Diarrhea is one of the most common illness seen on dogs nowadays. It’s the frequent loose or liquid bowel movements seen in your dog. There may be an odd smell, the presence of blood in stool and even straining during defecating. Diarrhea can simply be caused due to a sudden change of diet which is not dangerous and will stop within 24 hours.

Reasons

Other than the change in diet, it can be caused by a lot of other reasons. Ingestion of garbage or stained food, poisonous substance and foreign body (such as toys, plastic, etc) can cause diarrhea. Sometimes it might be an allergic reaction or may be due to bacterial or viral infection. Diarrhea can even be caused due to stress. In some dogs, diarrhea can be a symptom (kidney or liver disease). Diarrhea caused due to inappropriate ingestion (excluding poison) is less dangerous and can be treated within the home itself. In the other cases, you should consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. Diarrhea with vomiting is a real serious issue and you should consult a vet immediately as your dog may need a surgery.

Identifying the root cause of the problem is so important in the case of diarrhea. Sometimes it may be a symptom and in that case, you should treat the disease which causes diarrhea. One thing pet owners should note is that you should treat the reason rather than the disease.

What Can You Do At Home

First find out why diarrhea is happening to your dog. Did he eat some stain food or is there any change in diet or is he suffering from any serious disease.

Change in Diet

If diarrhea is caused by sudden diet change there is no need for you to worry as it can be treated yourself and if taken necessary precautions can be completely avoided. Always remember when changing your dog’s diet, there should be a 7 day transition period. Changing his food too quickly can cause diarrhea. Also, introduction of new food, which is allergic to dogs can also cause diarrhea. There are a number of foods (such as garlic, chocolate, cheese, etc) which are allergic to dogs and should be avoided at any cost. You should also avoid cheaper dog foods.

Treatment for this type of diarrhea is simple. Next 24 hours is so important for your dog and you shouldn’t give him any food in that period. You should provide him with plenty of water as there will be a chance of dehydration. A number of fluids leaving his body is really high and you should monitor your dog’s health until the diarrhea resolves. After 24 hours stick to a bland diet (soft, low in dietary fiber, cooked and not spicy type of foods) for few days even after the diarrhea is resolved. Further instructions regarding the bland diet will be mentioned further in the article.

Inappropriate indigestion

Diarrhea can occur if your dog consumes something its body cannot tolerate(such as garbage, stained food, table scraps, foreign substances, etc). Out of these, ingestion of foreign substances (plastic, toy, etc) are the most serious issues. You should immediately contact a vet in such a case. Sometimes a dog may eat nonfood items like dirt, clay, grass, etc which can cause diarrhea. It may be a symptom of other diseases (such as vitamin deficiency, diabetes, thyroid disease, etc). So contact the vet and identify the disease and take necessary actions.

Indigestion of garbage, stained food, etc is not a serious issue and can be treated at home. You should only worry about dehydration in your dog and he should be given plenty of water. Various home remedies to be taken will be given further below the article. If your dog consumes any poison, never waste any second and take him to a vet immediately.

Infections due to bacteria and viruses

Diarrhea caused by various bacterial and viral infections are one of the most severe cases. Usually, there will be vomiting and abdominal pain. The appetite will be weak and the dogs will be less active. The volume of diarrhea will be in larger volume and produced 3 to 6 times a day. Due to constant diarrhea and vomiting, the chances of dehydration is more. In this case consulting the veterinarian is the best solution and never miss any second.

In the above article, we have mentioned that some type of diarrhea can be treated at home.

Home remedies for diarrhea.

First 24 hours is crucial for your dog and you should avoid giving him food. Since a lot of fluids escape from his body during diarrhea, plenty of water should be given. After a day, he should be slowly introduced to the food. The amount of food should be small and number times to fed(4 to 5) needs to be increased. Your dog should be on a special bland diet.

• Selection of food items are so important and it should be generally soft, low in dietary fiber, should be cooked, rich in fiber, etc.
• You can use cooked white rice but make sure it had no butter or flavorings.
• Chicken can be used but it should be cooked really well and should contain no grease, skin or flavorings.
• Instead of chicken turkey can be used but again should match above specifications (no skin, flavorings, grease).
• The egg can be given but it should be boiled or scrambled and shouldn’t contain any butter or oil.
• Potato can be given but should be boiled or baked and no flavorings should be used.
• Adding ginger to the regular food can prevent diarrhea. You can add ginger to either beef or chicken broth. Ginger improves digestive health and assists in more effective bowel movements in your puppy.

Since a lot of liquids leaves during diarrhea, it’s best to avoid dry foods. You should feed your dog canned food and the moisture content will prevent him from dehydration.

You can give him canned pumpkin and  due to its taste the most dogs loves it. It’s easy for you to feed him. It’s high in moisture content and is high in fiber content and is a good option when your dog is suffering from diarrhea. You should only use pure canned pumpkin and avoid pumpkin pie filling which contains spice and sugar.

Below are two recipes of pumpkin to use as a blended diet for your dog.

Recipes using pumpkin & Yogurt

It’s a simple recipe and can be cooked using ordinary yogurt and a mashed pumpkin. Make sure you selects pumpkin without any additives.

Cut the pumpkin into two and remove the seeds and pulp should be scrapped off. Then cut them into smaller pieces and roast them well. Just mix the ordinary yogurt with the roasted pumpkin and the recipe is ready. You can now feed it to your dog.

Recipe using canned pumpkin, Chicken, Rice & Yogurt

It’s a special recipe to feed dogs suffering from diarrhea. It’s done by using rice, chicken, yogurt, and canned pumpkin.

Chicken should be boiled well without any flavors or skin. Pumpkin should be without seeds and pulp and should be roasted well. Rice with no flavorings should be used. Boil the water and mix roasted pumpkin and ordinary yogurt in it. Add rice and boiled chicken to it and mix thoroughly. Make sure it is fully cooked and give it to your dog.

Strictly follow the above diet and it’s best for dogs which are suffering from diarrhea. You should continue this diet at least for a week and you could see the improvements. The amount of food can be increased along each day and it should be continued until a formed stool is formed. Don’t change the bland diet abruptly and you should slowly introduce regular food into your dog’s diet. First provide a little amount of regular food along with the current diet. Slowly change your dog into his regular diet. At the end of it providing him plenty of the water is the best way of treatment. Dehydration is very serious in dogs and you should make sure he drink a lot of water. Chances of dehydration are very high for dogs during diarrhea and should keep an eye on him.

Prevention of Diarrhea

Always prevention is better than cure so you must take necessary prevention methods. One of the common cause is the sudden change in diet so you should slowly introduce your dog to a new diet. Finds out which type of foods are allergic to your dogs and should be avoided at any cost. Vaccinations and deworming schedule should be up to date. There should be no table leftovers for your dog to eat upon. Make sure your dog doesn’t eat trash or stained food. Things that are dangerous to dogs should be kept away from their reach. By being diligent and taking necessary precautions we can minimize the risk and impact of diarrhea.