Hello,
My dog had diarrhea from giving her table food.
What do you suggest if that ever
happens again? She is back to “normal” now.

Vita
Hilton Head, SC

Diarrhea is incredibly common in dogs. The majority of cases that I treat are caused by dietary indiscretion. Dietary indiscretion occurs when a dog eats something that causes gastrointestinal upset.

Some cases of dietary indiscretion are the result of table scrap feeding by people living with the dog. Many other cases are self-inflicted. Dogs that eat trash or break into a cabinet may pay for their actions with diarrhea a few hours later.

The treatment for dietary indiscretion is intestinal rest. Dietary indiscretion leads to irritated intestines. Feeding normal meals to a pet with irritated intestines may lead to more diarrhea and further irritation. This can create a nasty cycle.

So, when my pal Buster gets into the trash (this can happen even when people are diligent), he skips his next meal. This allows his intestines to rest and recover. It also makes sense–he ate tasty garbage, so he does not need more food. He is always allowed free and unrestricted access to water.

If mild diarrhea persists for more than 12 hours, the next step is to feed easily digestible food that will not promote intestinal irritation (vets refer to such foods as bland diets). Steamed white rice, lowfat cottage cheese, boiled boneless skinless chicken breast or any combination of the three fits the bill. When stools return to normal, gradually wean the dog back onto his normal diet.

The advice in this post applies only to healthy adult dogs that suffer mild diarrhea after dietary indiscretion. Puppies with diarrhea, any dog that is lethargic or looks sick, or any dog that suffers vomiting as well as diarrhea should see a vet.

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My dog (approximately 12 years old) keeps having
bouts of diarrhea. This has gone on (off and on)
for about two years. My vet has given him several
rounds of medicine (one for tummy upset and one
for loose stools). Additionally, he has given him
some powder to try to balance the “flora” in his
digestive tract. Also, he recommended I feed him
Purina EN (dry and canned) to help with his
stomach. Nothing seems to help. He likes to eat
grass, which seems to be the only thing he gets
into when he is out in the yard. We give him
Meaty bone biscuit treats. I generally mix in
rice with his food when his stools are very runny.
And now he is starting to lose weight.

Liz
Margate, South Florida

I am a bit troubled by your final comment–that your dog is starting to lose weight.

A number of syndromes can cause intermittent diarrhea, and some animals have irregular bowel movements throughout their lives. For instance, a syndrome called infiltrative (or inflammatory) bowel disease (also known as IBD) is a common cause of chronic, intermittent diarrhea. This disease is frustrating, but treatable.

However, when an older dog develops diarrhea in combination with weight loss, something more serious may be going on. For instance, disorders of the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and intestines can cause this combination of symptoms.

It sounds like your vet has treated your pet for some causes of chronic intermittent diarrhea with special diets and dietary flora supplements. But you don’t mention whether he has run any tests to determine what is causing the problem.

For your dog, I would recommend stool, blood, and urine tests. This combination may lead to an answer. If not, you may need to follow up with X-rays and ultrasound.

Unless you know what is causing the problem, you will face an uphill battle to eliminate your pet’s symptoms.

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Summed up… Miko is 4 months old. We got her at 8
weeks old. One day after we got her she got Parvo
and Coccidia, which of course gave her horrible
diarrhea. She luckily lived through that. She has
since been to the vet several times, had blood
work and fecal tests, and they have come back
clean. She has also had all of her shots now as
well. She still has really watery diarrhea.

Lindsey
Costa Mesa, CA

Wow. It sounds like Miko’s life got off to a rough start. You have asked several questions, and I’ll try to address them one by one.

First, let’s talk about Parvo. Parvovirus (aka Parvo) is an extremely contagious disease of dogs. It occurs mainly in puppies, or in dogs that have not been vaccinated. The bad news: many dogs that contract Parvovirus die. The good news: dogs that do not die (such as Milo) almost always make complete recoveries. They usually do not suffer long-term health consequences. The intestines should heal quite rapidly.

Also, there are no 100% guarantees about anything in this world, but I can tell you that it is extremely unlikely that Miko could contract parvo again. Most dogs that live through parvo develop permanent immunity.

Now, let’s talk about Coccidia. Coccidia are ubiquitous microscopic intestinal parasites that infect huge numbers of puppies and kittens. They rarely cause serious health problems, but they can lead to long-term, frustrating watery diarrhea. They are hard to treat, and sometimes several rounds of medication are necessary to eliminate the problem.

Based on your description, I am suspicious that Coccidia may be playing a role in Miko’s ongoing diarrhea. You may want to consider treating for the parasite again, or doing a special fecal test (zinc sulfate centrifugation) that is more sensitive than standard fecal tests.

Of course, other parasites (such as worms, which also can be missed by some fecal tests), reactions to foods, inflammatory bowel disease, or (and this is unlikely) lingering damage from Parvovirus infection could be playing a role in Miko’s problems. But my hunch is that the Coccidia are the culprits. I recommend that you and your vet go after them first. If that doesn’t work, it will be time to do an extensive investigation into the problem with comprehensive diagnostic tests.

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