Home Remedies for Diarrhea: Don't Starve Your Dog & Lea

When your furry friend is suffering from diarrhea, it's crucial not to rush into restricting their water or food intake. While fasting might temporarily alleviate the symptoms, prolonged diarrhea combined with inadequate nutrition can lead to serious issues like dehydration and electrolyte imbalance!

Dogs, unlike humans, often have a more simplistic diet, making their digestive systems particularly sensitive. If they consume inappropriate food, suffer from parasites, bacterial, or viral infections, they may exhibit gastrointestinal discomfort such as soft stools, diarrhea, or vomiting. Each type of diarrhea requires a specific approach, so please avoid home remedies like fasting, water restriction, or administering human medications without professional advice. Today, Dr. OxygenPet is here to educate you on the common causes of dog diarrhea, selfdiagnosis methods, and some emergency home treatment measures.

1. Diarrhea SelfCheck for Dogs

1. Soft Stools: The feces contain a lot of moisture, making them easily absorbed by paper towels and stick to the floor.

Reason: This could be due to the dog lying on the cold floor to sleep or consuming cold drinks, leading to gastrointestinal cold, or overeating causing indigestion.

2. Mucuslike Stools: The stools have a chocolate or coffee color, a foul smell, and are slimy and runny.

Reason: This may be caused by bacterial or parasitic infections leading to intestinal mucosal damage, or gastrointestinal ulcers.

3. Watery Stools: The stools are watery, expelled in a jetlike manner, with only a few small, solid pieces.

Reason: This could be due to acute enteritis from consuming moldy and spoiled food, or infections with parvovirus or coronavirus.

4. Mucous Stools: The stools are filled with a lot of mucus, bubbles, and jellylike substances.

Reason: This is often a sign of bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections that cause rectal mucosal damage.

5. Bloody Stools: The stools are a tomatolike red, with a strong, foul odor.

Reason: This could be due to enteritis, parasitic infections, gastric ulcers, or intestinal bleeding from swallowing foreign objects. If the dog hasn't been vaccinated, it may be infected with canine distemper or parvovirus.

2. Emergency Home Treatment for Dog Diarrhea

1. Soft Stools

● Keep your dog warm and protect their abdomen from the cold;

● Administer a small amount of Welyk (bismuth subgallate tablets) to protect the intestinal mucosa and prevent diarrhea;

● If you're sure the diarrhea is due to overeating, you can fast the dog for a day, but not water. Resume a normal diet the next day with small, frequent meals.

2. Mucuslike Stools

● Take bismuth subgallate tablets for diarrhea and to promote intestinal mucosal repair;

● Take Knorax (amoxicillin clavulanate potassium) for antiinflammatory and antibacterial effects;

● After taking the antibiotic, feed a small amount of pet probiotics 12 hours later to regulate the intestinal flora.

3. Watery Stools

● Take bismuth subgallate tablets and amoxicillin clavulanate potassium;

● Feed highcarbohydrate, highfiber foods like porridge or pumpkin porridge in small, frequent amounts, keeping the diet simple and light;

● If your dog's appetite is poor, offer a small amount of glucose saline to replenish sugars and electrolytes;

● If there is no improvement after taking medication, seek medical attention and consider intravenous fluid therapy.

4. Mucuslike/Bloody Stools

Young Puppies: Unvaccinated puppies are more susceptible to viral infections. If they show symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, blood in the stool, and fever, it's essential to use canine distemper and parvovirus test kits for virus detection. If the results are positive, seek immediate veterinary care.

Adult Dogs: Vaccinated adult dogs can usually rule out viral infections, but they should undergo fecal tests and abdominal imaging at a veterinary clinic to determine the exact cause before treatment.

Ps: I've seen online claims that adult dogs with bloody stools can be directly ruled out for infectious diseases and can be treated with metronidazole for deworming. However, this is not 100% accurate. If an adult dog has a weakened immune system and has close contact with a dog carrying the virus, they can still be infected with canine distemper or parvovirus. Additionally, metronidazole is used to treat trichomoniasis, not effective against coccidia or other parasites, so a fecal examination is still necessary for targeted treatment.

In summary, except for diarrhea caused by overeating and indigestion, all other cases are pathological diarrhea and should not be restricted from water or food. Moreover, if a dog with severe diarrhea shows signs of dehydration such as decreased skin elasticity, sunken eyes, and pale mucous membranes, immediate veterinary care and intravenous fluid therapy are essential.