Dog diarrhea is very common problem that we have to face as a pet owner. We should say that it’s a symptom and not a disease. All dogs at some point in their lives will develop diarrhea and quite often it’s minor. However, dog owners should take notice as to how long it lasts, how often the dog is defecating, the consistency and any other symptoms the dog may be having. If the dog is displaying other symptoms such as lethargy, blood in the stool and the diarrhea lasts longer than two days, see a vet immediately.
What is Diarrhea?
Frequent bowel movements of lose watery stools. Again, diarrhea is a symptom or an indicator of something else. An adult dog fed once or twice a day, will typically defecate at least once a day and more frequently for puppies. Generally, in a normal condition, dog stools are firm but with diarrhea, stools become loose and soft due to the excess amount of water. Additional symptoms flatulence, matted hair beneath the animal’s tail, a bad odor, abdominal pain, can also be associated with dog diarrhea.
Causes
Unfortunately, dog diarrhea can be triggered by many factors, some serious and some not so serious. Some minor reasons include eating something outside that upset his belly, over eating, introduction to a new food to quickly and table scraps that were just too rich.
Problems occurring within the digestive tract or in other parts of the dog’s body can often be the cause and a warning sign of something more serious. Anxiety, ulcers, food allergies, toxins, worms, cancers such as lymphoma or other stomach cancers affecting the digestive system, liver disease, kidney disease and addison’s disease are serious problems that require immediate long-term attention.
Puppies versus Adult
The common causes and frequency of dog diarrhea are not always the same between puppies and adult dogs. It typically affects puppies more often than adult dogs. Since they to eat anything they can get those little teeth on, they often suffer the consequences more frequently. This is not to say that adult dogs are not guilty of the same behavior, but not as often.
At some point in their lives most dogs develop some sort of intestinal parasite which is a big cause for loose, messy stool.
The consistency of dog diarrhea can determine how sick your dog is. Pudding stool is usually minor and caused by the factors mentioned above. Brown watery stool or brown water stool with blood is a go...
Cancer is a scary word that we would definitely not want to hear. But this is a real disease with real victims and casualties. This is not only a disease that affects people, but our beloved pets as well. Studies are always in the works to better understand this dreaded disease.