Home Remedies for Doggie Diarrhea
I used to work at a vet.
While there, I learned a few "home remedies" for some common pet ailments, including the dreaded doggie diarrhea.
Here are the best home remedies for treating a case of diarrhea in your dog.
But how do you know when it's time to see the vet?...
Keep In Mind...
Diarrhea is a SYMPTOM of something else going on in your pet's system.It occurs when food travels through the digestive system too quickly, resulting in insufficient moisture being absorbed. This usually happens when the intestines become irritated and inflamed. Your pet's intestinal distress could be anything from a mild case of upset stomach from something he ate to a sign of something more serious including worms, parasites, or even cancer.
Vet or No Vet?
Fortunately, most episodes of doggie diarrhea that have sudden onset, are easily cured, and occur infrequently. They're just a fact of doggiehood.
But, technically, diarrhea becomes clinically significant after 24 hours. Therefore, if the diarrhea has lasted a couple days, or your dog is weak and listless, or there are additional problems (such as vomiting or blood in the stool), then it is time to have a veterinarian examine your pet, no matter how long your dog has had the diarrhea.
While home remedies could save you a small chunk of change in a pinch, you should always consult with your veterinarian -- at least via telephone -- if the diarrhea has lasted more than 2 days. And if you really want to play it safe, then phone your veterinarian and let them know the very moment you notice that your dog has diarrhea. Be sure to mention any other "symptoms" you've noticed, as well. Chances are, they'll tell you to follow the same advice mentioned here for the first 24 to 48 hours.
My Best Advice If Your Dog Has Diarrhea:
Personally, if a dog has diarrhea for more than 2 days in a row -- then YES, I would definitely take that dog to the vet. Sooner rather than later.
Keep in mind that "home remedies" should only be applied at the onset of diarrhea (the moment you first notice it)... before it's had time to wear your dog down and before it's managed to freak you out as a caring dog owner. The more time that's passed, the more urgency that you get your dog to the vet.
At the very least you should call your vet to get their advice over the phone. Be honest with them and they'll be honest with you. Trust their judgment.
Also, the younger the dog, the sooner it needs to be seen by a vet when diarrhea strikes. Why? Because diarrhea usually signals something much more serious going on than just an upset tummy in them. (This applies to very old dogs too.) Always think of puppies and senior dogs as having "compromised immunities". They're usually not operating at full-strength at those very young and very old ages.
Okay, here's another valuable tip that I wasn't aware of until I started working at the vet:
You don't always have to lug your pet to the vet to obtain a diagnosis (and meds if there's a problem). With diarrhea, for example, you could simply take a recent sample of your pet's stool to the vet. The "fecal test" is generally VERY inexpensive ($10-$15) and works wonders for giving you peace of mind.
try james wellbeloved dried food recomended by my vet. As soon as i give my boxer bitch who up to 3 months ago suffered with colitus ,all the symptons went she loves it.
we have a rott that is about 13-14 years old. he has very bad diarrhea and blood with it at the end when we clean him. It is in liquid form. It may be due to something he ate. Any recommendations before he goes to the doc?
Sarah, my Schnauzer had diarrhoeia from puppyhood, at first just loose stools and then eventually very liquid with blood. An endoscopy showed inflamed ulcerated intestines. All tests negative. No change of diet helped. She was always cheerful, bright and loving, but gradually got weaker. Eventually one eye got very swollen and was surgically removed. Pathology in the eye showed her to have generalized protothecosis (Prototheca zopfii), a mutated algae that attacks dogs with low immune systems. No treatment was available at that time (10 years ago). Freya was euthanased when she became blind and confused, at 2 years and 4 months old. I hope this is not your dog's problem but at least raise the possibility with your vet.
Jane Crancher
Australia
i have found the best food for my dog and cat! it's called: "Chicken Soup for the Dog (or) Cat Lover's Soul". if you can't find it in the pet stores, it's available through PetFoodDirect.com. the ingredients are listed on all the pet food they carry. it's all natural, no fillers or by products and states naturally preserved. it has chicken, salmon, turkey, duck, loaded with vegetables and fruits and is easily digested. available in canned also, but i have found sticking to these dry foods (they love) they never have any digestive problems -and wonderfully! -for the first time, my animals don't have the sporatic regurgitation problem. SO much better than the common store brands!
HI,
I have a 9 yr old Shar-pei/shepard female. She has never been sick- until recently. I changed her food from the Dry Ol' Roy kibbles and bits to Purina Naturally Complete because of the tainted food scare. I did alot of research and found out that you should only give your dog food that is approved by the AAFCO. Since changing her food, she has had diarrhea. In the beginning I tried to switch over by adding the new food to the old food for a few days and then just gave her the new food. She had diarrhea all over the house anyway. I then gave her Pepto Bismal in the tablet form- and she seemed better. Now, It has been a few weeks and her stool is still very loose AND she appears Happy, healthy and energetic. So I don't know how long it takes for a dog to adjust to a new food - is this too long? And I am afraid to change it Again, due to her last diarrhea episode in the house ! Any suggestions?
