Treat Diarrhea and Constipation in Dogs and Cats

If pets are having issues with diarrhea or constipation, these can often be treated at home. They can be caused by stress or dietary changes and may pass within a few days. However, if the condition does not improve, or if it gets worse, seek out the help of a vet. Your vet can help identify any underlying conditions that may be affecting your pet's health. Follow your vet's treatment plan to fix your dog or cat's issues with diarrhea and constipation.

Steps

Treating Diarrhea at Home

  1. Treat diarrhea at home only if your pet appears normal otherwise. Usually, diarrhea is not a medical emergency. Your pet may have eaten something that did not sit right with it. Monitor your pet's behavior. If it seems normal otherwise, you can proceed to treat the diarrhea at home.[1]
    • If your dog or cat has normal energy and appetite, and is not vomiting, you can probably watch and wait.
    • You should also examine the stool. If the diarrhea does not contain any foreign objects or blood, it's probably safe to treat at home for the time being.
  2. Encourage rest. You do not want a sick pet to overexert itself. Try to get your dog or cat to rest as symptoms persist. Avoid excessive exercise, like walking or running, while your pet is sick.[1]
    • If your pet tends to like lying on the couch with you, try to spend a night on the couch. This may encourage your pet to lie down and rest instead of running and playing. You may want to put down a cover, however, in case of an accident.
  3. Offer bland foods. It may help to offer bland foods to your pet as symptoms persist. Boiled chicken breasts mixed with white rice can be a good alternative dinner option. There's a slim chance your pet's regular food upset its stomach, so trying something different can help.[1]
    • Make sure not to season chicken or rice.
    • Cats may not eat rice. In this case, just offer them chicken.
  4. Provide your pet with water. Diarrhea can cause dehydration, so make sure water is present for the duration of your pet's illness. Make sure your pet has access to a bowl of water at all times.[1]
    • Some pets may not want to drink water if they're not feeling well. Try adding a bit of chicken broth to the water to entice them to drink it.
  5. Do not give your pet over-the-counter medication for humans. Things like Pepto-Bismol can be potentially harmful or toxic to a cat or a dog. Not only that, they may do more harm than good depending on the cause of the diarrhea. Diarrhea cased by a toxin in the gut, for example, clears an animal's stomach of harmful bacteria. You do not want to give your pet something that prevents this process from occurring.[1]

Addressing Constipation at Home

  1. Understand veterinary care may be necessary. Unlike diarrhea, there are few home treatment options for constipation. If constipation is caused by a mild issue, like a dietary change, it may clear up on its own. Therefore, the best method for at-home treatment is to watch and wait. If the constipation does not clear up within a day or two, you should take your pet to the vet's for evaluation.[2]
  2. Keep an eye on your pet's bowel movements for 24 to 48 hours. If constipation lasts longer than a day or two, you may need to see a vet. Keep track of bowel movements over the next two days to see if symptoms clear up or improve.[3]
    • For cats, you can monitor bowel movements via the litter box. Make sure to change the litter each day and watch for fresh stools. Cats should have at least one bowel movement per day. Any less than that may indicate the constipation is serious.
    • You should also be careful of mistaking straining, which could be due to a urinary bladder blockage, with constipation. A urinary bladder blockage is life threatening for your cat. Make sure that there are still wet clumps from urine in your litter box. If your cat is straining and the litter box is dry, then you should contact your vet immediately to check your cat for this condition.
  3. Watch for other symptoms of constipation. If your pet is constipated, look out for other symptoms. Constipation is a symptom, and not a condition itself. Knowing the other symptoms will help you figure out the potential cause of your pet's constipation.[2]
    • A constipated animal may be lethargic, dehydrated, and reluctant to eat. A constipated animal may also vomit and not want to drink water. They are sometimes described as having a "hunched up" appearance.

Seeking Veterinary Care

  1. Call your vet right away in certain circumstances. For the most part, diarrhea should be monitored for a few days at home before veterinary assistance is necessary. However, under certain conditions, you should talk to your vet right away.[4]
    • Blood in the stool requires immediate evaluation. Bloody stools will be black and tarry in appearance.
    • If you think your pet got into something toxic, take it to the vet right away.
    • Pale gums and a fever accompanying diarrhea should be evaluated right away.
    • Diarrhea accompanied by vomiting should be evaluated.
    • If you have a young kitten who has not yet been vaccinated, have a vet evaluate things like diarrhea.
  2. Have your pet undergo a physical exam. Usually, your vet will conduct a brief physical exam of your pet. He or she will listen to your pet's heart beat and breathing and examine them for any obvious signs of injury or sickness.[4]
  3. Discuss your pet's medical history with your vet. From here, your vet will ask for a brief medical history. You should include any unusual behaviors you've noticed previously. Diarrhea and constipation can sometimes be caused by underlying conditions, and a full medical history can help a vet determine which tests are necessary.[4]
    • If your pet was recently exposed to wildlife, or if it ate something unusual, mention this here.
    • Also, tell your vet about any medications your pet is taking. Some medications may cause diarrhea or constipation as a side effect.
  4. Talk to your vet about treatment for diarrhea. There are many different ways to treat diarrhea, if your vet determines medical treatment is necessary. Go over a potential treatment plan with your vet to make sure you understand how to properly correct the issue.[5]
    • Parasites can sometimes cause a problem with diarrhea, so your vet may recommend medication to correct this. If diarrhea is severe, your pet may need to stay overnight to receive intravenous liquids to correct or prevent dehydration. Other medications may be used to calm the gastrointestinal tract.
    • Not all cases of vomiting and diarrhea can be treated easily. If your pet is diagnosed with a lifelong condition, like diabetes, you will have to have a long talk to your vet about longterm treatment.
  5. Discuss constipation with your vet. It's a good idea to have constipation evaluated as well if it does not clear up on its own within a few days. You can talk to your vet about how to properly treat the issue.[2]
    • Stimulants or laxatives are frequently used to treat mild constipation.
    • Severe constipation can be more of a problem. Surgery or dietary changes may be necessary to treat an intestinal blockage or other issue.

Preventing a Reoccurrence

  1. Avoid feeding cats dairy. Many cats do not have the enzymes necessary to digest dairy products. While cats enjoy the taste of cream and milk, you may want to offer other types of foods as a reward instead. This will make your cat less prone to outbreaks of diarrhea.[6]
  2. Maintain a clean litter box. For cats, constipation may be caused by litter box issues. Cats do not like using a messy litter box, and may hold in stools if their box is dirty. Be sure to clean your litter box every day to prevent constipation.[2]
  3. Introduce new food gradually. If you're changing up an animal's food, do so gradually. Sudden changes in diet can cause diarrhea or constipation.[6]
    • At first, feed your pet half of its new food and half of its hold food.
    • Gradually increase the amount of the old food until your pet is comfortably eating the new food.



Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 http://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/dog-or-cat-has-diarrhea-what-you-can-do-at-home
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2090&aid=3598
  3. ↑ http://pets.webmd.com/cats/the-scoop-on-cat-poop
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2122&aid=3573
  5. ↑ http://www.vetstreet.com/care/gastroenteritis-vomiting-and-diarrhea-in-dogs-and-cats
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/cat-diarrhea?page=2
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