It is common for your dog to develop diarrhea. Canine diarrhea is not a disease. It can be a symptom of an underlying fatal illness such as cancer.
In other cases it is caused by mild cases and can be treated. These mild cases may be caused by your dog eating garbage, stomach viruses and so on.
If these mild cases of canine diarrhea are not treated early, it might result in complicated illnesses as a result of severe fluid and nutrients loss.
Treatment for canine diarrhea
In mild cases, the treatment of canine diarrhea is simple. First and foremost, you hold back any food for 24 hours to allow your dog to get rid of the toxins or bacteria that are causing the problem.
During this time, get your dog started on a diet of boiled chicken or hamburger and brown rice. Continue to give him this diet for several days, and progressively increase the amounts you give him.
After a few days, you should be able to notice a steady improvement with your dog’s stools becoming more solid and firm.
However, if the condition persists and your dog starts showing symptoms such as vomiting, lethargy, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, loss of appetite and a high fever, then it ceases to be a mild case of canine diarrhea. The diarrhea might be a symptom of an underlying disease and you need to contact your vet immediately.
The vet will then run a series of tests to come up with a diagnosis, so that a treatment may be carried out. There are many ways that the vet can perform these tests. He may use radiography, exploratory abdominal surgery, stool cultures and blood tests. Once a diagnosis is made, treatment can be started then.
Canine diarrhea can either be acute or chronic. When it is acute and mild, the vet will usually prescribe some supplements and other light treatments to help clear away the diarrhea.
If the dog doesn’t respond to the treatments positively then it is up to you to report these to your vet so that he will be able to monitor your pet’s progress, enabling your vet to find an alternative treatment.
Ensuring that your dog not get the diarrhea
You can also help in making sure that your dog doesn’t develop chronic diarrhea. You can do this by monitoring your dog’s diet, and doing some research on the types of food[pet food] that are least likely to cause stomach viruses and so on.
