Diarrhea is a common ailment in dogs and cats. Just as with humans, healthy dogs and cats suffer from an ‘upset’ stomach on occasion, which then results in a loose stool or diarrhea - this is a fairly normal occurrence and is called ‘Acute Diarrhea’. Acute diarrhea is one of the body’s natural ways of removing substances that are not welcome in the body. The most common cause of this type of diarrhea is ingestion of a food stuff that the dog should not have consumed. Although diarrhea is a natural process, it is important to monitor Acute Diarrhea and you may need to provide some healing interventions. The symptoms usually disappear within a 72 hour time period.
The other type of Diarrhea is called ‘Chronic Diarrhea’. The underlying cause of this type of diarrhea is typically rooted in an ongoing condition in which the body is repeatedly exposed to an irritant or the diarrhea is a symptom of a medical condition.
Common Causes of Diarrhea
As noted above the most common cause of acute diarrhea is ingestion of food or other substances that the dog should not be eating, such as poisonous/toxicplants.
It really is very important to make sure that your dog cannot gain access to garbage - inside the home, in your garage, yard, on walks and when on off-leash excursions. Although many foods that are consumed by humans are fine for dogs, there are many foods that a dog should never eat - at best these foods will irritate a dog’s GI tract and at worst make a dog seriously ill. Eating rotting food can also trigger diarrhea.
The following are common causes of acute diarrhea:
Anxiety and stress;
Ingesting indigestible substances;
Ingesting too much fat in diet or the wrong type of fat;
Poisons/toxins - by absorbing, ingesting and/or inhaling;
Sudden change in food or addition of new types of food to the diet;
Side affect / reaction to medicine;
Virus (i.e. Distemper, Parvo).
The following are common causes of chronic diarrhea:
Allergyto food…ingredients in many commercial kibble can be a source of allergic reactions;
Compromised immune system;
Diseases such as colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, liver and kidney disease, stomach cancer, etc.
Parasites (i.e. infestation of worms or parasites such as Giardia);
Poisons/toxins - by absorbing, ingesting and/or inhaling;
Poor quality food;
Poorly functioning GI tract;
Too much fat in diet and /or the wrong type of fat;
Medications such as heart worm preventatives can cause diarrhea;
Over-feeding;
Over-vaccination.
Typical Signs that Indicate Your Animal Has Diarrhea
Your dog is either standing at the door anxiously, or anxiously trying to get your attention to let them outdoors at a time when they would normally not be asking. Your dog starts to ask to go out multiple times (to eliminate) within the space of an hour or several hours. In either case let your dog out and watch what they do, if they eliminate take a quick look to see if their stool is normal (firm, brown) or loose.
Your dog is straining to eliminate - although this may be a result of constipation, it is often also a result of repeated bouts of diarrhea. Diarrhea causes disruption of normal muscle contractions in the GI tract…thereby giving the sensation that elimination is required even when there is nothing left on the tract to eliminate;
Other symptoms include bloating, dehydration, lack of appetite, listlessness, fever.
When You Do and Do Not Need to Intervene;
If your dog or cat seems normal after a bout of diarrhea (he/she is behaving normally, has normal energy) - just keep an eye on him / her.
Make sure that your dog/cat has access to fresh drinking water; watch to see if they are drinking. If they are not follow the instructions provided below under ‘Dehydration’.
If the diarrhea occurs just once you can continue to feed your animal as you normally would. If the diarrhea is repeatedly occurring within the space of an hour or several hours withhold food for 12 hours and then proceed to feed your dog/cat as per the instructions provided below under ‘What To Feed Your Dog/Cat’.
You should get your dog/cat to a veterinarian right away if…
Severe diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours;
Diarrhea continues to occur for more that 3 days;
You see blood in the animal’s stool;
You observe any of the following…sluggishness, weakness, a fever, if your foster feels warm to the touch, if his/her behaviour changes or you see any other sign of dehabilitation.
At Greatest Risk
Young (puppies and kittens) and the old or those whose health is already compromised are most vulnerable to suffering complications from diarrhea. Dehydration as a result of diarrhea can occur very quickly in these high-risk animals, putting them in immediate and serious risk.
