You may be surprised to realize that canine diarrhea is a lot more common than you think. The
condition is characterized primarily by soft stool, and could result from a wide variety of causes
including a change in the dog’s food, the intake of medication, contaminated or spoiled food, intestinal
pests, or even simply stress.
In some cases, canine diarrhea may also be caused by a more serious medical condition. In any case,
any sign of diarrhea in your dog should be brought to the immediate attention of a qualified veterinarian.
Once your veterinarian has ascertained that your dog indeed has diarrhea, there are a number of
steps you can take to treat the condition. For starters, you should take a look at it from the pest
infestation angle. A typical dog can pick up worms any number of ways, especially if he or she is
particularly fond of frolicking in the grass. Such places can expose your pet to microscopic particles
of feces from infected dogs, and this is an ideal entry situation for pests. In such cases, it may
be advisable to use a commercial pet dewormer after consultation with your veterinarian.
You may want to modify your dog’s diet as well. A "safe" diet of bland rice may be just the thing
to ease the symptoms of the condition. Start off by feeding this mixture to your pet 2 to 3 times
daily, and add a tablespoon or so of cottage cheese if it is tolerated.
If your pet simply won’t eat such a mixture, you may want to add a little bit of ground beef into
it, although first drain out any excess fat, as this can actually exacerbate the condition. In fact,
lower fat meats such as chicken or turkey may be better options, although your dog will probably
prefer beef. You can also use oatmeal in place of rice if you wish, and add a bit of yogurt into
the mixture in order to aid digestion.
Keep your pet on this diet until all traces of diarrhea have cleared up. In severe cases, it would
be best to keep feeding your dog this diet for a few days afterward.
It is also probably a good idea to wean your dog back into his regular diet food over a span of
a few days. First start by adding a little bit of his regular dog food to the "bland" diet, adding
more and more everyday until your dog is eating only his regular food.
Dogs in which diarrhea is a regular occurrence would probably benefit from foods that are easy to
digest. This may require a shift to purely homemade food or a commercial dog food that is intended
specifically for dogs with sensitive digestive systems. You could also add a bit of fiber (canned
pumpkin is a good choice) to your dog’s diet. In addition to providing your pet with an additional
source of dietary fiber, this will also help firm up the stool.