Dog Diarrhea is the Symptom
Not the Problem

What is dog diarrhea? The word diarrhea originally comes from the ancient Greek words meaning ' to flow through '.

' dio ' meaning ' through '
' rheo ' meaning ' flow '

A healthy dog might have an episode of dog diarrhea every once in a while. Usually it’s a quick bout of runny poop and then it's over in no time and that’s the end of that. So, excessively loose, watery and frequent bowel movements could be understood to be ' flowing through the dog '.

Oooops!

Dog Diarrhea Is Not Fun for Anybody!

I think we’ve all been there. The dog is at the door, asking to go out. He's panting. He’s in a hurry! You can tell by the way he’s behaving that something's wrong. Once out he finds a place, and let’s it gooooooooooo! Relief! But now he’s looking around and he’s straining to go again. More runny, smelly, liquid dog poop. Oh no!

Worse yet, you come home to find he’s had a problem while you’ve been out. What a delightful surprise to be greeted with dog diarrhea all over the living room rug upon your arrival home. Your dog knows he’s been bad, even though it’s not his fault ( he was desperate !) and he’s hiding in the bedroom. No greeting at the door for you today! Dog diarrhea is not fun for you, or your dog.

Canine Diarrhea is Often Accompanied By Other Symptoms

Loose watery stool that is frequent and urgent.
Straining and then an explosion of diarrhea.
Pain causes symptoms such as hunched posture, inability to settle comfortably or lie down
Low energy changes in day to day behaviour. Does he seem kind of low? Does he want to sleep a lot? Has he lost interest in food?
Vomiting
Fever makes your dog feel warm to the touch
Dehydration from the loss of body fluids through excess, watery dog poo is something to worry about. Senior dogs and puppies are at a higher risk.
Lack of appetite indicates something is very wrong. When a dog doesn't want to eat, we need to pay attention!

Root Causes of Dog Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the body's natural way of trying to get rid of something irritating. We don't want to stop the body's own ability to purge, but we can't let diarrhea go on for too long. The root cause of chronic diarrhea must be found and resolved or dehydration and chronic illness can be the unfortunate result.

Dietary Indiscretion means eating something he shouldn’t. Inappropriate eating of things that aren't food is called Pica. Dogs will eat grass, rocks, sticks, tree bark, garbage, rotten decaying food, other dog’s poop, their own poop, dead worms, bird poo, paper, plastic, shoes, towels, that piece of chocolate cake that wasn’t put away, paper towels and other stuff. You get the picture.
Intestinal Parasites include worms and single celled micro-organisms such as Giardia which is a microscopic protozoa. This can cause intermittent diarrhea because the parasite damages the intestinal lining. Various types of worms can be contributors to dog diarrhea as well.
Changing dog food often causes diarrhea. Think about this. If you have been feeding the same dry dog food for years, you have created a set of circumstances where your dog’s digestive system has been ' conditioned ' to accept only one kind of food. This creates ' food intolerance '. You eat a variety of food every day, don't you? Well your dog needs variety too. Food variety offers a wider range of micro nutrients. His bowel will learn to become ' conditioned ' to accept different foods. This prevents digestive system problems and runny dog poo.
Food allergies are created by feeding the same protein source for a long time. Example : Chicken. Eventually, the dog develops an ' allergy ' from being overexposed to the proteins in chicken. Food allergies can be the root cause of Leaky Gut Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Pancreatitis is the name given to describe inflammation and swelling of the pancreas. Pancreatitis is frequently caused by inappropriate feeding, certain drugs and other health problems such as hypothyroidism. Pancreatitis is characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, weakness and shock. Pancreatitis is serious. See your vet. In the meantime, WITHOLD ALL FOOD. Nothing by mouth at all. The pancreas needs to rest to heal.
Bacterial and viral infections can be picked up from other infected dogs. Some are serious and others not so bad, but they do have the ability to cause dog diarrhea as the body tries to rid itself of the offending pathogen.
Stress is a common cause of dog diarrhea. What’s going on at your house? A change in routine maybe, a divorce, a new baby, money problems, moving house etc. Dogs have emotions too and like us, hold their feelings in their guts. That's where the expression ' gut feeling ' comes from. The gut is often referred to as being the ' second brain '. Your dog is no different! Is your dog worried about you by any chance? Dog's live with the stress existing within the household. Bowels problems are often linked to emotional stress.
Drugs and medications such as antibiotics, steroids, dewormers, pesticides for flea/tick/heartworm control, vaccines and NSAID’s ( Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs ) can cause a side effect of diarrhea.

Natural Options
to Help Your Dog Feel Better

It's OK to let a case of diarrhea go on for a few days to see if it will clear up by itself. But if not, it's important to get a handle on this quickly in order to prevent nutrient deficiencies and other more serious dog health problems. So, let's look at some suggestions for fixing this problem. These home remedies have worked for me and many others. On the next page I'll offer you some ideas for natural dog diarrhea treatment. Let's get your dog feeling better soon.

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