Dog Diarrhea Treatment
When your dog has diarrhea there's no time to waste in helping him get better as fast as possible. Although the condition is relatively painless for your pet, it does pose some serious health risks including dehydration, malnutrition and in some cases (depending on the cause) serious intestinal damage.
Your job as a pet owner is to quickly diagnose and treat your dog's diarrhea BEFORE things escalate to life threatening circumstances.
Although, serious cases should be treated as an emergency in which a trip to the vet is required, MOST cases of diarrhea in dogs are mild and can be treated from home with proper action and natural cures.
I'll be providing you with this action plan in just a moment.
First let's take a look at what might be causing your dog's diarrhea. Afterall, if you don't know the root cause, it won't matter how many times you clear up this problem. Your dog's diarrhea will simply return on and off throughout the years, endangering him everytime.
You should attack this problem from a different perspective. Not only is it important for you to know the natural solution, you need to learn how to eliminate the triggers of this problem alltogether.
To make this easier, the section below examines the major causes of diarrhea in dogs and lists their corresponding natural treatment. Identifying the cause of you own dog's diarrhea shouldn't be difficult once you apply the process of elimination to narrow down the possible culprits.
The Causes of Diarrhea in Dogs
Changes in Diet
This is the most common contributor to diarrhea in dogs. You decide you want to upgrade or make a change you your dog's food and you switch him over to the new brand overnight. Big mistake!
Just like you, your dog gets used to a certain way of eating. This include the time of day he eats and the frequency. If you've abruptly changed this formula on him, his digestive system will surely get confused and start reacting in unexpected ways.
Diarrhea isn't the only side-effect of a sudden cutover in diet. Your dog's energy levels may fluctuate due to the change in his blood sugar levels. Additionally he may need to go to the bathroom more in general. Accidents around the house may also result from this.
The Solution:
Instead of a direct cutover to a new diet or food brand, try weening your dog over with supplemental amounts over the course of a week and a half.
Start by adding ¼ of the new food to ¾ of the old food. Then after a few days up the ratio until you're mixing half and half. Slowly increase the ratio over the week and a half period until he's completely transitioned onto the new diet.
Intestinal Parasites
So long as your dog has been vaccinated at an early age, intestinal parasites are usually not the cause of diarrhea in adult dogs. That said, puppies are extremely susceptible to intestinal parasites and should be monitored closely if diarrhea symptoms arise.
The most common intestinal parasites that causes diarrhea are Roundworms. Roundworm eggs are ingested by a dog in the soil and puppies are commonly passed this parasite from their mother. Once ingested, the Roundworm eventually settles in the intestinal tract.
Oftentimes, vomiting is accompanied with the diarrhea. Monitor the appearance of your dog's stool if you think he may have Roundworms. Your dog will excrete many of these worms and they will appear in its waste, looking like 4 to 6 inch long spaghetti strings.
It's so important to stay on top of this threat because Roundworms can ultimately lead to pneumonia, intestinal obstructions or even death in dogs.
Hookworms are another common intestinal parasite to look out for when your dog exhibits diarrhea. They feed off a dog's blood supply by hooking into the small intestine and are most often contracted when a dog eats feces. They too can be passed down from mother to puppy so it's important to act fast if you suspect this is the problem.
A major symptom to look out for if you suspect Hookworms is bloody diarrhea. That's usually a common occurance if the infection is bad.
The Solution:
If intestinal parasites are suspected, most often your vet will take a fecal sample to be inspected under a micrscope. Parasitic induced diarrhea is not something you'll want to treat at home but knowing the symptoms will certainly give you a leg up on how widespread the parasite becomes.
Your vet may also take bloodwork and x-rays to determine if damage has been done to any major organs such as the liver or kidneys. Generally, de-worming prescription medication is used to flush out the problem.
It's important that you keep your dog as hydrated as possible while he has diarrhea and certainly while he's undergoing treatment. This will keep him as comfortable as possible and obviously hedge against dehydration.
Ingestion of Inappropriate Items
Try not to forget, your dog is a dog. If something smells good or tastes good he'll probably try to eat it. It's your responsibility to monitor him when he's chewing on toys and rawhides to make sure they're not getting chewed to bits and then ingested.
Another inappropriate item is anything that fits into the category of human food. Table scraps are NOT for dogs no matter how much he begs.
This especially goes for ANY kind of chicken or Turkey bones. These type of bones will splinter and cut up his insides along with creating a reaction of loose stool and discomfort.
Even if you give in and feed your dog chicken or pieces of bread from the table, you're truly doing more harm than good. The fact is, most human foods are way to rich for your dog's digestive system. He may like the taste of them but it's your responsibility to know better and steer him clear of inappropriate edibles.
Most importantly, be aware of things left out that can cause real harm to your dog. Household cleaners, stagnent puddles, chlorinated water, garbage and other items pose serious risks if left unattended with your dog. Remember, he's just like a child. He doesn't know any better. If you leave these things around and you're not there to supervise, be prepared for the worst.
The Solution:
Monitor your dog. Teach him from the beginning that begging for table scraps is NOT okay. Take away rawhides and toys if you're leaving room or walking away from your dog. Not only will you be protecting his stomach, you'll be teaching him that you're the boss. Establishing dominance in this fashion will not only look out for his health but also his overall behavior.
Spread this rule throughout your house so members of the family don't encourage these poor eating habits. If your dog knows he can get away with begging for table scraps from one person, he'll go to that person every time.
Don't leave hazardous materials around your house unattended. Take responsibility and become aware of your environment. Your dog is a sensory creature. He can't read the warning labels on pesticide containers.
Stress
Just like you, your dog is vulnerable to the physical reactions of excessive stress. Long car rides, exhaustive training, yelling, fighting in the house and lack of sleep can all contribute to diarrhea and an irregular digestive system.
Although I mention above that overtraining can bring about stress, lack of training will do much MORE damage. You want to take the time to train your dog. It will lessen his overall anxiety and keep him from getting bored. Try to find a happy medium between the two.
The Solution:
Pamper your dog. Smother him in hugs and kisses. Love your pet and ease his anxiety with positive reinforcement whenever appropriate.
Give him breaks to stretch out during long car rides. Take him to the groomers regularly. He's not just your pet. He's a living, breathing, thinking, emotional creature. Make him happy and good health will follow.
Keeping Your Dog Healthy for Life
The REAL solution to ending dog diarrhea and other digestive problems goes way beyond making simple lifestyle changes. The Dog Health Guide linked below shows you the step by step natural cures that will eliminate not only your dog's stomach problems but any other health concerns that may come your way in your pet's lifetime.
Click the link below and download the Dog Health Guide today. Don't wait until your dog's health gets so bad, trips to the vet become emergency visits. Nip small health concerns in the bud with easy to follow, step by step natural solutions that you can start implementing in just minutes.
|