Dog Diarrhea: Remedies, Causes & Treatment

If you’re a committed dog parent, you know how nasty things can get while cleaning up after your pup’s loose feces or diarrhea.

Sadly, diarrhea is pretty common in canines and can be due to many reasons. It varies in duration, type, frequency, and intensity.

Dog diarrhea is not an illness but rather a symptom of an underlying problem. Thankfully, in most cases, it is associated with not-so-serious causes and can be resolved quickly.

On the other hand, dog diarrhea may be a symptom of a more severe health problem which can even be life-threatening if not treated promptly. It can signify that your pup has eaten something bad or poisonous, or it has an infection, parasites, or another more serious health problem.

This condition can cause fatal dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance if it is not appropriately handled.

There are ways to prevent diarrhea in dogs by limiting the treats and scraps you feed your pup from the table and by stopping it from scavenging everything it finds outside.

Of course, keeping your dog healthy and getting it vaccinated and checked up by a veterinarian can also help prevent the serious consequences of severe diarrhea.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about dog diarrhea, how to prevent it, what can cause it, worrying signs to look for, and how to treat it.

What You Need To Know About The Digestive System Of Dogs

First, it is essential to understand that there is a big difference between how we digest foods and how our dogs do.

When we eat, the food starts to break down in the mouth. The human saliva and the shape of our jaws allow us to begin digesting the food we eat right from the start.

On the other hand, dogs have jaws made for chewing, crushing, and tearing down the food to swallow it.

The enzymes in dog saliva can kill bacteria, meaning dogs can eat things that will typically send people to the emergency room.

But after they swallow the food, it quickly enters the esophagus and then the stomach, where the digestion begins. The acids in a dog’s stomach are much stronger than those in a human’s stomach and can help digest food in larger chunks.

With healthy dogs, the food transition from the mouth through the intestines takes less than 10 hours. The end result should be a well-formed stool shaped like a log and brown in color.

Since every dog is different, you need to understand the specifics of your dog’s digestive system and its poop. It is advisable to keep an eye on the poop’s color and consistency, and if you note drastic changes, speak to your vet for advice.

How To “Read” The Pup’s Poop

Usually, the color of your dog’s stool should be brown and shaped like a log. In case the stool is round, your dog may be dehydrated.

The size of the poop depends on the fiber intake of your dog. When the fiber in the diet is more, the stool size also increases. In general, your dog’s feces should be around the same size as the amount of food it consumes each day.

It may sound gross, but you should pay attention to the pup’s stool when picking it up. Look for mucus in it, which could indicate that the dog has an inflamed colon.

If you see grass or green color in the stool, your doggie must have been munching on too much grass, or it can mean it has a problem with the gallbladder.

Yellowish or orange-colored poop could indicate that the dog has a liver or biliary problem, which you should definitely ask your vet about.

If you notice any red streaks in the stool, you should inspect the anus of your dog for any cuts or injuries.

Black-colored poop could mean your dog is suffering from internal bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, so you should speak to your vet for further advice and a medical examination.

A greasy or grey dog stool could indicate that it has a pancreatic or biliary issue.

Any white spots in the poop could be parasite eggs or signs that your pup is infected with worms.

Once you have picked up the mess, you can feel its consistency through the plastic bag. When everything is normal, it should be easy to pick up and feel moist.

Watery feces and diarrhea could indicate that the dog has some sort of stomach problem. If the stool is too dry, your pup may be constipated.

What To Watch For When Your Dog Has Diarrhea?

Loose and watery stools are symptoms of diarrhea. This condition can also accompany a loss of appetite, vomiting, pain in the tummy, weight loss, lethargy, and other signs of an underlying health problem.

If your dog is squirting small amounts of watery stool several times an hour, it could indicate an extensive bowel inflammation.

If the diarrhea is in large volumes and occurs three or four times during the walk, this could indicate a problem with the small bowel.

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Dog Diarrhea?

Sudden bouts of diarrhea in an otherwise healthy dog can be caused by eating something bad or indigestible, eating too much grass, changing the diet, stress, a virus, or parasitic or bacterial infection.

Chronic diarrhea is often caused by dog food allergies or sensitivities, as well as by certain parasites, pancreatic disease, bacterial infections, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and even some types of cancer. In some cases, chronic diarrhea in dogs can be caused by heart disease or liver problems.

As a dog parent, you should investigate the underlying causes of diarrhea and contact your vet for advice if you notice other symptoms or if the diarrhea is not stopping in a few days.

Here are the most common causes of dog diarrhea:

A Recent Change In The Diet

This is one of the most common causes of digestive upsets and loose stool. You need to realize that a sudden switch to a completely new food may cause your pup’s digestive system to have problems.