Dehydration
In order to avoid dehydration make sure that your animal has access to fresh drinking water and gently encourage them to drink. Do not, however urge them from an anxious state of mind or you will further compromise their well-being.
If you see you animal is not drinking, to entice them to drink you can offer them a clear broth. Don’t give the animal a commercially made broth as it can include a lot of sodium (salt) which will cause further dehydration, it may also contain additives such as food colouring, spices such as pepper, and other dangerous food stuffs such as onions. Instead make a broth by cooking some vegetables such as carrot, celery and parsnip with a piece of chicken or turkey breast meat and some rice in a pot of water. Bring the broth to a boil then turn the temperature down and let it simmer for an hour. Then take the broth off of the heat to cool, strain the fluid to remove all food and particles. Once the clear broth has reached room temperature you can put some in a bowl and encourage your dog or cat to drink it. Offer this broth to the animal at least 3 or 4 times a day if the animal is not drinking water on its own.
To check to see if your foster is suffering from dehydration…
Pull up gently on the skin at the back of the neck;
If, when released the skin bounces back quickly, the animals hydration level is fine.
If the skin does not does not go back in-place or goes back slowly, your animal is dehydrated and needs medical attention right away - don’t waste time trying to hydrate the animal yourself - get the animal to a veterinarian who will probably give them a fluid injection shot right away and may put them on a saline drip. Severe dehydration is very dangerous and can lead to organ shut down and death.
What You Should Not Feed Your Dog or Cat if They Have Diarrhea
Do not feed them their normal food.
Do Not Feed them rice and ground beef. Many veterinarians will recommend that you feed your animal plain rice and lean cooked ground beef.
Rice can ferment in their GI tract, creating gas and making the diarrhea worse;
Also, rice moves through the digestive system quickly, and is very difficult to digest - it will only add to the next bout of diarrhea);
Even lean ground beef has enough fat to cause more/ worse diarrhea.
Do not give you dog or cat Pepto Bismal as it contains salicylates - a compound found naturally in foods and manufactured synthetically for use as a pain killer - i.e. salicylates are an active ingredient in aspirin. This will make the animals condition worse.
What to Feed Your Dog or Cat if They Have Diarrhea
Once you have waited-out the 12 hour no-feed period you can start to introduce a small amount of the pumpkin/poultry food (recipe below). This food should be feed to the animal 3 to 6 times a day in small amounts for up to 3 days (72 hours), by which time the diarrhea should subside. If the animal still has diarrhea after 72 hours it is time to take him/her to the veterinarian.
Pumpkin/Sweet Potato and Turkey/Chicken Recipe
You maybe surprised when you first see the words 'pumpkin and sweet potato', you might ask why would you give a dog that has diarrehea a high fibre root vegetable or squash? Well, because both are high in soluble fibre! Soluble fibers attract water and form a gel, which slows down digestion. High quality soluble fibre (that is not prone to fermenting as rice is), prevents and relieves both diarrehea and constipation. Pumpkin and sweet potato are also rich in nutrients while being easy to digest.
Turkey and/or chicken breast meat is rich in protein and nutrients and low in fat. The combination of these ingredients are the best and only food that you should feed your animal while he/she has diarrhea.
What you will need…
Pumpkin - 100% pure, plain, cooked pumpkin, or 100% pure, plain, canned pumpkin. Do not use pumpkin pie filling as it will make your animals condition worse. Pumpkin pie filling has sugar, spices and other ingredients besides pumpkin.
or
Sweet Potato - you can substitute pumpkin for 100% pure, plain canned sweet potato or 100% pure, plain, freshly cooked and mashed sweet potato.
and
Plain, cooked turkey breast meat or plain, cooked chicken breast meat. Don’t use processed chicken or turkey meat - use real whole breast meat cooked and cut in small pieces or cooked ground-up breast meat. If you are using whole breast meet rather than ground - make sure you trim all fat prior to cooking. After cooking drain the meat to remove any remaining fat.
Using a ratio of 50:50 mix the pumpkin or sweet potato with the chicken or turkey and feed small portions to your animal 3 to 6 times a day in small amounts for up to 3 days (72 hours), by which time the diarrhea should subside.
