Can Dogs with Diarrhea Take Chinese Medicine?

Causes of Diarrhea in Dogs: Dogs may develop diarrhea due to sudden changes in weather, seasonal shifts, or alterations in their living environment, which can expose them to pathogenic cold and dampness or heat and dampness. Other causes include dietary imbalances, irregular eating habits, poorquality food, and overeating, leading to spleen and stomach damage and weakness. Viral infections can also trigger diarrhea.

DampHeat Diarrhea: Dogs suffering from this condition may exhibit signs such as a lack of energy, decreased appetite, or even complete loss of appetite, vomiting, excessive thirst, restlessness, and frequent diarrhea. They may also experience urgency and tenesmus, with yellow, sticky feces that have a foul smell and may contain blood. The dog's mouth may appear reddish, and the tongue may have a thick, greasy coating.

Treatment should focus on clearing heat, detoxifying, and astringing dampness.

Prescription: 12g of earthworm bark, 10g of coptis, 10g of cinnamomum cassia, 12g of poria cocos, 10g of atractylodes, 10g of astragalus, 10g of codonopsis, and 8g of licorice. Boil these herbs in water for consumption.

DeficientCold Diarrhea: This type of diarrhea is characterized by acute onset, watery diarrhea, sunken eye sockets, fatigue, aversion to cold, cold extremities, chills, weight loss, pale mouth color, and a thin, white tongue coating.

Treatment should aim to warm the middlejiao, disperse cold, and nourish the spleen and stomach.

Prescription: 12g of codonopsis, 12g of poria cocos, 12g of atractylodes, 10g of astragalus, 10g of magnolia, 10g of tangerine peel, 18g of ginger, and 8g of licorice. Boil these herbs in water for consumption.

Overeating Diarrhea: Dogs with this condition may show signs of listlessness, decreased appetite, thin, watery feces containing undigested food, a sour smell, and a thick, greasy tongue coating.

Treatment should focus on soothing the middlejiao, promoting Qi flow, and resolving food stagnation.

Prescription: 15g of hawthorn, 12g of rhubarb, 10g of white atractylodes, 12g of wheat sprout, 12g of sixastringent, 12g of Chinese lovage seed, 12g of tangerine peel, 10g of magnolia, and 8g of licorice. Boil these herbs in water for consumption. Additionally, the dog should be provided with plenty of clean water and limited food for 2 to 3 days.

Virulent Diarrhea: Dogs may contract this disease due to viral infections, primarily canine parvovirus, which is highly contagious and a significant cause of canine diarrhearelated deaths. Symptoms include sudden onset, loss of appetite, fever, followed by diarrhea, rapid deterioration of the condition, and dark, tomatosaucelike feces with a particularly unpleasant smell due to gastrointestinal bleeding.

Treatment should primarily involve clearing heat, cooling the blood, stopping bleeding, and stopping diarrhea.

Prescription: 15g of Pulsatilla chinensis, 12g of coptis, 12g of phellodendron, 12g of scutellaria baicalensis, 12g of white peony root, 15g of black hawthorn, 12g of earthworm bark, and 10g of licorice. Boil these herbs in water for consumption.

However, due to the acute nature and high mortality rate of canine viral diarrhea, it is crucial to consider both Western and Chinese medicine treatments. This includes: 1) Replenishing fluids with intravenous glucose and saline, administering antiviral, antishock, and antiinfection medications, as well as hemostatic and antiemetic drugs; 2) Promptly injecting antiviral serum to enhance efficacy.