We may believe our dog is the most healthy but no matter how healthy, there are still some certain common illnesses which even healthy individuals can’t escape, and sudden diarrhea is one of them, but knowing simple house tricks can help your dog get better and help you avoid any suspected cause of the diarrhea.
You must also be able to know when your dog’s diarrhea is something more than a common illness. By getting to know the signs of diarrhea, the causes, the prevention methods and when it’s time to get medical health, it will then be easier for you to avoid and manage such illnesses.
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Causes of diarrhea in dogs
Just like in humans, there are a great number of possible causes of diarrhea in dog’s, below are a few things that can cause diarrhea in dog’s:
- Food poisoning will definitely cause diarrhea
- Allergic reaction to certain types of food.
- Some medical issues relating to the stomach or digestive system may show signs through diarrhea.
- If your dog has eaten out of the garbage, he may have accidentally eaten spoilt food which can cause diarrhea
- Sudden diet change my cause diarrhea
- Diarrhea can be caused if your dog has mistakenly swallowed a foreign object such as pads or tampons, toys, a small towel, plastic bags or there about.
- Present of parasites in the stomach, parasites such as whipworms, tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms and Giardia.
- Inflamed bowels causing disease leading to diarrhea
- Advanced cancer cells present in the digestive tract.
- Stomach intolerance to certain medications.
- Infection of bacteria’s such as spirochetes, salmonella, coli and so on.
- Disease relating to the liver or kidney.
- Stress and colitis in dogs can cause Diarrhea.
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What Can You Give A Dog For Diarrhea
Treatment for diarrhea in dogs
When you have confirmed that your dog has diarrhea, you should treat it immediately because normally the signs and symptoms of diarrhea should go away in a few days. When your dog has diarrhea, you will have to withhold food for about 24 hours, to free his gastrointestinal tract.
During his hunger strike, you should remember not to withhold water, all him have as much water as possible to avoid dehydration. After the 24 hours of not eating, you can now start feeding him the next day. Do not make the mistake of giving him a large portion of food to make up for the lost day, you must feed him little portions of food for up to 4 or 5 times a day.
You should avoid feeding your dog heavy foods, you should feed him light food without much spice that will be easily digested foods such as oatmeal, boiled macaroni, white rice, yogurt or food high in protein like milk, eggs, boiled chicken ( without skin). You should continue feeding him such foods in small portions until he seems to get better.
For puppies and older dogs, withholding food for 24hours may be dangerous for their health since they require more nutrients in their body. So if your dog is in such category do go to your veterinarian for professional expertise.
Prevention of diarrhea in dogs
Normally in most cases, diarrhea in dogs cannot be avoided and do not always have prevention methods, but there are some things which can be done to reduce the occurrence of diarrhea;
- Always make sure to feed your dog healthy meals and balanced diets plus regular exercise.
- Make sure your dog is clean, always properly bathed and free of any sort of parasite or lice’s.
- Always try not to miss date of vaccines
- Your garbage can should be kept far away from your dog, so he will not be able to eat spoilt food from the garbage can.
- Avoid your dog feeding on random plant materials or drinking from random puddles of water while you guys are out.
- Ensuring your dog is well fed is a good way to prevent diarrhea, healthy balanced diet will keep your dog healthy and disease free and also prevent the occurrence of diarrhea. If you always feed your dog canned heavily processed foods he will most likely develop diarrhea from time to time because such foods contains large amount of chemicals and preservatives which will most likely cause indigestion and rare cases lead to food poisoning.
Suddenly feeding your dog random or foreign food or doggy treats can cause diarrhea in dogs. And also introducing multiple treats at the same time can definitely cause indigestion in dogs, if you want to introduce new treats to your dog, you should do so one at a time and do monitor his body for any reactions during the introduction period of the treat. Giving your dog one new treat at a time will make it easier for you to identify the cause of any health changes in your dog.
Foods that has the tendency to cause diarrhea in dogs
Most proteinous foods has the tendency to cause diarrhea in dogs, feeding your dog protein foods such as diary or milk products can cause diarrhea, most especially fatty foods, can cause diarrhea in dogs because dogs find it very difficult to process fatty foods unlike humans. A dog having to digest large amount of fatty food can lead to different illnesses such as pancreatitis and may cause severe vomiting.
Knowing the right diet for your dog
Some dog owners especially new dog owners do not always know what is the right diet for their dog. The type of food you will give to an adult dog is quite different from the one you should give to a puppy. So if you do buy dog food from a supermarket, you should buy the one suitable for the age range of your dog.
If your dog has a health condition in which certain ingredients present in some foods should be avoided, you will probably have to stick to preparation of home meals for your dog or have a veterinarian draw out a diet plan for your dog.
When considering raw diet for your dog, it may be better to avoid raw diet because some raw diets may prove to be harmful to the health of your dog and also the person preparing it, sometimes the raw diet usually includes bones and such diet may cause gastrointestinal foreign object present in the body.
If this happens there will be need for a surgical removal of such foreign objects which is usually expensive plus raw diet may cause some diseases and infection and may also cause indigestion when ingested by your dog. If you really want to feed raw diet to your dog, you should inquire from your veterinarian first for a professional medical advice concerning raw diets.
Food allergies which may cause diarrhea in dogs
Protein sources are what usually cause food allergies, foods such as beef or chicken can cause food allergies which can lead to diarrhea. If your dog suddenly starts to experience hair loss, skin redness, itching, lack of appetite, vomiting after you recently changed his food.
It may be because of the protein content of the food and when such happens, you should immediately switch back to the previous food he was being given. It could take a couple of months for the allergies to go away, so you should ask your veterinarian for some advice on how to cure the symptoms of the allergies most especially if your dogs reactions is severe.
When to consult your veterinarian concerning diarrhea
Yes diarrhea can be a minor illness in a dogs life at some point but sometimes it may be more than just a minor diarrhea in your dog, so when you notice any one of these symptoms you should immediately consult your veterinarian; vomiting, fever, lack of appetite, minimal movements, lethargy, change in color of stool, blood in the stool or dehydration. These are signs of something more serious than diarrhea.
If your dog is previously a diabetic patient, a cancer patient or cancer survivor or is on any sort of medication such as antibiotics, and your dog shows symptoms such as diarrhea for more than a day, you should consult with your veterinarian immediately.
If you feel your dog may have eaten something poisonous or toxic, you should take him to the veterinarian for further examination, especially when you feel the diarrhea seems unusual or goes on for a couple of days without going down. And after going to the veterinarian and you find out the diarrhea was just a minor issue and nothing serious, it will be better to be safe than sorry if it was otherwise.
What to avoid feeding your dog
Some dog owners make the mistake of feeding their dog whatever they’re eating, you should not feed your dog what you eat, snacks, actual food or certain drinks. Foods such as onion, raisins, garlic, ginger, grapes, alcohol, chocolate and some nuts which contains artificial sweeteners should be kept away from your dog because it can be harmful to their health.
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