Additional Food Supplement
The herb ‘slippery elm’ is the best natural anti-diarrhea remedy. It is safe for puppies and dogs of all ages and does not create any complications when used in combination with other medications (i.e. a dog is on medicine for another condition not linked to the diarrhea).
Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) has been used as an herbal remedy for centuries. It is used in healing salves to treat: boils, burns, skin inflammation and ulcers. It is also used as an oral mendicant to relieve coughs, sore throats, diarrhea, and stomach problems.
Slippery Elm contains mucilage. Mucilage is a substance that when mixed with water, turns into a lubricating gel. It works to coat and sooth the mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines. It also contains antioxidants that help relieve inflammation. In addition, Slippery Elm triggers reflux stimulation of nerve endings in the GI tract, thereby promoting increased mucus secretion. This helps protect the GI Tract against excess acidity and ulcers.
Slippery Elm powder is available at most health food stores and through on-line herbal suppliers.
There are two simple ways that you can administer the slippery elm to your dog or cat…
One - Mix it With the Pumpkin/Poultry Food
The dosage is ½ tsp of slippery elm bark powder for every 10lbs of body weight - just mix the slippery elm powder with the dog’s pumpkin/poultry food.
Two - Make a Liquid Infusion
If you want to make a liquid infusion to administer to your cat or dog via a dropper or syringe…
Combine one teaspoon of slippery elm powder with one cup of cold water;
Bring the mixture to a boil and stir;
Turn the heat down and let the mixture simmer for 2 to 3 minutes;
Remove from heat;
Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature;
Administer the Slippery Elm infusion to your dog or cat 4 times per day using the following dosage for each treatment:
Small dogs - 1 teaspoon, four times a day
Medium dogs - 1 to 2 tablespoons four times a day
Large dogs - 3 to 4 tablespoons four times a day
Proactive Maintenance
Once your dog is on the mend you can look at adding some healthy immune boosting food stuffs to his/her diet. Just make sure that you only add on item at a time - this way if your dog has any sensitivity to the item it is easy to identify which new food item is causing the sensitivity.
Adding a good quality plain yogurt is a great way to help your dog maintain a healthy flora of good bacteria in its GI tract. Just drop a spoon full of the yogurt on top of the dog’s food.
Small dogs - 1 teaspoon a day
Medium dogs - 1 to 2 tablespoons a day
Large dogs - 3 to 4 tablespoons a day
You can add some herbs to your dog’s daily diet to boost their immune system and build their defence against bad bacteria.
Calendula Flowers
The antiseptic quality of the herb helps prevent bacterial growth, which is good news for your dog and bad news for the bacteria.
Goldenseal
This herb is a powerful antibiotic that prevents the bacteria from latching onto the cell walls. It is particularly useful for treating stomach and bowel ailments.
Echinacea
Echinacea has anti-biotic, anti-viral and immune system stimulating properties - it is very useful for preventing bad bacteria from flourishing.
The table below provides a general guideline for herbs/spices based on your dog’s weight. The information provided in the table is an extract from Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Dogs Care.
Daily Amounts Based on Dog’s Weight.
Dog’s Weight | Sprinkles (on dog's food once/day) | Teas | Capsules/Tablets | Tinctures |
1-10 lbs | a small pinch | less than 1/4 cup, 1-3 times/day | 1/2 capsule, 1-3 times/day | 1-3 drops, 2-3 times/day |
10-20 lbs | a bigger pinch about | 1/4 cup, 1-3 times/day | 1/2-1 capsule/tablet, 1-3 times/day | 3-5 drops, 2-3 times/day |
20-50 lbs | 2 pinches-1 teaspoon | 1/4-1/2 cup, 1-3 times/day | 1-2 capsules/tablets, 2-3 times/day | 5-10 drops, 2-3 times/day |
50-100 lbs | 2 pinches-2 teaspoons | 1/2-1 cup, 1-3 times/day | 1-2 capsules/tablets, 3-4 times/day | 20 drops, 2-3 times/day |
Over 100 lbs, | up to 1 tablespoon | up to 1 cup 3 times/day | adult human dose | adult human dose |
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