Diarrhoea is the result of food passing too quickly through the intestines. The speed does not allow the large intestine sufficient time to do its work and could be compared with the function of a centrifuge: removing water. The small intestine is not able to perform its function either (absorbing nutrients).

Especially chronic diarrhoea may therefore affect the dog’s health. Chronic diarrhoea may cause dehydration and undernourishment. That is the reason why it is essential to find the cause and solve the problem as soon as possible. By nature, diarrhoea is (like vomiting) a life-saving response to inappropriate food in the stomach or in the intestines. The dog will cough or sneeze when inappropriate substances end up in the airways. A most effective way to get rid of inappropriate substances before they end up in the blood.

When these substances are in the stomach, the response would be vomiting. Further down in the intestines, diarrhoea would be the solution. In the event of acute diarrhoea, the owner may wait and see which way the wind blows, and not feed the dog for a day.

The animal must take fluid though. If it does not want to drink water, try chicken or beef stock. When the animal keeps an easily digestible diet of e.g. boiled chicken and rice the next day, there is most likely nothing wrong with it. Diarrhoea is actually called chronic when it lasts for more than a week and when it is not responding to the usual remedies. By that time the dog’s owner will have shown some serious concern.

An otherwise healthy dog in good shape will be losing weight. “Usual remedies” include dietary measures, drugs reducing the intestinal functions, and water-binding products. Chronic diarrhoea Chronic diarrhoea should be taken seriously. For that reason the vet will have to ask some general and specific questions.

To help answer these questions adequately, the owner of the dog should have carefully observed the dog and its excrement. The vet will want to know for how long the dog has suffered from diarrhoea and whether or not the excrement has been alternatively fluid or solid. The vet will also want to have an idea about the nature of the dog’s illness.

• Is the dog restless or listless all the time or only during periods of diarrhoea?
• Does the dog have normal appetite and how does it respond to “going out for a walk”?
• Also important are other symptoms, such as vomiting.
• As regards the excrement, important clues are provided by the composition, the colour, the smell and the appearance.
• It is slimy or does it contain blood, and if so, where (on the outside or right through the excrement)?
• The bowel motions are also giving important clues. Does the dog stop more often during walks? Is the dog using force but nothing is coming out? Does the dog have “accidents” inside the home? Is the dog windy?

Answers to these questions provide the vet with information on the problem area in the intestines. For instance, diarrhoea in the form of a firm squirt may indicate the problem as being in the small intestine. If the excrement is quite normal in the morning but is more fluid later in the day, the large intestine is more likely the problem area. Another clue in that direction is the increased frequency of toilet stops.

In short, proper observation of the dog and its health problems may provide the vet with valuable information. The owner of the dog must speak on the dog’s behalf. Examination Additional examination may be needed in the event that all the answers to the questions are not sufficient for clear diagnosis. In many cases the dog must be anaesthetised, e.g. for an X-ray. An X-ray will show any foreign objects in the intestines. This may often happen to pups, young dogs or dogs eating and swallowing anything (pica). An ultrasound scan or endoscopy will detect anything out of the ordinary inside the intestinal tract, e.g. a tangle or a tumour.

Other examinations, e.g. a blood test, may reveal the working of the digestive organs. Treatment Withholding food when the dog has diarrhoea is recommended only if the dog is also vomiting. The fluid balance may be disturbed if the problem is limited to diarrhoea and the dog is kept off food. This should be avoided. With the excrement the dog suffering from diarrhoea will also lose vital salts and minerals, causing disturbance of the minerals balance and all kinds of cell activities will become unsettled. In the event of acute diarrhoea the dog must be given fluids and electrolytes. Such powders are for sale at the vet.

The dog owner may also prepare a thick porridge of e.g. water and rice flour. Add a pinch of salt for every 500 ml (= electrolytes sodium and chloride). Also the earlier-mentioned chicken or beef stock is suitable and will be joyfully lapped up. Restrict the intake of any fatty food for a while and spread the food in small portions over the day. A commercial diet is often prescribed for stomach and intestinal problems. Most of these diets are hypoallergenic and have only one source of protein. However, when a dog has any chronic stomach/intestinal complaints, the diet should meet several criteria.

The food must be of good quality and easily digestible, the protein must be hypoallergenic, the food must be gluten-free and lactose-free. It is recommended that extra fibre is given to stimulate the intestines and to absorb fluid. Chronic diarrhoea may cause dehydration and undernourishment. That is the reason why it is essential to find the cause and solve the problem as soon as possible. By nature, diarrhoea is (like vomiting) a life-saving response to inappropriate food in the stomach or in the intestines.

The dog will cough or sneeze when inappropriate substances end up in the airways. A most effective way to get rid of inappropriate substances before they end up in the blood. When these substances are in the stomach, the response would be vomiting. Further down in the intestines, diarrhoea would be the solution. In the event of acute diarrhoea, the owner may wait and see which way the wind blows, and not feed the dog for a day.

The animal must take fluid though. If it does not want to drink water, try chicken or beef stock. When the animal keeps an easily digestible diet of e.g. boiled chicken and rice the next day, there is most likely nothing wrong with it.

Diarrhoea is actually called chronic when it lasts for more than a week and when it is not responding to the usual remedies. By that time the dog’s owner will have shown some serious concern. An otherwise healthy dog in good shape will be losing weight. “Usual remedies” include dietary measures, drugs reducing the intestinal functions, and water-binding products.