Dog diarrhea: how to determine if it’s serious or not so serious

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Dog Diarrhea

When it comes to dogs and diarrhea, this usually temporary condition is nothing to panic about. In some cases, however, dog diarrhea may be a symptom of a serious condition. In these cases, you will have to take your dog to a vet to discuss options for treating diarrhea and possibly administer dog diarrhea treatment in the form of pills or gels. Just a few prescriptions available to treat dog diarrhea include DiaBac capsules, diarrhea control gels, and pet-penicillin diarrhea medication. All prescription dog diarrhea medications require a visit to your vet. So what could be causing your dogs diarrhea? There are several main causes of dog diarrhea including poor or incorrect diet, bacteria, parasites such as roundworms, viruses, stress, and eating garbage, human food or stale food. Mainly bacteria, such as E coli or salmonella, in the dog`s food cause more serious cases of dog diarrhea or “acute dog diarrhea.” Symptoms of acute dog diarrhea (and dog diarrhea in general) include watery stools or softer than usual stools, and blood and mucus in the stool. With acute dog diarrhea, your dog may defecate more frequently, and he might also feel dehydrated and tired. Although the symptoms of chronic dog diarrhea are the same as mild to moderate dog diarrhea cases, chronic canine diarrhea is the most serious of all. Your dog will defecate frequently, blood will be present in the stool, and your dog will also vomit. Chronic dog diarrhea symptoms can last anywhere from two days up to two weeks. If you notice that your dog has diarrhea or your new pet has puppy diarrhea, the most important thing you can do is provide plenty of fresh water immediately and contact your vet. Your vet will ask a series of questions. Based on answers to those questions, he will determine if a doctor’s visit is necessary for treatment of your dogs diarrhea. In the meantime, if you want to make your dog more comfortable, in addition to plenty of fresh water-- also called “water therapy”-- you can try Pepto-Bismol. Around 1ml is enough for every 10 lbs. of your dog’s weight. If your dog responds well to Pepto, you can give him up to three doses per day for no more than a week. Imodium A-D is also a good home remedy. Use the same dosage for Imodium as you would for Pepto. The cost for Pepto-Bismol is around $4 and Imodium A-D liquid is around $6. Prescription dog diarrhea treatments range in cost from $14 up to $50. Pet Penicillin, on the other hand, is relatively inexpensive at $5. It is important to note that your dog’s health is not worth saving a few bucks. Go with your gut. If your dog is sick, take him to the vet.

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