Home Remedies For Diarrhea In Dogs
Dog diarrhea treatment is often quite simple. Some cases of diarrhea may be more stubborn to manage, but understanding the causes of diarrhea is key to knowing how to stop dog diarrhea. Here are the simple steps you can take …
If your dog develops sudden diarrhea, stop feeding him for 12 to 24 hours. This may seem cruel, but it’s an important step. Young puppies should not be fasted … it’s always important to see your vet if your puppy develops diarrhea.
Once the diarrhea has stopped or slowed, you can offer small sips of water. If you see signs of improvement after 6 hours of water only, you can give your dog some broth.
Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that can be used to naturally prevent and treat a wide range of health problems, including diarrhea. Probiotics provide your dog with valuable postbiotics like butyrate and lactic acid. These help regulate the immune system that lives in your dog’s gut. They help reduce inflammation, one of the core causes of diarrhea. The best probiotics for dogs with diarrhea are:
Make sure your dog’s probiotics contain at least two of these strains. S boulardii and B subtilis should be at least 1 billion CFU (colony forming units). L acidophilus and Bifidobacterium probiotics should be at least 30 billion CFU.
For more chronic diarrhea, a probiotic with anti-inflammatory herbs and proteins will help repair your dog’s gut damage.
Start your dog on probiotics as soon as you see symptoms and continue the probiotics for several weeks after symptoms resolve. They can also be given long-term to help prevent future episodes of dog diarrhea.
Transitioning back to a regular diet is an important part of dog diarrhea treatment at home. Once the diarrhea has resolved, introduce food slowly to help prevent further tummy upset. You may have heard that white rice and boiled chicken help with sensitive stomachs … but soup or broth is a gentler way to smooth your dog’s transition back to his regular diet. You can purchase soup or bone broth at your natural supermarket, but make sure it’s low in sodium and has limited ingredients (with no onion). Here is a simple recipe you can make at home:
Give your dog small portions of the soup … a few teaspoons for very small dogs, and ½ to one cup for larger dogs. Wait 4 to 6 hours and watch for diarrhea or vomiting before offering more. Don’t feed the soup if there’s still diarrhea present … wait until the diarrhea resolves. Don’t worry, adult dogs can easily go days without eating, as long as they can keep water down.
There are many safe and effective herbs you can give your dog to speed up the healing. Diarrhea is usually the result of an inflamed and irritated intestinal lining. These herbs and foods can help solve the cause of both acute and long-standing dog diarrhea.
Slippery elm is a gentle herb that soothes the mucous membranes. It’s safe and effective … and gentle on your dog’s sore digestive tract. Give slippery elm with food. Give ¼ tsp powder for every 10 lbs body weight.
L-Glutamine is an amino acid that heals intestinal cells. You can give it alone or with other supplements. Give 500mg per 25 lbs of body weight daily.
This is another useful herb for soothing the gastrointestinal tract and decreasing inflammation. Give 1/2 to 1.5 ml per 20 pounds body weight, twice daily.
Why Does My Dog Have Diarrhea?
Your dog’s poop can teach you a lot about what’s going on inside her. Here are the common colors of diarrhea and what they can mean:
The most common causes of yellow diarrhea are:
The most common causes of green diarrhea are:
Treat blue diarrhea as an emergency. It could mean your dog has eaten rat poison (which is usually blue) or a toy. Save the stool in a baggie … then take the baggie and your dog to the vet.
Black or very dark brown stools often mean there’s old blood in the stool. Common causes of black stools include:
The most common causes of grey, greasy stools are:
A small streak of red is often seen with diarrhea. If blood is consistently in the stools, you might want to check with your vet … but if your dog is bright, active and acting normal, it’s probably not a cause for concern. Causes of bloody diarrhea include:
Probiotics and Prebiotics
There’s a good reason why probiotics and prebiotics are added to premium dog foods. They provide some excellent health benefits for your dog.
Probiotics significantly increase beneficial bacteria in the gut, helping your dog’s stomach to fight off and conquer whatever was causing diarrhea. Moreover, probiotics also stop external bacteria from making your dog sick. This includes nasties such as E. coli and salmonella.
Prebiotics are a type of soluble fiber that gets fermented by the bacteria in the gut. We all know that fiber is great for digestive health, and that’s partly because of these prebiotics, which help to maintain, restore, and grow gut flora that’s vital to your dog’s health.
Supplements are one of the best ways to give your dog a big boost of healthy probiotics and prebiotics. Our favorite is the Fera Pet Organics Probiotics with Organic Prebiotics. It provides all the healthy pre and probiotics that your dog needs in one, easy-to-administer powder. Just mix it into your dog’s food and watch it help them fight off diarrhea and maintain a healthier gut.
My dog had diarrhea THIS Fixed it FAST!
Poop is an excellent indicator of your dogs overall health. It may be gross to talk about but if your dog is having diarrhea, there may be something going on internally that is worth knowing about. No one likes having an upset tummy and it is troubling for owners to see their dog outside squatting and straining. The good news is that there are a few home remedies that you can try to help ease that doggy diarrhea!