There are several options for treatment of diarrhea.

Metronidazole is an antibiotic used to remove any abnormal bacteria in the intestines.

Pectin and Kaolin are medications often given in conjunction with Metronidazole as together they work to stop diarrhea and firm the stool more quickly.

Probiotics are sometimes used also. These are beneficial bacteria that help restore the balance of normal bacteria in the intestines. Some probiotics are used to treat diarrhea and others can be used to prevent diarrhea.

Another option is bland food. Giving your dog white rice and boiled chicken allows the intestines to calm down and readjust to a normal balance.

Do not give your dog over the counter medications such as Immodium, Kaopectate, or Pepto-Bismol without checking with your veterinarian first. Most cases of simple diarrhea respond to treatment within a few days. If your dog continues to have diarrhea, you may need to re-visit the veterinarian for more testing or a change in therapy. The video below discusses treatment of simple diarrhea.

Tar like stool or blood stool, additional symptoms and a dog that just doesn’t feel well must be taken to a veterinarian immediately. If gone untreated, the condition can become worse rapidly, leaving your dog vulnerable to more serious and dire consequences.

How to Prevent Diarrhea

Listed below are several ways you can prevent your dog from having diarrhea:

Keep all trash, human food and medications out of reach.

Do not feed your dog human food or table scraps.

Always supervise your dog while he/she is outside in order to make sure they are not eating something they shouldn’t.

If a change must be made to your dogs regular diet, be sure to do it gradually. This can be accomplished by simply mixing a little of the new food with the old. Gradually increase the amount of new food until that is all your dog is eating. By doing this, you allow your dogs intestines to become slowly adjusted to this new introduction. For most dogs a period of about seven days is all that is needed, however some dogs may require longer.

When boarding your dog, take your own food.

Deworming. It is important to do this every month. Most heartworm medications will also deworm your dog.

Please bear in mind that no information in this article is designed to diagnose or treat your pet nor should it replace a visit to your veterinarian for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.

Heather Fox is an an experience veterinarian who loves to share her knowledge. You can find her class about Dog Diarrhea Treatment and other lessons like Dog Parvovirus Infection Diagnosis on Clivir – the Free learning Community Site.

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If the intestines are over full with food, they can no longer absorb them. The common factors that create this problem are over eating, stress and rapid changes in your dogs diet. In the case of over eating, the stomach and intestines may not produce enough enzymes in order to properly breakdown the food. With changes in your dogs diet, the stomach and intestines do not have sufficient time to produce enzymes that can adjust to the new food introduced. Finally, stress can create diarrhea as the stomach becomes upset, creating a fluctuation in the amount and type of enzymes produced. In all three of these situations, the intestines hold onto the food particles which then hold onto water in the intestines, which can not be absorbed.

If a dog has an infection or has eaten food from the trash, excess water can be present in the intestines which results in diarrhea. This situation can also be caused by intestinal parasites, E. coli and Salmonella.

For many dogs, diarrhea is caused by over eating, stress, eating from the trash and intestinal parasites and in many cases does not cause severe illness. However, diarrhea can be the result of a serious systemic illness and in this case should be taken to a veterinarian immediately.

The visit to the Veterinarian

Many dogs with simple diarrhea may not need a trip to the veterinarian. If a dog has mild diarrhea that is not making it uncomfortable, has no other symptoms, and does not otherwise feel bad, it is OK to wait 24-36 hours to see a veterinarian. Many cases of simple diarrhea will resolve on its own. If a dog has diarrhea and seems uncomfortable, if the diarrhea appears bloody or like tar, if the dog has other symptoms, or seems sick, then it is wise to see the veterinarian right away. Even if the diarrhea does not go away any faster after the veterinary visit, the veterinarian can evaluate the dog and make sure nothing more serious is going on and can give medication to make the dog more comfortable.

The veterinarian will require a sample of your dogs stool. This can either be done by you simply collecting a fresh sample from home no older than 30-40 minutes before your vet visit. If this is not possible, your veterinarian can collect the sample in the office. After the sample is collected, it will undergo many different tests including:

Fecal Flotation – This test searches for intestinal parasites

A direct fecal smear to check for red blood cells, white blood cells and abnormal or unusual bacteria.

A fecal smear with abnormal bacteria (the ones that look like tennis racquets)

When diarrhea, vomiting, blood stools and a very sick dog has been experiencing symptoms for several days, the veterinarian will want to perform x-rays and blood tests in order to check for other systemic illnesses that could be causing the diarrhea.

Heather Fox is an experience veterinarian and passionate teacher on Clivir.com where you can find more of her lessons about Dog Atopic Dermatitis Causes and Dog Parvovirus Treatment.

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What defines a Hot Spot?

A hot spot is a single area of skin that has an infection on the surface. These localized areas of infection are more likely to happen in dogs that have thick hair coats, dogs that swim a lot, and in moist or humid environments. Sometimes flea bites or other insect bites can also be involved. A hot spot starts to develop when more than the usual amount of moisture stays close to the skin. This changes the local environment of the skin and allows bacteria to grow. The bacteria release toxins, which cause inflammation in the skin. This makes the skin itchy in that one spot. A dog will chew and scratch on that spot to relieve the itching, but this makes the situation worse. The chewing damages the skin more and makes the skin infection worse. This makes the area even itchier. This becomes a vicious cycle. A large hot spot can seem to develop over only twenty or thirty minutes and can get bigger quickly. A flea or insect bite can also start the itching process.

Hot Spots – What to look for

These spots are very easy to identify. They are large areas of the skin that are red, inflamed, hairless and sometimes oozing or scabbed over. Most commonly these spots are found on the rear legs and neck but can appear on other areas of the body as well. This are will be so irritating that a dog will not be able to stop licking, chewing, biting and scratching at it. This can make the area very painful to touch.

Diagnosing Hot Spots

Diagnosing a hot spot usually only requires a visual inspection or physical examination.

If several hot spots are present, a visit to your veterinarian may be needed for testing. These include:

Skin scrapings to rule out mange

Fungal Culture – This test is used to eliminate Ringworm as a cause.

Testing of Blood – This test is performed in order to ensure that seasonal or inhalant allergies are not the cause.

Blood and Skin Test – This can rule out an allergy to fleas.

Invasive treatment for fleas even if none are present.

Food Testing – This is performed in order to rule out an allergic reaction to food.

Treatment of Hot Spots

Things to remember when providing treatment include:

Ease Itching

Clear up the infection

Prevent the dog from biting or scratching the area

Keep the hot spot dry

Initially, the remaining hair on the hot spot and the surrounding hair are clipped. The spot is then cleaned well with an antibacterial soap and dried. Clipping and cleaning can be so painful that a dog may have to be sedated for the procedure. This depends on how bad the hot spot is.

A topical and oral antibiotic are the most common treatments. Each one contains a corticosteroid to stop inflammation and itching. By using these medications, your dog is more comfortable thus ending the itch, chew, infection cycle and speeding the healing process.

If your dog is unable to stop licking the area, an Elizabethan collar or lamp shade like collar may be needed. This is generally only needed for a short period of time as most dogs become comfortable within 24 hours. Within one week, the hot spot is usually healed.

Methods to Prevent Hot Spots

To prevent hot spots, several things can be done:

Use effective flea control on a dog and in the environment

Trim the hair of long and thick haired breeds during the summer months

Whenever possible, prevent your dog from swimming

If a dog does swim, dry it well afterwards

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