Home treatment is the best course of action for a dog with mild diarrhea that is still eating, drinking and feeling fine. For the first 24-48 hours, feed your dog a bland diet. This would include white rice and boiled, skinless, boneless chicken breast. When using this method, it is recommended that you implement small feedings every two to four hours. This will allow the intestines time to return to a normal balance. Upon the resolving of the diarrhea, you can then begin re-introducing normal food in small amounts. However, if the diarrhea does not resolve or it returns after re-introducing your dogs normal food, this is an indication that a visit to the veterinarian is necessary.
Simple diarrhea in dogs is usually treated in several ways.
The first method is by antibiotics. Metronidazole is the most frequently used. This antibiotic helps remove any abnormal bacteria.
Oftentimes, medications such as Kaolin and Pectin are given in conjunction with Metronidazole. Together, these medications work quickly to both stop diarrhea as well as firm the stool.
In some cases, Probiotics may be used in order to restore the balance of good bacteria in the intestines. There are several versions of which some are used to stop diarrhea and others are solely for prevention.
Another option is bland food. Giving your dog white rice and boiled chicken allows the intestines to calm down and readjust to a normal balance.
It is imperative that you do not try to cure your dog with over the counter human medications such as Kaopectate, Immodium or Pepto-Bismol without your veterinarians permission. In general, diarrhea will resolve itself in a few days. However, if it doesn’t, a re-visit to the veterinarian is needed in order to perform new tests as well as explore other treatment options. A detailed video is available below which explains the treatment of simple diarrhea.
Furthermore, if your dog displays bloody or tar like stools, other symptoms, or is just not feeling well it is very important that you seek the assistance of a veterinarian immediately. Dogs that may have other systemic illness will begin to get worse more rapidly without professional care.
Prevention
Listed below are several ways you can prevent your dog from having diarrhea:
Keep trash, human food, and medications locked up and out of reach of your dog.
Do not allow your dog to partake in human food or table scraps.
Always supervise your dog while he/she is outside in order to make sure they are not eating something they shouldn’t.
If a change must be made to your dogs regular diet, be sure to do it gradually. This can be accomplished by simply mixing a little of the new food with the old. Gradually increase the amount of new food until that is all your dog is eating. By doing this, you allow your dogs intestines to become slowly adjusted to this new introduction. For most dogs a period of about seven days is all that is needed, however some dogs may require longer.
If you take your dog to board or stay with someone else, take your own dog food.
Deworm your dog every month. Most heartworm preventives will also deworm a dog.
This article is meant to provide general information. It is in no way meant to replace a visit to a trained veterinarian.
An experience veterinarian with great passion for writing, Heather Fox loves to share her knowledge about Dog Diseases Symptoms with fellow pet lovers. You can find more of her lessons including Atopic Dermatitis in Dogs on Clivir.com.
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