We are often called by our clients for questions about pet’s diarrhea. What can we do at home to treat it and is it serious. We like to know the pet’s signalment (age, breed, and sex), and if the patient is eating still and otherwise normal. If your pet still wants to eat and is not vomiting, you can call for an appointment. If your pet has vomiting and diarrhea you should see your veterinarian as soon as possible. Especially so if the patient is depressed or if it is a small animal (under 15-20 pounds) as they can dehydrate rapidly.
Diarrhea can be caused by everything and by nothing. By that I mean a patient can get diarrhea for no apparent reason, or it can be from very specific reasons. Many times the patient ate something they should not have. We call this garbage gut. If we don’t know it ate something but we suspect it, we will likely assume the pet “got into something”. Often whatever the patient ate favors the “bad” bacteria, such as the Clostridium which can form spores. The capsule of the spores has toxins that affect the GI tract. An example would be the toxin made by Clostridium botulinum, known by many as “Botox”.If we suspect bacterial overgrowth we are likely to use amoxicillin or metronidazole to help correct the bacterial imbalance. There are also herbs that can help and dietary manipulation can help. Activated charcoal capsules can be beneficial in the case of food poisoning or bacterial overgrowth with toxins.
Sometimes just adding some fiber to the diet, like canned pumpkin (approx. 1 tablespoon per 10-15 lbs) can help a lot. The extra fiber allows the Gastro-Intestinal Tract (GIT) to have better motility and likely the toxins get caught up in the fiber. Feeding bland easy to digest food can also help. Things like low fat cottage cheese and rice can help or one of the low residue prescription diets (I/D by Hills or EN by Purina).
If the patient is on a once a month heartworm pill it is not likely diarrhea from parasites, however it is a good idea to do a fecal to rule that out. Parasites are more common in younger dogs. Also puppies are very susceptible to parvo and distemper virus, A puppy with dark diarrhea that is vomiting should be considered an emergency. The parvo virus has a foul odor from the digested blood in it.
Patients with frank blood (red blood) usually have some form of colitis; however, ingestion of a foreign body (toy, stick, rock etc. ) can also cause frank blood. If it is very little blood, and the patient is not vomiting and appears normal otherwise, it is not likely an emergency. If a patient has thick jelly or jam like diarrhea with or without red blood, it should be seen ASAP, since it may be a disease which can cause fatal diarrhea called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE). HGE is very common in small breed dogs but can occur in dogs of any size, and has rapid course (<24 hours).
Sometimes a patient, usually a middle age or older one will get diarrhea secondary to a metabolic disease like diabetes mellitus, or from liver disease or cancer. This is why the signalment is important, and the general history, and knowing the diet and if any recent changes and if on any medicine and which heartworm pills the dog is on, or if a cat if on any flea meds. Give us more information so we can help you decide if you need to be seen or not.
Diarrhea can be caused by everything and by nothing. By that I mean a patient can get diarrhea for no apparent reason, or it can be from very specific reasons. Many times the patient ate something they should not have. We call this garbage gut. If we don’t know it ate something but we suspect it, we will likely assume the pet “got into something”. Often whatever the patient ate favors the “bad” bacteria, such as the Clostridium which can form spores. The capsule of the spores has toxins that affect the GI tract. An example would be the toxin made by Clostridium botulinum, known by many as “Botox”.If we suspect bacterial overgrowth we are likely to use amoxicillin or metronidazole to help correct the bacterial imbalance. There are also herbs that can help and dietary manipulation can help. Activated charcoal capsules can be beneficial in the case of food poisoning or bacterial overgrowth with toxins.
Sometimes just adding some fiber to the diet, like canned pumpkin (approx. 1 tablespoon per 10-15 lbs) can help a lot. The extra fiber allows the Gastro-Intestinal Tract (GIT) to have better motility and likely the toxins get caught up in the fiber. Feeding bland easy to digest food can also help. Things like low fat cottage cheese and rice can help or one of the low residue prescription diets (I/D by Hills or EN by Purina).
If the patient is on a once a month heartworm pill it is not likely diarrhea from parasites, however it is a good idea to do a fecal to rule that out. Parasites are more common in younger dogs. Also puppies are very susceptible to parvo and distemper virus, A puppy with dark diarrhea that is vomiting should be considered an emergency. The parvo virus has a foul odor from the digested blood in it.
Patients with frank blood (red blood) usually have some form of colitis; however, ingestion of a foreign body (toy, stick, rock etc. ) can also cause frank blood. If it is very little blood, and the patient is not vomiting and appears normal otherwise, it is not likely an emergency. If a patient has thick jelly or jam like diarrhea with or without red blood, it should be seen ASAP, since it may be a disease which can cause fatal diarrhea called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis (HGE). HGE is very common in small breed dogs but can occur in dogs of any size, and has rapid course (<24 hours).
Sometimes a patient, usually a middle age or older one will get diarrhea secondary to a metabolic disease like diabetes mellitus, or from liver disease or cancer. This is why the signalment is important, and the general history, and knowing the diet and if any recent changes and if on any medicine and which heartworm pills the dog is on, or if a cat if on any flea meds. Give us more information so we can help you decide if you need to be seen or not.
