If you are a dog owner you have had to deal with diarrhea at some point in your relationship. Typically, the experience involves carpet cleaners and noxious smells, but nothing much worse than that. What most pet owners want to know is when does diarrhea become a significant medical problem?

Diarrhea can be divided into two primary types – acute and chronic. Acute diarrhea comes on suddenly and lasts for less than three weeks. Very commonly this type of diarrhea is the result of dietary indiscretion, which is what we politely call the canine habit of eating just about anything. Even a sudden diet change from one brand of dog food to another can cause an acute diarrhea. Other things that can be at fault include: intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral infections, toxins, food sensitivities, or a medical problem that affects the GI tract, such as inflammation of the pancreas known as pancreatitis.

If a diarrhea that occurs suddenly is accompanied by vomiting, depression, fever, or blood in the stool you should have your dog seen by your veterinarian before dehydration further complicates the problem. Be sure to bring a sample of your dog’s stool with you as it contains a lot of diagnostic clues for the doctor. If your dog seems otherwise normal, the best treatment to start with is resting the GI tract. Withholding food for 12 to 24 hours allows the GI tract time to normalize. Do allow your dog to have access to water during that time, especially small dogs, which are more susceptible to becoming dehydrated. When you start feeding again, begin with small amounts of your dog’s regular diet or try a bland diet, such as boiled hamburger or chicken with rice.

Chronic diarrhea problems can also be caused by bacterial, viral or parasitic infections, as well as more significant conditions such as food sensitivity or allergy, inflammatory bowel disease (similar to Crohn’s disease in people) or even certain types of cancer. If your dog has had diarrhea for several weeks or more you should definitely have him seen by a veterinarian. Simply switching dog foods in the hope that the problem will go away, or trying over-the-counter medications is probably not going to be very successful. Your veterinarian may even need to consult with an internal medicine specialist to help work up some of the more difficult cases.

Dr. Kiel is the U.S. Army veterinarian currently supporting NAS Whidbey Island and Naval Station Everett. His columns appear the first and third Friday of each month.

Please send questions or comments to Dr. Kiel at
joseph.kiel@navy.mil.