Your Dog and Diarrhea

Judging a dog's overall health from its bathroom habits can be a complex process. While constipation can be a symptom of certain metabolic or neurological diseases, in the vast majority of cases it traces back to dietary or environmental factors. Diarrhea, on the other hand, is almost always an indicator of the presence of some toxin or contaminant.

When we speak of diarrhea, we're talking about a disordered condition of the dog's stool. For our purposes this includes:

* Loose or runny stools

* Voiding of watery material

* Mucus in the feces

* Bloody stool

Common causes of the symptom include:

* Spoiled food or a dietary intolerance

* Infection: bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoal

* Intestinal parasites

* Ingestion of toxins that irritate the intestinal tract

As nasty as diarrhea is, it's actually a sign that the body is dealing with the problem on its own. While he is afflicted with diarrhea, your dog will be prone to dehydration, so make sure to keep plenty of clean, fresh water available. Your dog should be taking in roughly one pint a day for every twenty pounds of body weight.

Diarrhea resulting from a toxin or a bad reaction to food will usually pass within a few days. If the issue persists for more than 72 hours, however, talk to your veterinarian. Be sure to note if the diarrhea is accompanied by other symptoms, such as excessive drooling, tenderness or discomfort, and disorientation or confusion; these secondary symptoms can help to pinpoint the causes and treatments f the problem.

Fecal testing is the best tool for diagnosing the cause of any intestinal distress. Keep in mind, though, you never know what you'll find. A personal story, if I may:

Last year, we suspected that our Alaskan Husky had been exposed to the protozoal infection Giardia; I dutifully collected a stool sample and trucked it off to our vet. A couple of hours later, he called me back, somewhat apologetically, to tell me that he would need another sample before he could get me any usable results. The first one I provided, as it turned out, had contained more half-digested leather than actual feces - which, if it didn't shed any light on the dog's health, at least solved the mystery of what had become of my new boots!

If poisoning is the cause of the diarrhea, you may need to take action at home before taking the dog for medical attention. In such cases, a home poison response kit can be handy. The most important components will be a fresh bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, to be administered orally, and some sort of syringe with which to administer the peroxide; a clean turkey baster will work fine for this duty. The hydrogen peroxide is an effective agent for inducing vomiting in the dog, to more quickly and easily clear the toxin from his system. Do not induce vomiting unless directed by a veterinarian or poisoning expert, however, as it can, in some cases, do more harm than good.