This is why it is always advisable to slow the transition from one food to another by mixing it up and adding more quantities of the new foods to the old one until the pup’s digestive tract gets used to the new diet. This is especially important if you switch to raw food or an all-natural diet from kibble or wet dog food.

Unhealthy Eating Habits

Most dogs like eating just about anything they find, including indigestible things like rocks, for example. It is only natural that your pup will have an upset stomach if it scavenges on spoiled food, feces, or garbage. There is actually a veterinary name for this type of unhealthy eating – garbage gut or garbage toxicosis.

Also, if your dog is overeating food, this can cause diarrhea and digestive problems.

Dogs that eat foods with processed chemicals, too much salt, sugar, or fat, are likely to experience problems with the GI system and have diarrhea, gas, or stomach ache.

This is why you should carefully measure your dog’s food portions following the dog’s activity level, size, weight, age, and overall health.

It would be best to abstain from giving your pup too many treats or table scraps. In fact, if you want your dog to be healthy, you should not feed it with any of your human food at all.

Stick to healthy dog treats if you want to spoil or reward your four-legged buddy instead.

Also, keep Fido away from garbage and other messy stuff it shouldn’t be eating.

Food Sensitivity Or Intolerance

Many pups suffer from food intolerance which can cause stomach upsets, gas, and diarrhea.

While all dog breeds are sensitive to gluten, dairy or fat, certain breeds are more susceptible to specific food intolerances than others.

Irish Setters and Wheaton Terriers are often intolerant to gluten, while Schnauzers commonly have a sensitivity to high-fat foods.

Unfortunately, determining which food ingredients your dog is allergic to may be difficult. This is why you may want to start your dog on an elimination diet and feed it food with limited ingredients so that you can watch how its digestive system reacts to the different components.

Once you determine which foods your dog is sensitive to, you should eliminate them from its diet to avoid negative reactions such as diarrhea, gas, vomiting, and other digestive problems.

You can also add special foods and supplements with added fiber, prebiotics, or probiotics to the dog’s diet, which will help the digestive system.

Dog Food Allergies

Food allergies are pretty common in dogs and can cause diarrhea, vomiting, skin irritation and itching, and in rare cases, severe allergic reactions.

Determining the actual allergen is not so easy, though. This is when you should start your dog on an elimination diet, starting with a very restricted diet, after which different ingredients are reintroduced slowly to the menu.

The idea is to find which exact ingredient triggers the dog’s immune system so that you can eliminate it from your pup’s diet.

Common allergens include pork, dairy, rabbit, wheat, beef, chicken, egg, soy, lamb, and fish.

Thankfully, premium quality hypoallergenic dog foods are made with limited ingredients and without specific common allergens.

Parasites

Infestations of parasites in the intestines can cause diarrhea and other serious symptoms. Commonly, dogs get in contacts with parasites and parasite eggs like hookworms, giardia, roundworms, or coccidian by drinking contaminated water.

Young puppies and older dogs with weak immune systems are more prone to parasitic infestations.

You should speak to your vet if you have suspicions that your dog has parasites. An easy fecal exam will determine whether your dog has parasites. If this is the case, your vet will recommend the best treatment to resolve the issue.

Swallowing Indigestible Objects

This is pretty common, especially among dogs who love chewing and eating everything they set their eyes on. Dogs can swallow things like toys, socks, rocks, and other objects, which can cause loose stool or constipation.

In less serious cases, you will only need to wait for the object to pass out by itself. But in more serious cases, your dog may need surgery to remove the foreign object obstructing the intestines.

Poisoning

If you haven’t changed your healthy dog’s diet, and it suddenly gets diarrhea and stomach pains, this could be a sign that your dog has eaten something toxic. This can be a poisonous plant, detergent or other chemical substance, human medication, charcoal, mushrooms, chocolate, or a lead-based product.

This can be incredibly dangerous if left untreated. You need to take your dog to the vet immediately if you are worried about it eating a poisonous or other toxic substance.

Here are some of the most common foods and substances that can be toxic or otherwise dangerous for canines:

Xylitol – common sugar substitute in chewing gum, baked goods, and toothpaste)
Avocado plant – the leaves and bark as well as too much of the fruit can be toxic for dogs
Alcohol – can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and even cause death in smaller pups
Garlic and onions – can cause anemia and poisoning in dogs
Coffee, caffeine, and tea
Raisins and grapes – even small amounts can make your dog very sick
Milk and dairy – can trigger food allergies, diarrhea, and skin irritations in dogs with sensitivities
Macadamia nuts – even a few of these nuts can lead to severe poisoning and even to death in dogs
Chocolate – especially dark and unsweetened baking chocolate can cause serious problems and even lead to death
Bones and fat trimmings – these can cause pancreatitis as well as chocking, blockage, or damage to the digestive system
Peaches, plums, and persimmons – like the avocado, they have seeds that can block the small intestine, plus peach seeds contain cyanide
Raw eggs – there is a risk of salmonella or E.coli infection
Raw meat and fish – could have harmful bacteria or parasites
Salt – too much salt can be dangerous for dogs
Sweet foods and drinks – sugar causes weight gain and tooth problems
Yeast dough – can swell up in the abdomen and also ferment into poisonous alcohol
Your medications – keep all of your drugs away from your dog to avoid poisoning
Baking soda and baking powder

Viral Or bacterial infections

These can be the underlying cause of dog diarrhea. Dangerous viruses like distemper, parvovirus, coronavirus and certain bacterial infections like salmonella are often accompanied by very severe diarrhea.

