SYMPTOM: Canine DiarrheaLet's face it, canine diarrhea isn't fun for any of us! Diarrhea is an extremely common reason for pet owners to visit the vet.And, unfortunately, it can be caused by many, many different things.
The Most Common Causes of Diarrhea..... Some of the causes of canine diarrhea are minor and easily treated, while others can be very major indeed. For instance, stress alone can cause a very nasty diarrhea. Many of you right now are thinking "My dog has themost stress-free life I could imagine...", but what you consider to be stressful and what your dog considers to be stressful are likely 2 different things. It's probably not stressful to you at all if there is construction going on down the street, or if a car backfires in front of your house, or if a friend you've not seen in a long time comes to pay a visit, or if you have to run an errand and so you get home a little later than normal.... etc, etc. But to some dogs these are all stressful events, maybe bad enough to cause a diarrhea. Also, some dogs are just wound a little tighter than others, and so will be stressed out more easily. Food intolerance is another BIG cause of canine diarrhea. Some pets just have a sensitive digestive system, and you will really have to search for the diet they they will do the best on. If you have a small or toy breed, then I've found that the breed specific diets available at most pet stores actually do help with this. These diets or foods also address other common conditions in that breed, like dental disease or being a picky eater or skin issues - they are a good place to start. Dietary indiscretion runs a close second to food intolerance as a leading cause of canine diarrhea. Dietaryindiscretion simply means eating things they shouldn't, from tasty items taken from the trash, to little dead creatures found in the park or the woods, to items given by unsuspecting owners, like left-overs or pigs ears or too many of those super rich doggie treats. Again, some pets will have no trouble with these items, while others will break with diarrhea just by looking at a rawhide chew. Each dog is an individual, and should be treated as such. Parasites in the gastrointestinal tract are another common cause of canine diarrhea. Most people assume that if their dog has "worms" that they will see them in their stools. This is only true though for tapeworms, and for VERY large burdens of other worms. It's much better to find and treat intestinal parasites earlier than this.
Please note, some canine parasites can be given to people too! When a disease or organism can be transmitted between people and animals, they are called zoonotic diseases or zoonoses.
Less Common But More Worrisome Causes of Diarrhea.... Gastrointestinal (abbreviated GI) foreign bodies can cause canine diarrhea. For example, if a dog swallows coins, especially pennies, they can lead to a zinc toxicosis, and one of the signs of this is diarrhea. An x-ray can help your vet see if there is a GI foreign body present. Any disease that causes a thickening of the intestinal wall will cause diarrhea. There are many disease processes that do this. As the bowel wall thickens, its ability to digest and absorb nutrients from food decreases. Examples of these disease would include lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis, cancer of the GI tract, and severe inflammatory bowel disease. Some dogs are unable to make, or just stop making, digestive enzymes. Again, undigested food is difficult to absorb, and causes canine diarrhea. This is referred to as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, abbreviated EPI. This condition is diagnosed with a blood test, and is treated by supplementing the digestive enzymes with each meal. Some metabolic diseases will show diarrhea as their main symptom, like canine Addison's disease. These dogs often have a diarrhea that comes and goes. The diagnosis is with a blood test again, and the treatment is by supplementing the hormones that the dog is lacking, sometimes with a pill and sometimes with a monthly injection.
Great, But What Can I DO About It? Well, if you know that your dog had too many treats or somebody gave him a new treat, etc, sometimes keeping him off of food for a day and see if it resolves on its own is OK. I would only do this with otherwise normal dogs - the ones that are still begging for food, have good energy, and are not vomiting. When you do start feeding again, be sure to give a fairly bland food. We are trying to allow his GI tract to calm down with this method. Cooked white rice mixed with boiled chicken (no skin, and no bones) can be tried. DO NOT WITHHOLD WATER! They are losing a lot of water in their stools, and need to be able to replace it! Probiotics, or beneficial GI bacteria, will sometimes help to resolve a mild innocent diarrhea. They can also help a chronic canine diarrhea case from coming back as much if used daily. Anti-diarrheals can help with the symptoms, but can also mask a real disease problem, that needs serious medical care. Don't use any product that has aspirin, or salicylic acid, in it, like Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate.
If your dog has a mild diarrhea for more than a day, or has diarrhea with blood in it, or is vomiting or lethargic,then you should go and see your vet. Take a recent stool sample with you, as they will wish to test it for parasites. Your vet is in a much better position to help determine the cause of the diarrhea and to treat it appropriately!
The information presented here is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian! A valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (created when you take your pet to see your vet) is essential to providing excellent individual pet care. If your pet is ill, call or go to your vet or an emergency veterinary hospital!
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Parasites are tested for by doing what is called a fecal flotation, usually just abbreviated as "a fecal". The poo is mixed in a special liquid, then spun in a centrifuge which causes the parasites eggs to gather in one spot. Then they are placed on a glass slide and looked at under a microscope, where the parasites eggs are then seen and identified. Treatment is done specifically for the parasite or parasites found, as all medications do not work on all parasites.
