Diarrhea in dogs – how to handle

Hi guys! Diarrhea in dogs is definitely not a pretty little thing 😛 , but I have gone through this with Bailey way too many times. I figured its time I do a post about why it happens and how to handle it. If you are like me, you probably panic the second something out of the ordinary happens with your dog. In this post, I will talk about the different possible causes of soft stool/diarrhea and how I handled it with Bailey. If you are stressing out or just want to be prepared for when something happens, read on.

Let’s start with what to do if you observe diarrhea in dogs. I panic a lot, so I observed him for a day and called the vet immediately.

Three things that most vets will recommend when you report soft stool/diarrhea in dogs,

1.) Bland diet – Boiled chicken and cooked rice (quantity will depend on the breed, age, and size of the dog)

2.) Probiotic – I give Bailey Purina Fortiflora (recommended by our vet)

3.) Antidiarrheal medicine – This will be a vet recommended dose (we always got a prescription of Metronidazole for Bailey)

When you switch your dog to a bland diet, you will notice the following

1.) They drink lesser water.

2.) They ask for more food.

3.) They pee more often.

4.) Poop frequency will reduce.

5.) They lose weight (a few lbs).

To help with the poop frequency, a home remedy that they also suggest in addition to the above is to feed your dog organic canned pumpkin. I am not sure what the official recommended amount is, but I give Bailey 1 tbsp with each meal, twice a day.

All the things that I mentioned in this post have worked for Bailey. We are still figuring out why he has diarrhea, but it looks as if he is sensitive to the flea prevention medication that he gets every month. If you are going through the same thing with your dog, don’t panic. Observe and seek medical advice. Bailey is active and bouncing off the walls even when he has diarrhea. This has been happening once a month, every month, right after taking the medicine. I know the pattern but I still panic each time so I understand how it is.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or contact me. 🙂

Disclaimer: This post is purely based on my experience with Bailey. If your dog is otherwise active and behaving, as usual, there may be no reason to panic. However, if your dog has diarrhea for more than a day or two, please call your vet to seek medical advice immediately.