarrhea. The first thing to do is to with hold food, but not water, for 24 hours. Call your Vet and have his recommend Kaopectate or Pepto-Bismol. Don't give this without a vets instructions since the dosage depends on the size and age of your dog. There are more serious causes of diarrhea such as Coccidia and Giardia, and worms. Any intestinal upset needs prompt attention.

Answer 3

This is a common problem among pet owners. Sometimes people change their pet's diet and this can cause diarrhea. Make sure to put your dog on a food that is a little more expensive because the ingredients they use are better for the dog. Also, do not change their food often. Once you are changing to a new food, make sure to gradually do it. Start with 25% new food, 75% old food and slowly day after day adjust your pets diet. Changing food quickly can cause major stomach problems.
If keeping your dog's diet regulated doesn't help, see a vet!

Answer 4

It almost sounds as though they are both re-acting to a poison in the immediate environment. Does the 'diarrhea dog' (sorry) have a flea collar, or flea ointment patch or had a flea dip recently? He could be reacting to the insecticide, and your second dog could also be having a similar reaction. (If you have flea problems, try feeding a couple brewer's yeast tablets to your dogs - the fleas don't like the taste of the blood that brewer's yeast creates. Works for cats too. Never use topical pesticides on your animals!!) Is there something in the kennel that you use for bedding, or cleaning? If nothing obvious comes to mind from the above suggestions, get your animals to a vet immediately. It really does sound like a poisoning of some kind.

Answer 5

If it is JUST diarrhoea (i.e. no vomiting, not eating or other symptoms) and as long as there is no blood in it and it isn't pure liquid, you can try a bland diet for 48 hours. By this I mean just skinned, plain cooked chicken and plain boiled rice. If there is absolutely no improvement, you do need to go to a vet. This method only works if it is a little 'stomach upset' if there is a bacterial infection or any other problem, it won't help and the dog will have to go to a vet.

In the meantime, find out where your nearest emergency vet is in case the dog takes a turn for the worse and you need help immediately.

Chalice

Answer 6

As first aid you can give your dog tablets of medical coal. Then give your pet a diet of boiled rice and chicken ( without bones)! I contradict the opinion, that the dog may not drink water! If your pet suffers at diarrhea, you've to take care, that your dog not dehydrate!

Answer 7

Cut down on treats that may have caused diarrhea.

Feed white cooked rice with regular dog food. \

Watch for other problems and take to the vet if it doesn't go away in a day or the dog is acting sick.

Answer 8

Dogs can be given a dose of Pepto Bismol every 6 hours. (Dosage depends on your dog's weight: 1 ml per lb.) I found that it's easier to give them the chewable tablets than the liquid Pepto Bismol.

Answer 9

Well you can give your dog pepto bismol just follow the doseing instructions for the weight

Answer 10

it jus have to go through dat stage and sometimes you may have to check kind of food its taking in to consideration