Should I Be Alarmed That My Dog Has Diarrhea?
- Scavenging may cause diarrhea in dogs.dog eating snow image by Paul Retherford from Fotolia.com
Dogs can get diarrhea from eating things they have scavenged. Spoiled food, dead animals and rich table scraps can lead to diarrhea. In this case, the diarrhea will usually stop once the dog's stomach has settled. This type of diarrhea may contain bright-red blood from broken vessels in the colon, but this is generally not a cause for concern. If diet-related diarrhea persists, you can treat the problem by administering a bland diet of boiled rice; low-fat, cooked ground meat; and a few teaspoons of canned pumpkin for a few days instead of the dog's regular food. - Diarrhea can also result from more serious causes, such as colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis, food intolerance or allergies, parasites, poisoning, a reaction to medication, the Parvo virus or worms. A veterinarian should treat the dog for these problems. If diarrhea contains very dark, reddish-black blood; if the dog has a fever; or if the dog's belly is hard and distended, it is imperative to get the dog to the vet as soon as possible as gastrointestinal damage or obstruction may be the cause.
- When a dog has diarrhea, the first course of action should be to consult a veterinarian. If the vet determines that the cause of the problem is dietary, you can treat the dog at home. If the cause is more serious, the vet will decide the best course of action to return the dog to optimal health.