The other signs that your dog may have a bacterial or viral infection include high fever, vomiting, lethargy, and muscle weakness.

Remember that most infections are very contagious, so if you have other pets at home, keep them away from the infected dog, and disinfect the floor after the dog has pooped.

Contact your vet immediately if you notice signs of bacterial or viral infections in your dog.

An Underlying Illness

Certain diseases could cause diarrhea too. Here are some of the most common underlying illnesses which manifest themselves with diarrhea:

A tumor in the intestines
Cancer of the kidneys or liver
Colitis
Irritable bowel syndrome
Inflammatory bowel syndrome
Pancreatitis
Metabolic diseases such as liver, thyroid, or pancreas disorders

Bloody diarrhea could be a symptom of a problem in the digestive tract and the surrounding organs.

Medications And Antibiotics

While antibiotics are irreplaceable when curing various infections, they can often cause gastrointestinal issues in dogs, including diarrhea.

While antibiotics kill off the bad bacteria in the body, they can cause a disbalance in the gut flora and kill off some good bacteria.

This can cause stomach pain and diarrhea, which is why your vet will most probably prescribe certain probiotics to your dog during or after the treatment with antibiotics.

Some premium quality dog foods have included prebiotics and probiotics in their recipes.

Stress

Yes, dogs can get stressed out too. In fact, as a dog parent, you probably already know just how sensitive your fur baby can be.

Anxiety and stress can cause loose stools or constipation.

Your dog can get stressed or anxious for many reasons, including your own anxiety or stress.

To resolve the problem of diarrhea due to stress, you should remove the stressor, and you can give your dog certain natural stress or anxiety remedies to promote relaxation.

Immediate Treatment For Dog Diarrhea

In case your dog is very young or very old, or if it has another health problem, you should contact your vet for advice on dealing with diarrhea. Even relatively mild diarrhea can cause dehydration and imbalance of the electrolytes in dogs with weaker immune systems.

Discuss the type of diarrhea and other symptoms your dog has with your trusted vet.

If your dog is healthy and develops diarrhea without any other worrying symptoms, you can skip the visit to the vet and deal with the problem yourself.

Make sure the pup has access to a lot of clean and fresh water to stay properly hydrated. You can encourage the dog to drink more water or liquids by giving it diluted beef or chicken broth or adding an electrolyte drink to the water.

Another home remedy for diarrhea is feeding the dog with boiled white rice and a small piece of boiled white boneless chicken meat. If everything is ok, continue feeding the dog these foods, and start increasing the amounts gradually.

You can leave the dog without food for 12 to 24 hours too. Fasting isn’t dangerous for a healthy dog and should eliminate diarrhea completely. You shouldn’t attempt fasting if your dog is too young, too old, too small, or has an underlying health condition requiring it to get nutrients regularly.

On the other hand, some vets disagree with the idea of fasting and recommend that you continue feeding the dog, so it gets the nutrients necessary for healing the intestines.

Other foods recommended for dogs with diarrhea include plain canned pumpkin, unflavored yogurt, pasta, peeled boiled potatoes, chicken bone broth, low-fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs, ginger, fennel, or other gut soothing herbs, or probiotics and prebiotics.

There are also certain prescription and non-prescription diet dog foods formulated explicitly for digestive problems.

Give the dog only these foods until the diarrhea stops. Remember to feed it in smaller portions but more often than usual. Four small meals of the appropriate food should resolve the digestive problems.

Watch your dog’s stool while it is on the diet, and gradually start reintroducing small amounts of the pup’s regular food until it is completely well again.

Some medications can be effective for curing diarrhea, but always discuss giving your pup meds with your vet beforehand.

Antidiarrheal meds, probiotics, or dewormers can help stop dog diarrhea.

While some of these remedies will work with some dogs, they may not be effective with others. Once you find the remedy which helps your pup, make sure you write it down so you have it handy next time your dog starts to experience digestive upsets and has loose stool.

In case the condition worsens and the diarrhea hasn’t stopped after 24 hours, you should call your vet.

Severe diarrhea lasting longer than 24 hours can lead to metabolic disturbances and severe dehydration in dogs. This may require that your pet is hospitalized and given intravenous fluids.

