This entry was posted on 2014-07-04 by Schalk.

As with vomiting in dogs, diarrhoea can have a number of different causes including stress, infections such as parvovirus, parasitic infestation and food problems.  It can be caused by something as simple as a change in your dog’s diet to a more serious illness or infection.  Also, like vomiting, diarrhoea can easily lead to dehydration from the loss of fluid.

Diarrhoea may be sudden in onset and short in duration or it may last for weeks to months or occur on and off.  A single episode of diarrhoea is usually not a cause for concern in dogs but persistent diarrhoea may lead to dehydration or indicate an underlying health problem.

Symptoms and Types

Diarrhoea refers to loose or liquid, frequent stools.  Accompanying symptoms may include flatulence, blood or mucus in the stool, changes in the volume of the stool and straining to defecate. Your dog may be lethargic, vomiting, have a decreased appetite and weight loss.  If the stool is black and tarry, it suggests that your dog may be bleeding in the stomach or small intestine and should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Causes

Causes of diarrhoea in dogs is vast, some of these are listed below:
•    Change in diet
•    Food intolerance
•    Ingestion of spoiled food/poisonous or toxic substances
•    Ingestion of a foreign body
•    Bacterial or viral infections
•    Internal parasite infestation such as roundworm
•    Inflammatory bowel disease
•    Kidney or liver disease
•    Certain medications

As one episode of diarrhoea is rarely significant, there are a few things to look out for that suggest you should take your dog to the veterinarian:

•    If the diarrhoea continues for more than a day
•    If your dog is lethargic
•    Associated symptoms such as lethargy, vomiting, fever, dark-coloured or bloody stools, straining to defecate, decreased appetite or unexplained weight loss
•    If your dog is a puppy and has diarrhoea as it is an important indicator of serious diseases in young dogs

Treatment

As there are a number of causes of diarrhoea, your veterinarian will need a good history about the diarrhoea.  This will include when and how often your dog has been going to the toilet, the consistency of the stool, whether or not it contains blood or mucus or parasites.  Also important to mention is any other associated symptoms mentioned above that your dog may be experiencing.

From your history, your veterinarian will examine your dog and possibly do some other investigations such as stool samples or blood tests to aid in the diagnosis.

Treatment will depend on the cause and the severity of your dog’s diarrhoea.  If your dog is mildly ill, it may be treated on an out-patients basis whereas if your dog has severe dehydration, it may need to be hospitalized for fluid and electrolyte therapy.  Mild diarrhoea with no vomiting should follow a period of fasting (12-24 hours) with water, which is often followed by a bland diet such as boiled rice and chicken or a prescription diet.  Medication may be prescribed by your veterinarian, the most common of these being dewormers for worm infestation
Other causes of diarrhoea such as obstruction or foreign bodies may require surgery.

Prevention

Even healthy dogs can sometimes get diarrhoea but there are a few tips to reduce the likelihood of your dog getting diarrhoea:

•    Ensure your dog gets all his/her vaccinations
•    Make sure your dog is free of parasites by following your veterinarians recommendations
•    Make sure your dog does not have access to garbage or spoiled food
•    Do not allow him/her to ingest faeces from other animals
•    Minimize stress in your dogs environment
•    If you decide to switch your dog’s food, it is a good idea to introduce it gradually, mixing it with the current food to make the transition easier

Living and Management

Be cautious when cleaning up diarrhoea and faeces as there are several infectious causes of diarrhoea that may infect people as well.
Be sure to follow the recommendations from your veterinarian for the treatment of your dog’s diarrhoea but also in terms of deworming procedures and vaccinations.