My 11 month old Doberman puppy had diarrhea from the time I brought her home (at about 8 weeks old) until about 2 months ago! She had every test you could imagine and I tried home remedies,vet remedies and just waiting for her to grow out of it. I don't know why but I decided to try organic dog food thinking it is pretty pure and so I bought Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Organics dry dog food. She got better! I then tried a different flavor of the Natural Balance which had animal protien in it and her diarrhea came back. So my conclusion is that she cannot tolerate animal protien and is doing great on the Natural Balance Organics. I give her natural treats that have no animal protien and she is fine with natural rawhide bones and chews. I wanted to share this because when I was going through months of her with diarrhea, I wanted to pull my hair out from frustration, not to mention how miserable she must have been. Now to clarify, Natural Balance is organic dog food however the one that I feed my puppy is called Organics. If I can save other dog owners any grief I am happy to by sharing this information.
Our boxer girl is now 10 months old. She has had loose stools/diarrhea now for as long as I can remember. We have her and her brother. Both of them had digestive "issues" at the beginning at which time they were both tested up the wazoo (literally & figuratively) and "treated" with oodles of antibiotics and anti-protozoa, etc. Pumba (the female) STILL has diarrhea with blood. We are getting ready to take her back to the vet. We are at a loss and pray every time she goes out to poop for that miracle hard little tootsie roll, but still nothing yet after 5 months. They were brought to us on Wal Mart dog food which after one week they were weaned off to Authority (Petsmart brand). Then after a few months we put them on Hills Science Diet Lamb & Rice (she still had diarrhea!). Now after a few more months they are on Nature's Recipe (??) Fish & Potato. After 2 weeks she still has diarrhea. We have weaned them off this food over the course of a week as instructed by EVERYONE. And we have noticed Timon's (boy) stool is fine and hard so we are confused. Do you have any suggestions or just bring her back to the vet and have all the usual stool samples, blood tests & cultures done AGAIN???????? This is getting frustrating and costly. If nothing shows up then we were told it could be a irritable bowel-like disorder or some other disorder with her intestines that would be determined only by opening her up. AHHHH!
Angie -
Three things that scare me about your pup's situation:
1. It's pup.
The younger they are, the more vulnerable they are to diseases and illnesses.
2. It's been going on "for a couple days".
If diarrhea lasts more than a day, something's up.
3. She's lost some weight.
Weight loss is a sign that she's not getting enough nutrition and is likely dehydrated.
Your pup needs to see a vet IMMEDIATELY. The vet can most likely prescribe something that will cure her in no time. But don't wait... You cannot let the diarrhea continue.
P.S. In answer to your other question... Yes, switching a dog's food can lead to diarrhea. You need to "wean" dogs slowly on & off different foods. Even then, one brand just might not sit well with a particular dog. Your vet will be able to help you with that.
My pup has had diarrhea for a couple days, and has lost some weight. Her personality and energy are still the same. Could changing her dog food cause diarrea? She only has a few drops of blood when she finishes. probably cause she's went so often???
That's just it...she still has bounds of energy and is not lethargic at all! The diarrhea started last night at about 10 pm. I immediately went out and bought the pepto-bismol, then made her some bland rice when I got home.
I think I may have caused the diarrhea by giving her some hard boiled egg whites yesterday. Right now I just want to give her some relief.
I hope the rice helps.
Cassie-
Five months is pretty young and diarrhea could definitely signal something worse in a young pup.
If it were me, I'd be heading to vet if she's had diarrhea for more than 24 hours. You just never know. (ESPECIALLY if you notice that she's lethargic, or has less energy.)
If you're going to try & wait it out a few more hours, I'd give the white rice alone -- without any dogfood. And I'd give several small helpings of it over a few hours, rather than one big helping of the white rice.
Again, think about heading to the vet soon...
I gave my 5 month old puppy some Pepto-Bismol last night, but she still has a bad case of the runs. I'm going to try the white rice today.
Should I give her just the rice, or should it be mixed with her dog food?
Ellen -
I'm afraid I can't personally really recommend a home remedy for dog ear infections.
Ear issues are always something that should be checked by a vet first -- because it's usually a sign that there's something deeper going on. And inner ear issues especially can become a big problem if not treated properly.
To see what we do to clean & treat our dog's itchy ears, check out this article I wrote (over at my other website All The Best Dog Stuff). It's called "How To Clean & Treat A Dog's Itchy Ears".
I did find these other articles about dogs & ear infections that you might find helpful:
1) From a vet
2) From a natural health care perspective
Charley my 2yr old shih tzu, has a very mild ear infection, could you help me with a home remedy??
Thank You so much, I am going to try the things you have suggested right now, my poor baby chanel has a bad case of the runs and i was just about to spend a good amount of $$ but I think i'm going to try this first ty!!!
There is no way we can get the liquid pepto bismol down our dog. We could with our other dog, but not our Aussie. We're trying chicken & rice, but he's always hungry.
Thanks for the great info. Taking your advice and hoping and praying it works. Thanks again!!
My dog ate a peanut butter and pickle sandwich out of the trash my son did not finish, she is in misery with the diarrhea because she is a puppy and this is a new thing she has never experienced. I will try your suggestions, thank you!
Thank you for the great info. Am going out to get ingredients for Rx of diarrhea even though it's pouring rain. My pooch and I have suffered enough. Am adding you to my favorites! A new pet owner.........