Our dogs are not that different from us and can often suffer the same ailments that plague humans, such as diarrhea, but luckily there is a dog diarrhea home remedy to suit every situation. The treatment you choose to administer will largely depend on how severe the diarrhea is that your dog is suffering from and what the underlying cause is.
Diarrhea in dogs is usually classified as the passing of loose or runny stool that your dog excretes more frequently than they usually would. As surprising as it may be, diarrhea in dogs is a common problem, and as such, it’s essential to learn how you can combat this issue when it arises. This article will look at the causes, symptoms, and various home remedies you can utilize to help your dog during this unpleasant experience.
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What Are The Causes of Dog Diarrhea?
When we discover our dog has diarrhea, we likely will want to learn how to cure dog diarrhea fast. However, it’s essential first to identify what type of diarrhea it is and what is causing it, as this will alert you to if there is potentially a serious underlying issue. Once we identify the cause, we can often utilize home remedies for dog diarrhea or undertake other dog diarrhea treatment options that a vet might advise. In the case of dogs, large intestinal and small intestinal diarrhea have different causes.
Small Intestinal Dog Diarrhea Causes
- Intestinal tumors. (Usually is only the cause of diarrhea in older dogs.)
- Giardia and worms. (This is usually a cause of diarrhea in younger dogs.)
- Food allergies or a change in diet. (Look for other symptoms in conjunction with diarrhea, such as vomiting and rashes.)
- Toxins such as lead and harmful insecticides and pesticides can be the cause of your dog’s diarrhea.
- Foreign objects that your dog could have swallowed, such as bones, rocks, and sticks.
- Your dog could be suffering from diarrhea due to bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter.
- Canine coronavirus, canine parvovirus, and canine distemper can also cause excessive diarrhea.
Large Intestine Dog Diarrhea Causes
- In some cases, it could be colon cancer.
- As with humans, it could be due to inflammatory bowel disease.
- Your dog could have colonic ulcers.
- Whipworms.
- Stress, especially if your dog is easily excitable.
How to Interpret Your Dog’s Stool?
By examining and interpreting your dog’s stool, you can discover a lot about what is the underlying cause of your dog’s diarrhea. In particular, the color and consistency will likely reveal to you the reason. The quicker you examine and interpret the stool, the faster you can look into how to stop diarrhea in dogs. Remember to make sure that you monitor how long your dog is suffering from diarrhea because should the issue persist, you will have to contact your vet and make an appointment.
According to experts, the perfect dog poop should be a chocolate brown color. It should also be shaped like logs and be compact. When touching it, it should have cookie dough or play dough consistency. Additionally, you can identify diarrhea and how severe it is by examining your dog’s poop. Your dog is likely suffering from a mild form of diarrhea if the animal is frequently pooping and the waste has some texture but no defined shape. If the poop is watery, has no texture, and appears as flat puddles, then your dog’s diarrhea could be severe.
What Are The Symptoms of Dog Diarrhea?
With large intestinal diarrhea, your dog is unlikely to lose weight or vomit. An underlying disease could be the cause of large intestinal diarrhea when your dog is passing small amounts of stool more than five times a day.
If your dog is suffering from small intestinal diarrhea, they are likely passing large amounts of stool with a slight increase in the frequency of between three to five times daily. You can also look out for vomiting and weight loss, as well as gas noises in the belly region of your pet. Below are a few additional symptoms that some dogs experience with diarrhea, requiring a vet visit.
- Weakness.
- Lethargy.
- Pain in the abdominal region.
- Blood present in the dog’s diarrhea.
- Your dog is vomiting and has a fever with a rectal temperature of more than 103.5F.
What Are Some Dog Diarrhea Treatments?
In most instances, you won’t need a visit to the vet as instead, you can administer a dog diarrhea treatment at home. There are many natural remedies for dog diarrhea that could save you time and money. Let’s have a look at a few home remedies you can utilize to get your dog healthy again.
CBD Oil
When looking for a dog diarrhea remedy, your mind may not immediately zero in on CBD oil. The truth is that CBD oil has proven to be a natural aid for dog diarrhea, with many pet owners satisfied with CBD oil treatment. Certain companies such as Penelope’s Bloom offer various CBD products that could assist in righting your pet’s digestive system. CBD oil reduces the anxiety your pet feels, and this helps to combat the bout of diarrhea that your pet could be experiencing. Organic CBD oil and treats also aid in pain management, which is especially useful if your dog is experiencing painful symptoms combined with the bout of diarrhea that the animal is experiencing.
