For the dog with simple diarrhea that is still eating and drinking and feeling fine, home management may be the only treatment needed. For 24-48 hours, feed boiled, skinless, boneless, chicken breast with cooked white rice. If possible, feed small meals every 2-4 hours. Bland food fed in frequent, small amounts gives the intestines time to calm down and readjust. Once diarrhea has resolved, gradually begin re-introducing the normal food. If the diarrhea does not resolve or comes back after reintroducing normal food, it is time to see the veterinarian for more treatment options.
Simple diarrhea in dogs is usually treated in several ways.
Metronidazole is an antibiotic used to remove any abnormal bacteria in the intestines.
Pectin and Kaolin are medications often given in conjunction with Metronidazole as together they work to stop diarrhea and firm the stool more quickly.
Probiotics are sometimes used also. These are beneficial bacteria that help restore the balance of normal bacteria in the intestines. Some probiotics are used to treat diarrhea and others can be used to prevent diarrhea.
Another option is bland food. Giving your dog white rice and boiled chicken allows the intestines to calm down and readjust to a normal balance.
It is imperative that you do not try to cure your dog with over the counter human medications such as Kaopectate, Immodium or Pepto-Bismol without your veterinarians permission. In general, diarrhea will resolve itself in a few days. However, if it doesn’t, a re-visit to the veterinarian is needed in order to perform new tests as well as explore other treatment options. A detailed video is available below which explains the treatment of simple diarrhea.
If your dog has bloody or tarry diarrhea, has other symptoms with the diarrhea, or does not seem to feel well, it is important that you make an appointment to see the veterinarian right away. Dogs with very severe diarrhea or other systemic illness causing diarrhea can get worse rapidly.
How to Prevent Diarrhea
Listed below are several ways you can prevent your dog from having diarrhea:
Keep trash, human food, and medications locked up and out of reach of your dog.
Do not feed your dog human food or table scraps.
Supervise your dog when outside to make sure it does not eat something it should not.
If you need to change your dogs diet, do so gradually by mixing the new food and the old food. Slowly increase the amount of new food and decrease the amount of old food until you are feeding only the new food. Make this change over at least seven days. Some dogs may need longer.
If you take your dog to board or stay with someone else, take your own dog food.
Deworm your dog every month. Most heartworm preventives will also deworm a dog.
Please bear in mind that no information in this article is designed to diagnose or treat your pet nor should it replace a visit to your veterinarian for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
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