What are your suggestions...

Question
What are your suggestions for diarrhea in a forty-five pound active dog?

Answer
Hi Wayne, Acute diarrhea starts suddenly and lasts for a few days to a week or two. Most cases of acute diarrhea can be handled at home.

When do you need to take your dog to see the veterinarian? Look at how they are acting. Dogs that can be watched at home will act reasonably fine the whole time. They eat, drink, play, and have fairly normal energy. Of course, everyone with diarrhea will not feel 100% normal, so expect your dog to be a bit "off" until the diarrhea resolves.

What to do for Acute Diarrhea,  
Let's begin by defining what we mean when we say that a dog has diarrhea. Diarrhea, in the minds of many people, means a watery stool. Actually, the definition is much broader, and includes any abnormal stool that is softer than normal. This includes watery stools, straining and trying to defecate and only passing gas, soft-formed stools, soft stools with abnormal color or odor, and "cow pie" type stools.

In our canine friends, consumption of items found around their "world" is common. It is in the nature of a dog to eat many things we would never eat. Dogs are omnivores that are primarily carnivorous... with a touch of scavenger thrown in! This makes them prone to eat some things, both digestible and indigestible (for example, sticks and stones) that do not agree with them. The result: diarrhea.

They will commonly vomit a few times as well as have diarrhea, again, to clear their body of the unwanted toxins. Diarrhea purges the body of harmful or unwanted toxins, not a true "disease".

Acute diarrhea is a process the body uses to heal itself, not a disease. Don't be alarmed if your dog is acting reasonably well. This healing reaction should be supported, using our suggestions, not inhibited by the use of antibiotics or over the counter drugs designed to stop diarrhea.
Dogs will naturally develop diarrhea as a means to return themselves to health. Acute diarrhea is usually a healthy, healing process, not a disease. So, now that we know that this is not a problem, and in fact it is a healthy reaction to help them heal themselves, what should we do?

Most cases are easy to treat at home and don't require a visit to the veterinarian. After all, we don't run to the doctor every time we have a touch of diarrhea.

If your dog has diarrhea and seems to be reasonably strong, happy and active, simply follow these guidelines:


Unless there is vomiting, feed a normal amount of food (see recipe) divided into four or five small servings given at intervals throughout the day. Give Pepto Bismol every four to six hours - a Poodle sized dog gets one half teaspoonful at a time, a Shepherd two teaspoonfuls.


Bland diet for dogs with diarrhea:
Mix one and a half cups of cooked white rice or potato with one half cup of cottage cheese.   Remove the liquid from cottage cheese by squeezing it between several layers of paper towel.

I hope this is helpful and your pooch feels well soon! Sending wagging tails your way, Nicole!