What Should We Do If Our Adult Dog Has Diarrhea?
Diarrhea in adult dogs is usually harmless and easily treatable. However, diarrhea may also be caused by a serious illness. Diarrhea in adult dogs can be bothersome, but fortunately it is generally harmless. However, the cause of the digestive disorder must be found. Causes of diarrhea...
CAUSES OF DIARRHEA
Yesterday all was normal, today all of a sudden my dog got diarrhea. Many people cannot explain the reason for this. The best thing to do in this situation is to run through the last 24 hours: Did the dog eat a new food? Did he catch any disease during the walk? Did the neighbours give him delicious treats? Did he drink water from a puddle? A lot of things cause diarrhea. Although the cause of diarrhea can sometimes be identified, it is often not found. But the good thing is that generally diarrhea is completely harmless.
ACUTE (SUDDEN) DOG DIARRHEA
Even a little excitement is enough for sensitive dogs to get diarrhea. But diarrhea may also effect "perfectly normal" dogs as well. He may be experiencing a stress that you are not aware of, such as too many activities, uncomfortable bed, constant opponent or being subjected to rigorous training. All these things may affect his stomach. On the other hand, most of the time the cause for diarrhea is that the dogs ate something they "shouldn't eat". Maybe there was something in the yard he just couldn't resist, maybe he ate hard-to-digest leftovers or maybe he found something himself and ate it. Make sure that foods that are not suitable for dogs, such as chocolate, nuts or grapes, are not stored close to dogs. Fertilizer, snail or poison bait may cause worse consequences. If you suspect your dog may have come into contact with these substances, you should contact a veterinarian immediately.
CHRONIC DIARRHEA
If your dog has occasional diarrhea but is in good general health and is recovering after a day or so, there is usually nothing to worry about. The situation is different in chronic diarrhea and recurrent problems. This diarrhea may be due to a feed intolerance or allergy. Even if your dog has eaten the same food for years, the diarrhea cannot be ignored. In the case of chronic diarrhea, you should contact a veterinarian who will find out the cause. This can be caused by parasites: Worms can be killed within a few days, but single-celled organisms (eg. giardia) can sometimes be persistent. Sometimes a week of treatment may be required to rid the dog of parasites. Viruses, fungi or bacteria can also cause diarrhea. Vaccination protects against infectious diseases such as parvovirus, distemper, which often have symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. However, no measures are possible against many other viruses and bacteria. Fortunately, most of these cause only temporary discomfort and can be successfully fought off with appropriate veterinary treatment.
WHEN SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE DIARRHEA?
Diarrhea is characterized by loose stool that is soft to liquid. It may differ from normal stool in both color and odor. The dog defecates more frequently or uncontrollably, the accompanying symptoms are usually a rumbling and bloating in the stomach. Under the severity of diarrhea, there may be other symptoms besides these symptoms. The dog may have lethargy and temporarily stop eating. All these reasons are also not a reason to immediately go to the vet. Owner should consult to a vet as soon as possible if symptoms do not subside within 2 days or if symptoms such as fever, cramps, and severe malaise begin to appear. This warning is especially true in case of diarrhea in puppies, because puppies may become dehydrated, which can cause serious diseases. Note: Don't forget to take a stool sample to the vet.
WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF MILD DIARRHEA?
It would be wrong to give the dog a medication that suppresses diarrhea or thickens the stool. This is because if harmful substances, parasites, poisons or other pathogens have caused diarrhea, thickening the stool interferes with the body's self-cleaning mechanism. In fact, diarrhea also has a feature such as flushing out everything that harms the dog. In case of mild diarrhea, the usual thing to do is not to give the dog anything to eat for 24 hours. Only fresh water should be given. Let the dog have some time to heal his gastrointestinal tract, and then start feeding the dog in small portions. There are several opinions as to whether a diet of chicken, rice, and cottage cheese is good for the dog because dogs cannot easily digest the lactose contained in cottage cheese. Also, giving this mixture means you are changing the dog's food, which can often be problematic. Therefore, some vets recommend starting to feed the dog a normal diet with small portions, while others recommend using a protein-only type of food that the dog does not normally eat. In this way, the risk of developing a feed allergy to normal dog foods due to intestinal tract discomfort would be also minimized. It is best to discuss these issues with a veterinarian who personally knows your dog.
HOW TO PREVENT DIARRHEA
You can never ignore diarrhea in dogs! Sooner or later every dog gets diarrhea. Review all the causes that can cause diarrhea, mentioned above, and consider whether one of them could be involved. Check if the dog has all the necessary vaccinations, when was the last worm treatment administered, if the dog is constantly under stress, or if something that is not good for his health is within the dog's reach.
Diarrhea can also be caused by food or nutrition: Dogs cannot tolerate cold or hot food. It may also be useful to distribute the amount of the dog food in the form of two or three servings per day, rather than giving it as a large portion at a time. More importantly, the quality of dog food and its easy digestibility is important! Trust the excellent quality offered by HAVLIFE and HOWLY Dog food and try our products at affordable prices!
• For adult dogs: HAVLIFE and HOWLY (With Lamb and Rice for adult dogs)
• For small breeds: HAVLIFE S-M (with Lamb and Rice)
• For puppies: HAVLIFE (with Salmon and Rice) and HOWLY (with Chicken and Salmon)