When Is It Time To Go To The Vet?

While most cases of sudden diarrhea in otherwise healthy dogs will normally resolve themselves with simple care, there are other cases when a trip to the vet is necessary.

Here are some of the signs that your pet needs to get veterinary care if it has diarrhea:

Additional symptoms such as repeated vomiting, lethargy, weakness, fever, pale or tacky gums
Duration longer than 24-48 hours
When the stool is black and sticky or has blood in it
If the diarrhea is persistent and severe
If the dog has lost its appetite
Increased thirst and urination
Other preexisting conditions such as old age, a weakened immune system, diabetes, Cushing’s disease, or other health issues
When your dog is on medication
If the dog is experiencing abdominal pain or discomfort and is bloated and panting excessively
If you are concerned about the dog becoming dehydrated
If the pup has a seizure

Diagnosing The Reasons For Dog Diarrhea

Once you get to the vet, he will perform a series of tests and examinations to determine the underlying cause for the diarrhea. Make sure to discuss all details about the type of diarrhea, the stool color and consistency, the smell, and other symptoms you have noticed with your vet.

You should also bring a sample of the fecal matter with you when you go to the vet.

Your vet will weigh the dog to note if there is any weight loss. A physical exam will also be performed, including examinations of the rectal area, eyes, ears, mouth, lymph nodes, belly, and listening to the heart and lungs.

The easiest test for diagnosing the cause of diarrhea is a fecal exam. But in other cases, more serious lab work, blood tests, x-rays of the abdomen, an ultrasound examination, or even endoscopy, biopsy, or exploratory surgery may be necessary.

The fecal exam will rule out the possibility of parasitic infestation.

A blood test, including a blood count and chemical analysis, will allow the vet to determine the dog’s overall health condition.

Medications such as Metronidazole or Tylosin, as well as a single new protein diet, may be administered until the diarrhea ceases.

You may need to see your veterinarian for a check-up during the therapy. If the situation hasn’t altered, other tests, such as those listed above, may be conducted.

A gastrointestinal panel test may be performed to evaluate the levels of vitamins in the dog’s body and determine whether the pup doesn’t have a pancreatic problem.

Exocrine Pancreatic insufficiency is common among German Shepherd Dogs and is a condition in which the pancreas doesn’t produce the enzymes needed for proper digestion. The treatment for this condition is adding the missing enzymes to the diet to help assist the proper digestion and absorption of the food.

Your vet may also perform a resting cortisol test to determine whether the dog has Addison’s disease. This condition causes the body to produce insufficient water-regulating hormones or cortisol. The treatment for Addison’s disease includes supplementing cortisol and mineralocorticoids, which are not produced naturally by the adrenal glands.

Boxers are especially susceptible to a condition called histiocytic ulcerative colitis (a progressive disease of the colon). This condition causes bloody, mucous significant bowel diarrhea, and weight loss. It can be managed with an antibiotic (Baytril), which kills harmful bacteria.

Suppose none of these tests show the reason for ongoing diarrhea. In that case, the vet may recommend an x-ray, ultrasound, biopsy, or exploratory surgery to determine whether the dog has a fungal infection, inflammatory bowel disease, or cancer.

Your vet may also prescribe a hypoallergenic diet to feed your dog if you suspect it has a food sensitivity or allergy.

How To Prevent Dog Diarrhea

There are ways to minimize the risk of your dog getting diarrhea. Here are some of the ways to prevent these incidents:

Don’t change your dog’s diet drastically without a transition
Measure your dog’s food and feed it following the recommendations for its age, breed, activity level, and health
Never give your dog cooked bones; choose a coffee wood chewing toy or a Bully Stick
Don’t allow your dog to play with small toys, balls, or other objects which are easy to swallow
Discourage your dog from scavenging
Don’t feed your dog with table scraps
Refrain from overfeeding your pup with too many treats
Keep up to date with the dog’s vaccines and deworming
Never feed your dog with unprocessed food which can contain harmful bacteria
Keep away any toxins from the dog, including chocolate, xylitol, medicaments, detergents, and poisonous plants
Do not feed your pup foods it is allergic or sensitive to

Dog Diarrhea Is Not Something To Be Overlooked

As you can see, in many cases, with a few simple tweaks to your dog’s diet, diarrhea will resolve itself in a few days.

But in other cases, diarrhea could be a symptom of a more serious health condition requiring a vet visit.

Regularly dispose of your dog’s stool and call your trusted vet if you notice anything worrisome.

Also, if your dog has chronic diarrhea or suddenly gets it and shows signs of poisoning, you should take it to the vet as soon as possible.

Overall, if your pup is healthy and takes all preventive precautions to keep its digestive system working well, you shouldn’t worry about dealing with diarrhea too often.