Diarrhea in dogs is a somewhat inevitable problem that you are going to have to deal with at some point or another.
Hopefully it's not too frequent, but it's something that is going to happen so it's best to prepare yourself and learn what you have to do to fix the problem when it occurs. Puppy diarrhea is often a bigger concern than diarrhea in dogs that are full grown, but both can be hazardous and neither should be ignored.
That's actually one of the main problems when it comes to diarrhea in dogs. Owners often think that it's nothing too unusual or out of the ordinary and there isn't any cause for concern. By and large there shouldn't be any serious problem but you never know, and you can't let the problem persist because there can be serious, complications and side-effects as time goes on and the problem is left unchecked.
First of all, there are two basic types of diarrhea in dogs. The first is acute diarrhea, which is a problem that comes up and lasts for a few days or even a week. There can be a variety of causes of this and most of them can be easily fixed. The other form you might encounter is chronic diarrhea, where the dogs have a persistent and long lasting problem. In this case, you'll certainly need the assistance of a vet to diagnose the underlying problem and develop a game plan for action, consisting of either medication, a change in diet or other treatments as well.
The main concern with dog diarrhea is that the increased, loose bowel movements can quickly lead to dehydration, which can be a very serious problem. This is especially true for puppy diarrhea, because their bodies are so small they can quickly lose a lot of water and fluids. However, it's a concern for dogs of all ages and you may need to take your dog to a vet for an IV of fluids after a particularly severe case, or an ongoing problem.
Acute diarrhea in dogs is something that just seems to pop up, which means it's usually caused by something the dog ate, or some other change. A very quick change from one type of food to another can cause the other, and even giving your dog new treats can lead to this problem. Additionally, your dog either stealing some or you providing certain foods that we eat everyday can lead to the problem as well.
Besides the food that is eaten, puppy diarrhea can also be caused by stress and other changes in the environment. For example if you have moved and your dog is now in a new home, the stress and the change can lead to digestive problems. Other major changes or unstable environments can produce the same effect. This should be a short lived problem that is fixed as the dog settles into the new environment or circumstances calm down a bit.
To help the situation you can switch your dog to a bland, homemade diet for a few days to get your dog nutrients and easily digestible food. Cook up some plain white rice and plain chicken, and mix it into a bowl with about 2/3 cup rice and 1/3 cup chicken. This bland diet should help get your dog on the mend but if it doesn't, and your dog isn't eating or drinking, it's time to visit the vet.
Puppy diarrhea can also be caused by certain pathogens like viruses, parasites and bacteria. A puppy of just a few weeks old having diarrhea likely has a problem with worms or coccidia, although other potential culprits include Giardia and Trichomonas. In any case you'll need to take your dog to the vet and have him examine a stool sample to determine the cause and provide a medication to treat it. A typical medication used to combat many bacteria and parasites is Flagyl.
For diarrhea in dogs that are full grown there can also be many other causes. There can be issues such as worms and the above bacteria and parasites, or your dog may suffer from a condition such as IBS - irritable bowel syndrome or Colitis, which is inflammation of the lining in the colon. These problems will typically cause chronic problems as opposed to short bursts of symptoms, and you'll need to take your dog to the vet.
As you can see there are many different causes for both acute and chronic diarrhea in dogs. In many cases you can deal with the puppy diarrhea on your own, but other times you'll need to got to the vet for examinations, medication or even an IV of fluids.
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