Dog Diarrhea: Causes and What to Do

1 Dog Diarrhea: Causes and What to Do

What is dog diarrhea

Normally a dog passes formed brown stool 1-2 times a day (color varies with food). With diarrhea, stool may be pasty or watery, much more often, sometimes with blood or foreign matter, a fishy or sour smell, and clearly lower energy and appetite when severe.

When to see a vet: describe the dog’s energy, diet, habits, environment, and deworming records – this helps the vet find the cause and examine properly.

Causes of dog diarrhea

Diarrhea can come from bad food (spoiled leftovers), sudden diet change, overeating, or stress, with normal energy, appetite, and urine, and no blood, foreign matter, parasites, or vomit in the soft stool.

If this fits, fast the dog X hours (>6 months: 6 hours; <=6 months: 4 hours), keep water, and give pet probiotics. After fasting, feed small frequent easy foods – softened kibble, gastrointestinal canned food, plain boiled chicken (no salt/spice) – with probiotics, returning to normal over two days. If all returns to normal, it is fine.

If during this home care the diarrhea does not improve, or energy/appetite drop or vomiting appears, take it seriously – another disease may be present, analyzed below.

1. Pathogens. In young or under-vaccinated animals, sudden diarrhea may be viral – distemper, parvo, coronavirus cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever, low energy.

It can also be bacterial – Salmonella, Clostridium, or Campylobacter overgrow; normal stool has some but within range.

It may also be fungal (e.g., Histoplasma). Roundworms, tapeworms, and protozoa like coccidia and giardia also cause diarrhea, especially in young animals.

2. Foreign bodies

Bones, sticks, and other objects can lodge in the gut, causing diarrhea and vomiting; they may also scratch the gut and cause bleeding.

3. Allergy

Dogs can have food allergies to a protein, grain, or additive, showing diarrhea and vomiting.

Also, some toxins (lead, pesticides) cause diarrhea, usually with vomiting.

4. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

IBD is common in dogs and cats – ongoing gut inflammation from many factors (genetics, environment, diet, infection). The most accurate diagnosis is histopathology – taking a gut segment. Because it is hard, exclusion diagnosis is usual.

Some breeds have congenital IBD; Basenjis may get severe IBD.

5. Tumors

Intestinal tumors are another cause, usually in older pets. Adenocarcinoma can be a single removable lump or infiltrate the whole gut. Lymphosarcoma in dogs and cats may be single or multiple masses, with abnormal lymphocytes spreading to the gut.

6. Other diseases

Other organ disease – kidney failure, liver failure, pancreatic disease – can cause diarrhea. Pancreatitis damages the pancreas so it makes too few enzymes to digest fat, i.e., pancreatic insufficiency, giving greasy stool. Congenital enzyme deficiency in young animals also occurs.

How to handle dog diarrhea

We made a mind map of stool traits to help you decide. If all options are green, the case is mild – observe and care at home (as at the start).

If any indicator is yellow, stay alert and be ready for the hospital; if one is red, go to the hospital at once.

How to lower the chance of diarrhea

1. Avoid sudden diet change.

2. Do not give bones (they can cause constipation or diarrhea).

3. Do not let them play with very small objects.

4. Do not feed leftovers.

5. On outings, stop them eating random things (cat owners with leash-trained cats note this too).

6. Deworm and vaccinate on schedule (a must for dogs and cats alike).