Puppy diarrhea treatment options

There are several ways you can treat diarrhea in puppies, and for the occasional, mild bout of loose stools it`s usually a pretty simple fix IF the problem is being caused by something simple....

......such as `dietary indescretion` (ie your curious puppy has eaten something he shouldn`t have), a sudden change in diet, or stress.

It`s very important to find out what`s causing your pup to have an upset tummy.

The frequency, color, and consistency of the diarrhea can point you in the right direction.

Before you decide on a course of treatment, I`d recommend check out my All About Puppy Diarrhea page so that you know what you`re dealing with.

Use these links to jump directly to the info. you`re looking for, or simply scroll down to read it all:

Treating mild to moderate diarrhea in puppies

  Fasting or withholding food

  Supplements & more

Treating moderate to severe puppy diarrhea

  What you can do at home

  When your pup needs veterinary help

Mild - Moderate Diarrhea

If your puppy has had a couple of loose stools,but doesn`t seem to be feeling sick, or showing any other signs of illness, chances are it`s being caused by something he`s eaten, or stress.

Here are some simple steps you can take to treat this type of diarrhea at home.

They should show results within 24 hours or so.

But, if your puppy starts to vomit, appears lethargic or shows any other symptoms of illness....

... or her stools haven`t improved after 24 hours it`s important to get her a veterinary exam right away.

You can`t be too careful in this situation.

Fasting Or Withholding Food

If a puppy`s tummy is upset because of a dietary indiscretion,one of the quickest ways to help her feel better is to give her digestive system a rest.

You can achieve that by fasting her for a short period.

Vibactra

Parvaid

Parvo Combo Pack

BM Tone-Up Gold

Firm Up Pumpkin

Moderate - Severe Diarrhea

Anytime that your puppy"s diarrhea is frequent, watery, projectile and smelly you need to consider illness.

Parasitic conditions such as Giardia or Coccidiosis can cause this type of diarrhea, so can viral or bacterial diseases... the most common and deadly of these is Canine Parvovirus.

Puppy diarrhea of this kind is much more dangerous than the "pudding stools" I talked about earlier on this page.

Moderate to severe diarrhea poses a very real threat to your puppy"s health, and puts him at almost immediate risk of dehydration.

What You Can Do At Home

Getting enough fluids into her is VERY important if your pup haswatery diarrhea and the first thing you need to do is get her drinking.

Plain,fresh water is good, but for repeated diarrhea it"s even better if youcan give her a rehydrating solution.

Pedialyte (which is designed forchildren with vomiting/diarrhea) can be found in most big grocery storesand pharmacies.

Give your pup this instead of water (theunflavored variety is the one that your pup is most likely to drink!).You can dilute it half-and-half with water, or give it full-strength ifshe"ll drink it that way.

If your little one refuses to touch iteven when diluted, try adding a little bit of flavoring such as chickenbroth or the commercial "dog food flavorings and gravies" that are soldin pet stores.

There"s a rehydrating solution similar to Pedialyte but formulated especially for dogs, it"s called K9 Quencherand is flavored to appeal to them. It"s a good idea to have some on hand so that if your pup gets sick you"re prepared.

It"s also good for puppies and dogs in very hot weather, or after vigorous exercise.

There are also a selection of really excellent all-natural products that you can use to help with diarrhea and digestive upsets....

Vibactrais a natural antibiotic and Vibactra Plus also includes a herbal anti-parasitic.

For Parvo itself, there"s another all-natural, product called Parvaid. A blend of anti-microbials and herbs that fight the Parvo virus.

BUT I wouldn"t recommend using these products as an alternative to mainstream veterinary care if your puppy has moderate to severe diarrhea, but for a mild case either of them can be very effective.

When a puppy is vomitingas well as having diarrhea the danger is multiplied, because any watershe drinks is likely to be vomited back up before any is absorbed intoher body.

If your pup is in this situation she needs to get to aveterinarian immediately as she probably needs IV fluids.

Waterydiarrhea that contains mucus or blood (either as streaks of red, or adark brown/black tarry consistency) means that there"s some seriousinflammation.

Although some of the causesof this type of diarrhea aren"t life threatening, this is no time totake a "wait and see" attitude.

A puppy with repeated diarrhea like this(with or without vomiting), needs to be seen by a vet without delay.Even if there are no other signs of illness.

If in addition to theupset tummy she seems sad or depressed, is lethargic or totallydisinterested in food, toys or treats, or has a fever, get her to a vetimmediately.

If your pup won"t/can"t keep down fluids you need to get her emergency veterinary help.

Severe, repeated, watery diarrhea that contains blood or mucus (either streaks of red blood, or a dark brown/black tarry appearance) means that there"s some serious inflammation going on.

A puppy with repeated diarrhea like this (with or without vomiting), needs to be seen by a vet without delay. Even if there are no other signs of illness.

Puppy Diarrhea Treatment From Your Veterinarian

Video: How to cure doggie diarrhea

If your puppy has severe diarrhea, with or without other signs of illness, you need to get her to your veterinarian for an exam.

Dehydration can set in very quickly and the worse the diarrhea and the younger the puppy, the more likely it is to quickly develop into something serious.

Usually your vet will take a stool sample to test for parasites and bacteria or viruses and give IV fluids to combat dehydration.

Once there"s a diagnosis treatment can get started.

IV antibiotics are often given for Parvo, alongside continuing IV fluids and sometimes anti-nausea medications as well.

This is usually called "supportive care" because as Parvo is a viral condition there is no "cure", it"s a case of supporting the puppy and trying to head off secondary infection until her immune system fights off the virus... if she can.

Giving your puppy Parvaid (if she can keep it down) is a good way to help her fight back.

For Coccidia your vet will likely prescribe the antibiotic Albon. 

Giardia is generally treated with Metronidazole.

Thesemedicines are usually effective, but they need to be given regularlyand as your vet recommends.

Parasitic infections like these can bestubborn and often a puppy needs more than one round of treatment to getrid of the problem.

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