It’s vitally important to use CBD products that are safe, and as such, it’s best to consider choosing a product supplier like Penelope’s Bloom. With them, you can trust that you have a quality product that works and is safe for your dog to use.
Rest
An excellent home remedy for dog diarrhea that isn’t going to cost you anything is to put your dog on a food fast to rest their stomach. Most vets recommend that you put your dog on a food fast for twelve to twenty-four hours and only provide small amounts of water. Often this will clear up the cause of the diarrhea and allow your dog’s gastrointestinal tract to settle long enough to recover from the sickness. However, note that you shouldn’t place an unhealthy dog on a fast as this can cause more health problems to arise; this is especially the case with puppies and older dogs. Should your dog continue to experience diarrhea, there may be a more concerning cause at hand.
Hydration
Diarrhea can cause your dog to experience dehydration, so you must keep them hydrated during this period. Make sure your dog has unhindered access to water at all times but be careful not to provide too much water. To maintain an electrolyte balance, you can give your animal an unflavoured Pedialyte. Additionally, you can also give your dog chicken broth or bone broth in the place of water but make sure that it is low in sodium as high salt concentrations can increase thirst levels.
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To find out more on how CBD tinctures and treats can help settle your dog’s stomach, you can have a look at Penelope’s Bloom’s website for more information.
Bland Diet
You will want to reintroduce food after your dog’s fast slowly. Only give bland food as it is unlikely to upset their stomachs or reinitiate the bout of diarrhea. You could opt to use a few options, but it is best to start with a binder that will bind your dog’s stomach and provide some resistance against a loose bowel. It’s often best to put your dog on a rice water diet or plain rice, and from there, you can progress to more palatable food items as their stomach continues to settle. If they refuse the rice water, you can add a dash of baby food or broth to make it more appetizing.
Yogurt
Yogurt is rich in bacteria, and these bacteria will be beneficial for your dog. The bacteria will promote healthy gut bacteria growth and help restore your dog’s gut balance while your dog is experiencing diarrhea and afterward. Should your dog tolerate milk and dairy products, yogurt is an excellent home remedy for diarrhea in dogs. Don’t use yogurt with sugar in it; you will want to use plain yogurt instead as this type is the healthiest choice and has the most beneficial bacteria in it. With the yogurt, you can also add a probiotic, which will boat the production of good bacteria in your dog’s gut.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a fiber-rich food, and because of this, it can help your dog get over their diarrhea affliction. What pumpkin does is add bulk to your dog’s stool by absorbing water. When the pumpkin fiber ferments in the gut, it will produce fatty acids that provide energy to cells. This energy will, in turn, stimulate intestinal water and sodium absorption, which aids in lowering the PH level in your dog’s large intestine. Canned pumpkin is usually available throughout the year, so you shouldn’t have any issue acquiring this home remedy to help in the recovery of your pet. Remember only to feed your dog plain pumpkin; otherwise, you could cause another tummy upset or worsen the current one.
When to Call the Vet
When to call a vet will largely depend on what is normal for your dog. Some dogs are more prone to digestive disorders and frequent bouts of diarrhea than others. However, there are a few instances that you should note that could require a necessary visit to the vet should your dog be experiencing a severe case of diarrhea.
- If your dog is on any form of medication like antibiotics, you should consider calling the vet.
- If you have a feeling that things don’t seem right.
- Dehydration.
- Pre-existing conditions, such as colon cancer or diabetes.
- Physical symptoms, as mentioned previously, like vomiting, lethargy, or general weakness.
- Should the diarrhea not stop or show any signs of slowing down, it would be best to make an appointment with the vet.
You can contact Penelope’s Bloom for products that can aid in the recovery of your dog’s diarrhea experience.
Bottom Line
At some stage in a dog’s lifetime, there is a high likelihood that they will experience diarrhea. That’s why it’s essential to be informed on what home remedies you can use during the unfortunate eventuality. It is also crucial to know what to look for and how to identify the severity of the bout of diarrhea your dog is suffering. After reading this article, you hopefully will have a better understanding of what causes dogs to experience diarrhea and how you can help make this difficult time for them more bearable.
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