When to Worry About Dog Diarrhea & How to Treat It

Does your dog have diarrhea? it's every pet parent nightmare but the fact of the matter is it happens from time to time so let's talk about how to treat it. I'm Dr. Yvette Huizar and this is Brody. in simple terms diarrhea is caused by something that hinders their intestine ability to absorb or secrete water common causes include dietary indiscretion like getting into table scraps garbage or toys intestinal parasites or infections or toxins can also cause diarrhea and even allergies and inflammatory bowel disease first you want to assess your dog to look for signs that they may require immediate medical attention things to look out for are black tar stool or a stool with copious amounts of fresh bright red blood loss of appetite lethargy vomiting and signs of abdominal pain blow groaning or rapid panting are all signs that you need to get them to a veterinarian as soon as possible if if they aren't showing any of these signs you can try treating a mild case of diarrhea at home historically it's been recommended to fast your pet when they have diarrhea but this can be dangerous for puppies senior dogs and animals with underlying metabolic diseases start by feeding your pet a low fat bland diet prescription diets are best because they are nutritionally balanced for your dog an at home diet can consist of boiled chicken and rice or you can substitute the protein for lean ground turkey and the rice with boiled white potato offer small portions every 4 to 6 hours you may feed the diet for 3 to 5 days and then gradually transition them to their regular diet if their symptoms have resolved if they have not improved it's time to take them to the veterinarian probiotics are really effective in treating diarrhea as well probiotics are living bacterial cultures intended to assist the body's naturally occurring gut Flora in reestablishing themselves they may also help speed recovery of diarrhea probiotics are administered based on the instructions on the label some are daily others are more frequent talk to your veterinarian about which ones they recommend to make sure you're giving your pet an effective and safe product I stay away from over-the-counter products for diarrhea since mild cases are generally self-limiting if your dog's case of diarrhea lasts longer than 48 hours you should bring them to the vet ongoing diarrhea can cause dehydration irritate their skin and can be a sign of a more concerning problem if you have a senior dog with pre-existing conditions please go to the vet if they start to have diarrhea dealing with dog diarrhea is never fun but pretty much all pups go through it now and then hopefully these tips can help your pup feel better and help you feel a little less stressed thanks for watching and see you next time good boy buddy