Treat Dog Diarrhea With Natural Cures

Diarrhea is a common health problem for dogs. In many cases, the diarrhea can be traced to dietary indiscretion – foraging through a garbage can or ingesting spoiled foods or nonfood items. When this happens, the dog diarrhea is usually resolved in a day or so and can be treated using natural cures. However, if your dog has frequent bouts of diarrhea, or shows certain symptoms, a more serious condition may exist and a trip to the veterinarian is recommended.

Steps

Treating the Initial Symptoms

  1. Don’t feed your dog. If your dog has diarrhea, don’t give it any food for twelve to twenty-four hours.[1] If your veterinarian recommends it, you may need to withhold food for up to forty-eight hours.[2] A period without food will give your dog’s gastrointestinal tract time to rest and for any irritating substance to pass.
  2. Keep your dog hydrated. Diarrhea can mean the loss of large amounts of fluid. While your dog should not eat at first, it should have access to plenty of clean, fresh water so it doesn’t become dehydrated.[1]
  3. Give your dog natural cures. There are a number of natural and herbal treatments that can help to treat your dog’s diarrhea. Talk to your veterinarian about the best choices for your dog, where to find these treatments, and how to administer them. Possibilities include:
    • Probiotics, such as Lactobacillus sporogenes and Saccharomyces boulardii.[3][4][5] These help to replenish good intestinal bacteria that aid digestion and help prevent infection. Your veterinary clinic can also supply an over-the-counter dog probiotic that has the correct balance of probiotics for dogs.
    • Amino acids, like L-Glutamine.[6] This helps to nourish the cells of the intestinal tract and support its proper functioning.
    • Herbs and herbal supplements, like Slippery Elm and Boswellia, which are traditionally used to treat diarrhea in humans.[7][8]. These contain substances that may also help coat, soothe, and protect the mucus membranes of your dog’s gastrointestinal tract and/or reduce inflammation.

Helping Your Dog Recover from Diarrhea

  1. Give your dog easily digestible foods once it starts to eat again. Normally, you can begin to give your dog solid food again after twenty-four hours. However, you should feed your dog a “bland” diet for three to four days.[2] Feeding your dog small amounts of easily digestible, low-fat foods several times a day will reduce nausea and gastrointestinal irritation. A bland diet means mixing four parts cottage cheese, boiled white rice, boiled white pasta, boiled potato to one part any of the following foods:
    • Boiled lean hamburger
    • Boiled skinless chicken
    • Boiled tofu
  2. Transition your dog to its normal food. If your dog improves while on a bland diet for a few days, you can slowly switch back to its normal food. Take three to five days to transition the dog off the bland diet and back to its regular food.
    • Be careful of transitioning too suddenly. Take it slow.
  3. Make sure your dog gets adequate fiber. Ensuring that your dog continues to eat enough fiber can also help it recover.[9]
    • Pumpkin, because it is high in fiber and water, is safe to feed your dog and can be a good choice for one recovering from diarrhea. Feed your dog equal parts canned pumpkin puree and canned dog food, or even just a few tablespoons added to its regular food.[10][11]
    • Be absolutely sure to buy canned pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie mix.
  4. Contact your veterinarian if your dog does not improve. Normally, a dog should recover from diarrhea fairly soon. Prolonged diarrhea could be a sign of parasites like roundworms and hookworms, bacterial infections, allergies, poisoning, or other issues.[2] Bring your dog to a veterinarian if:[12]
    • Your dog has had diarrhea for more than a day. If the diarrhea persists for 24 hours after you stop feeding your dog, you should contact your veterinarian.[2]
    • Your dog acts lethargic.
    • The diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting or fever.
    • Your dog’s stools are dark-colored or bloody. This could indicate bleeding of the stomach or small intestine, which should be treated immediately.[1]
    • Your dog strains to defecate.
    • Your dog’s appetite decreases.
    • Your dog has unexplained weight loss.
    • Your dog is a young puppy. Diarrhea in a puppy can be a sign of serious diseases.
  5. Prevent future cases of diarrhea. Diarrhea can be an occasional problem even for healthy dogs. However, you can do a few things to help prevent it.[1]
    • Make sure your dog sees a veterinarian regularly and is up to date on all vaccinations.
    • Keep your dog free of parasites (fleas, ticks, worms, etc.). Ask your veterinarian if you need help doing this.
    • Keep your dog away from garbage.
    • When walking your dog, don’t let it eat or drink anything it finds on or off the street, including plants and water in puddles.
    • Keep your dog free from stress (from noise, other animals, changes in its environment, etc.)
    • Make any food changes gradually. Mix new food in with its current food, at first. This will make the transition easier on your dog’s digestive system.
    • Treatments such as probiotics may also be effective at preventing diarrhea.[13]

Understanding your Dog’s Diarrhea

  1. Know the signs that your dog has diarrhea. Frequent loose or liquid stools are the most common signs that your dog has diarrhea. However, it may be accompanied by other symptoms, including:[1]
    • Flatulence
    • Blood or mucus in stool
    • Changes in the amount of stool
    • Straining to defecate
    • Lethargy
    • Dehydration
    • Fever
    • Vomiting
    • Decreased appetite
    • Weight loss
  2. Isolate the cause of your dog’s diarrhea, if possible. Diarrhea in dogs can have a range of causes, including stress, parasitic worms, infections, and allergies.[9][12] If your dog doesn’t have any underlying diseases or conditions, however, the diarrhea may simply be caused by dietary indiscretion.[2] If your dog eats something it shouldn’t, such as spoiled food, sticks, or plastic, its digestive system may become irritated and diarrhea may result.[9][12]
  3. Understand potential concerns. Diarrhea can cause dehydration and other issues that can endanger your dog’s health.[2] However, ff you give your dog treatment and the diarrhea doesn’t last more than a day, you should not be too concerned.[1] On the other hand, if your dog does not improve quickly, it may be a sign that your dog is suffering from a more serious problem.
    • Talk to your veterinarian for any recommendations based on your dog’s specific case.[12][9] You should also contact your veterinarian if you notice any unusual symptoms or if your dog’s diarrhea continues for more than twenty-four hours.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/diarrhea
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 https://www.vet.purdue.edu/vth/sacp/documents/TreatmentofDietaryIndiscretionintheDog.pdf
  3. ↑ Debbie Myers, Probiotics, Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2007, Pages 195-197, ISSN 1557-5063, http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.jepm.2007.06.008.
  4. ↑ Sauter, S. N., Benyacoub, J., Allenspach, K., Gaschen, F., Ontsouka, E., Reuteler, G., Cavadini, C., Knorr, R. and Blum, J. W. (2006), Effects of probiotic bacteria in dogs with food responsive diarrhoea treated with an elimination diet. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 90: 269–277. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2005.00595.x
  5. ↑ Weese, J. S., & Arroyo, L. (2003). Bacteriological evaluation of dog and cat diets that claim to contain probiotics. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 44(3), 212–215.
  6. ↑ http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojvm.2014.44006
  7. ↑ http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/slippery-elm
  8. ↑ http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2053005
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/diarrhea.aspx
  10. ↑ http://www.animalnetwork.org/C.A.N/VetMed_CannedPumpkin.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.iamra.org/preparing-for-your-new-arrival.html
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/diarrhea
  13. ↑ http://viim.org/dog-cat-diarrhea-chronic.php

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