As a dog owner who cares a great deal about the health and well-being of your beloved canine companion, the last thing you want is to take them outside one morning and find that they have a case of diarrhea. You may find yourself wondering what is causing your dog's diarrhea so that you can help them start to get feeling better. Get to know some of the reasons your dog may have a case of diarrhea so that you can provide them with the care and treatments that they need in order to get them back to normal as soon as possible.
Food Allergy or Eating Something They Shouldn't
More often than not, diarrhea and stomach upset in dogs comes from eating something that did not agree with them. This can be a food allergy or it can just simply mean they ate something they should not.
Many dogs, for example, love cheese and other dairy products but cannot properly digest them. Keeping your dog away from dairy or only limiting their consumption to very small amounts every once in a while could get rid of their diarrhea. Other foods that could cause stomach upset include onion, chocolate, garlic (in large amounts), grass, berries, breads, pastas, and other complex carbohydrates.
Food allergies in dogs can include grains, chicken, beef, and pork, among other things. The best way to determine if food allergies are to blame is to go to your veterinarian or an animal hospital to have your dog looked at and tested for other possible health issues. Then, you can try adjusting their diet to eliminate potential allergens.
Parvovirus
Another possible reason that your dog has diarrhea is that they have been exposed to and contracted parvovirus. This is a highly contagious virus among canines that is contracted through direct contact with an infected dog or from contact with their excrement (feces).
The parvovirus moves quickly in a dog's system and should be treated as an emergency situation. If your dog's diarrhea comes along with extreme lethargy, a loss of appetite, frequent vomiting, and a rapid heartbeat or a fever, you should take your dog to the animal hospital right away. They will likely need intravenous (IV) fluids to prevent and/or treat dehydration from their diarrhea and vomiting as well as monitoring and treatment for any secondary infections that may develop.
Parvovirus can be life-threatening. There is no cure, but if you act quickly, your dog can get the treatment and support they need to recover from it.
Now that you know a few of the possible causes of your dog's diarrhea, you can be sure that you are doing everything you can to help your dog's digestive problems clear up as soon as possible.
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