Diarrhea in Dogs
Diarrhea in dogs is simple and common problem which can be wrongly confused with many other abnormal conditions. Dog may retard health condition within days for no apparent reason. Every time you watch your dog, it is going bad and bad. The first and immediate step is to consult your vet and take an expert opinion. Note out please, diarrhea is not life taking condition but it’s bad management may lead to worse condition and that’s with no reason .It’s a right job to manage the condition in a quick and professional way.
Here we are giving some useful and common tips and knowledge about the diarrhea in dogs. Some causes, common signs which you can observe while seeing your pet every day. It is not recommended that you go for treatment at your own hands. You must take help for intention of knowledge. This is because you are the closest person near your pet.
Signs and symptoms of Diarrhea in Dogs
Diarrhea is a widespread problem in dogs and cats. High intensity of which cause death due to dehydration. Diarrhea is an alteration in the frequency, consistency and volume of the dog’s feces for more than twenty days at least. Starting in the small or large intestine, diarrhea may either be watery or not watery and is due to a variety of reasons. Diarrhea may affect equally dogs and cats.
Look for common signs to find out diarrhea in your dog. Following are some common signs and symptoms, if you find some of these then please call your vet immediately.
Take a strong note if you find out following symptoms or consult a nearby consultant. Signs and symptoms are found when it originates in the small intestine.
- Weight loss
- Vomiting and nausea
- Large volume of feces (abnormal volume)
- Increase in frequency of defecation (3–4 times per day)
- Gaseous sounds from the gut
- Very hearty appetite (due to poor digestion and absorption of food)
Common signs and symptoms when diarrhea is found to have source from the large intestine:
- Abnormally smaller volume of feces
- Frequency of defecation increases (more than 4 times per day)
- Red blood and mucus in the feces and mucus
- Straining to defecate
- Pain and colic while defecating
- Gaseous sounds from the gut
Common causes of diarrhea.
For your knowledge, here we give some common causes of diarrhea which you can find out for understanding the condition of your dog.
Small intestinal abnormalities which may cause diarrhea include:
- Diseases in small intestines
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Lymphangiectasia (protein-losing disease)
- Viral or bacterial infections
- Giardia
- Cancer
- Partial blockage of intestines
- Abnormally short small intestine
- Intestinal ulcers
- Poor digestion condition
- Pancreatic disease
- Gallbladder disease
- Dietary reasons
- Allergy
- Metabolic disorders like Gallbladder disease, underactive adrenal glands, urine waste in blood, toxins or drugs, Apudoma.
Large intestinal abnormalities which may ground diarrhea comprise:
- Large intestinal disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Infections (Viral and bacterial)
- Parasites (Giardia)
- Cancer may be the cause
- Non inflammatory reasons
- Dietary causes include changes in diet, low fiber diet, bowel syndrome, ingestion of foreign material.
How to conclude the disease?
Veterinarian shall attempt to make out the source of the diarrhea — the small or large intestine — by taking an entire history of your dog’s physical condition and commencement of symptoms. Your veterinarian shall then carry out a methodical physical exam on the dog, or the veterinarian may make an endoscopy and take biopsies from the intestines. There are various diagnostic techniques that may help to find diagnosis e.g. fecal samples, blood chemical profiles, urinalysis and electrolyte panels may assist in the diagnosis, as well.
Depending on the underlying reason of the diarrhea, there are many other tests which may be performed. For instance, if your doctor suspects pancreatic disease, they shall test for pancreatic function, while abdominal X-rays and ultrasounds may be used to find a foreign object in the intestines. Other exams may test for intestinal malabsorption, adrenal function, or for serum bile acids; these acids may be identified by taking blood samples.
How to go for treatment finally?
Treatment shall depend on the fundamental cause. Your veterinarian shall probably de-worm your dog just in case parasites are responsible for the disease. If your dog’s illness is due to dietary intolerance or allergies, your veterinarian shall prescribe a low-fat, high digestible diet for three to four weeks and follow-up to see if its diarrhea has ended up. If your dog is dehydrated, your veterinarian shall give it fluid therapy. Surgical interventions might be essential if your dog has an intestinal tumor or blockage.
Be careful while handling your dog
If your dog does not act in response to the treatment fetch it back to the vet to be re-evaluated. Many of the parasitic and bacterial infections that cause diarrhea in dogs may also affect humans, so be extremely careful when managing a dog suffering from diarrhea. Specially take serious note when your small kid is playing with the pet.
Things to remember
- Please note that the best treatment is immediate treatment .As much as you prolong or delay the treatment factor, the more complication will arise.
- The knowledge given here is the source of awareness; it does not make you a vet, so please take the opinion of professional veterinary doctor as the recommended one.
- Your pet is your asset, Take much care of it.
- Don’t ignore even mild to moderate symptoms of any abnormal condition or disease
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