Most dog owners have to clean the mess made by the dog and to administer first aid for diarrhea as this digestive disorder is a common concern of dogs. Being a common disease and one that is usually non-life threatening, most dog owners would not worry about the pets condition. Even without any treatment received from the owner the dogs condition will be resolved in a few days.
Diarrhea is commonly characterized by the passing of soft and unformed stools. Although diarrhea is characterized by soft watery stool, the dog will still strain to defecate and may be able to pass only gas. The watery stool would have a different color and very bad odor.
Similar to human diarrhea, dogs passing of loose watery stools can be chronic or acute. Acute diarrhea is generally caused by the dogs dietary indiscretion. Dogs would put anything in their mouth. Upset stomach and passing loose stools would result from the dogs propensity to ingest not only spoiled food but also inedible objects. The frequent passing of loose stool is actually the bodys way of removing substances in the stomach that are not supposed to be ingested by the dog. While acute diarrhea can be resolved without treatment, chronic diarrhea is more serious and needs urgent medical attention. Chronic diarrhea can be an indication of the dogs underlying concern. This digestive disorder can be caused by parasite infestation, viral and bacterial infection and by other canine diseases.
Dogs with diarrhea would not benefit from the nutrients obtained from ingested food thus the owner has to immediately address the pets condition. The dog will grow weaker and the immune system will be compromised making the dog more susceptible to various diseases. Recurring diarrhea can result to another life threatening condition – dehydration.
To resolve the diarrhea of the pet, owners would usually let the stomach of the dog rest. The dog will not be allowed to eat. For 24 hours, no food will be given to adult dogs. Water may be withheld as well but not for dogs that are showing signs of dehydration. For 12 hours, puppies will not be allowed to eat but fresh drinking water should always be made available. If the passing of soft stool has eased, the pet can be given bland foods like boiled rice and boiled chicken. If these first aid treatments failed to resolve the dogs diarrhea, professional medical attention would be necessary for the administration of more aggressive treatment.
More about diarrhea and first aid for dogs at Sarahs Dogs.
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