Diarrhea is a health problem that is often experienced by your beloved dog. Many cases of diarrhea in dogs are not serious and will resolve with proper treatment at home. By taking the right steps, you can immediately treat a bout of diarrhea without other complications without needing the help of a veterinarian. However, sometimes your dog's diarrhea is serious enough to require treatment from a veterinarian.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Treating Dog Diarrhea Using Diet
Step 1. Fast your dog for 12 to 24 hours
The presence of food in the digestive tract will cause the intestines to contract to get rid of it. But if the dog has diarrhea, the contractions that occur will be too excessive so that the food that enters will be expelled too quickly in the form of diarrhea. The solution is to stop feeding for 12 to 24 hours to calm the digestive tract until it functions normally again.
Step 2. Provide fresh drinking water
As long as the dog is fasting like this, provide clean and fresh drinking water. Keep an eye on his water bowl to make sure it's reduced in volume (which means he's drinking). If he still wants to drink well, the risk of dehydration will be much reduced.
Step 3. Calm your dog after fasting with bland food
After the fast is complete, DO NOT immediately give the dog food as usual. Give food that is soft for the stomach and easy to digest.
- Choose bland foods that are ideal, avoid fatty foods and red meat.
- Offer chicken to your dog. Provide unflavored chicken, not chicken-flavored dog food. Don't give chicken skin to your dog, only give meat.
- Mix chicken with white rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.
- Avoid milk and dairy products as many dogs are lactose intolerant, a condition that can trigger diarrhea. That means don't add butter to the mashed potatoes.
- Bland food will produce small, pale stools, so don't expect your dog's stool to appear normal. The goal is to restore the dog's stool density to ensure its condition improves.
Step 4. Try a diet prescribed by a veterinarian
If you find that your dog doesn't respond well to bland homemade food, check with your veterinarian for a recipe for dog food that can heal his stomach. Dog foods such as Hills ID and Purina EN have been shown to speed up the healing process of dogs from diarrhea.
Step 5. Reduce the portion of the food
Food in smaller quantities will reduce the stimulation of spasms in the digestive tract. When your dog is done fasting, give him the same amount of food as usual. Just divide it into four smaller portions, and give it at certain intervals throughout the day. This will prevent the diarrhea from coming back.
Step 6. Return your dog to the original diet
Once the diarrhea clears up, you can begin to return your dog to his normal diet. Do not immediately give food as usual, because the digestive tract still needs some time to heal. Keep giving him bland food for two days to make sure that the diarrhea is completely gone. Then take another 2 days to return it to its normal diet in the following way:
- Mix of bland food with of normal food.
- The next day, change the ratio to bland food and normal food.
- On the third day, give the dog food as usual again.
Step 7. Give probiotics
Probiotics are bacteria that aid digestion. These bacteria can speed up your dog's recovery from diarrhea. Good bacteria can come out during diarrhea. Thus, in order for the population to return to normal numbers and digestion to return to efficiency as before, it will take time. Probiotic supplements can stimulate the addition of the bacterial population. Generally, probiotics are mixed into the dog's food once daily, for 5 days.
- The natural bacteria in the dog's digestive tract is different from that of humans. So, don't give human probiotics to dogs.
- There are a variety of dog-specific probiotics available without a prescription, at your vet, pharmacy, or major pet supply store.
Step 8. Do not give human diarrhea medicine to your dog
Mild diarrhea should be able to be overcome with the above steps. Giving a medication that will stop your dog's diarrhea can actually hide serious problems later on. If diarrhea symptoms do not improve after 2 - 3 days of using the above methods then it is likely that your dog has a problem that requires veterinary care.
Part 2 of 2: Determining whether a Dog Needs Vet Care
Step 1. Notice if he has eaten anything harmful
Diarrhea is usually caused by a dog eating something it shouldn't be eating. In most cases, it will get better once the body expels the food.
However, if you learn that your dog has eaten something toxic, such as rat poison or household cleaning products, take him to the vet immediately
Step 2. Take his body temperature
Ordinary diarrhea is rarely accompanied by fever. If your dog has a fever, he likely has some kind of infection. Take his temperature, ask your friend to hold him by placing his hands under the dog's belly, and pulling the hind legs and waist toward the chest. Your friend should place the other hand just under the dog's chin. Hold the dog gently, and speak in a soothing voice if he starts to struggle. Attach the dog's muzzle if you are afraid of being bitten while taking its temperature.
- Lubricate the thermometer, then, lifting the dog's tail up, gently insert the thermometer into his anus. In female dogs, be sure not to insert them into the vulva, which is just below the anus.
- Do not force the thermometer in, as you could injure the dog.
- Wait for the thermometer to sound, which means the temperature measurement has been completed.
- A dog's normal body temperature is 38 to 39 degrees Celsius.
- A temperature above 39.7 degrees Celsius or more is considered a fever.
Step 3. Notice if the dog's diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting
Diarrhea and vomiting are a serious combination, as dogs lose fluids from both ends of their digestive tract. This puts the dog at risk of becoming dehydrated. This condition is very worrying especially if the dog is unable to drink and swallow fluids. In this case, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Step 4. Check for dehydration
Diarrhea is basically stool that contains a large amount of fluid, and not replacing those fluids will result in dehydration. Dehydration reduces the blood supply to organs such as the liver or kidneys, potentially causing organ damage.
- To check for dehydration, lift the dog's nape off the shoulder blade, and release it.
- Well-hydrated skin will return to its original position.
- A dehydrated dog's skin will become less elastic, and it may take a few seconds or more to return to its original position.
Step 5. Check for blood in the dog's diarrhea
If you find blood in the stool, it may be due to inflammation or internal bleeding. While the inflammation may be painful, what puts your dog at risk is internal bleeding. You won't be able to tell the difference between the two at home, so don't risk it. Take your dog to the vet immediately if he finds blood in his stool.
Step 6. Keep an eye on dogs that are lethargic, limp, or unconscious
Dogs with mild diarrhea are still awake and aware of their surroundings. If your dog is still fresh and agile, but has diarrhea, watch for the development of the above signs. You can try to solve this problem yourself.
However, if your dog seems limp, lethargic, unable to stand up straight, or even faints, seek veterinary help immediately
Tips
- When you visit the vet, bring a fresh stool sample and ask the vet to do a dog stool examination.
- Some dogs don't respond well to canned food. Consider giving your dog a premium dry food, or a mix of canned and dry food.
Warning
- Don't give your dog a new food that he hasn't tried, as long as you're still trying to deal with his diarrhea.
- Mucus in the stool indicates irritation of the digestive tract. Parasites, raw pork heart, and other diseases can cause mucus in the stool.
- If you change your dog's food, do so gradually, or your dog may get sick or have diarrhea again.
- Greenish diarrhea in puppies may indicate coccidiosis. Visit your veterinarian immediately.
- Watery diarrhea in puppies can be very dangerous if you don't get proper treatment from a veterinarian.
