The dog with acute diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea in dogs,

Dogs normally have fairly firm stools. How firm the stool is, what a normal amount is and what colour, also depends on the type of food the dog is given. Fresh food, kibble and wet food all contribute in their own way to the formation of faeces. The more fibre the food contains, the more faeces are formed. Therefore, the amount of total faeces only says something if it deviates from what is normal for this dog with this food.

So when is acute diarrhoea?

When the dog suddenly has more softer and thinner stools than normal. Also, if a dog defecates more often than normal (1-2 times a day), or if there is blood and mucus with the stools, it is called diarrhoea. The thickness of the stool can also vary per defecation, you will see that the stool is thinner then thicker again. This may seem fine, but when this persists, it may also be advisable to have it looked at properly. We speak of acute if the diarrhoea (i.e. from softer to water-thin stools) persists for up to a week to 10 days.

What do you see on your dog in acute diarrhoea besides too thin stools?

In many dogs, we actually see quite little besides abnormal stools. They seem to be functioning nicely, are active, drinking and eating well. These are dogs that often do recover after a few days, whether or not helped with some different food or a different feeding schedule. With these dogs, feeding several smaller portions a day for a few days can help, but also using a light digestible food can speed up recovery.

If the dog keeps diarrhoea for longer or however becomes sicker and develops a fever or also starts vomiting, it obviously becomes a different story. These are dogs that are sick and often also eat and drink less. These dogs are therefore more likely to dry out and in these dogs more extensive investigation into the cause and symptoms is needed. From the vet's examination, a treatment plan will then be drawn up and it will be seen whether and what medication can help the dog.

The cause of acute diarrhoea,

Acute diarrhoea in dogs can unfortunately occur due to many different causes. This is also why dogs still sometimes suffer from too thin stools. The most common causes are:

• Eating off the street, i.e. inappropriate 'rubbish' (faeces of other animals, spoiled waste, food for other animals, as well as table scraps with herbs, sweets).
• Viruses, such as coronavirus (not COVID-19), Canine distemper and Parvovirus often cause diarrhoea, but against Canine distemper and Parvo can be vaccinated as standard which often makes the dogs less ill.
• Parasites, such as worms and Giardia. Deworming itself may also cause a dog to have thinner stools for a day, but it is still recommended to deworm 4 times a year. Giardia also causes symptoms of abdominal cramps, mucus in the stools and diarrhoea in humans.
• Change of food or giving not easily digestible food, dogs often need some time to get used to different food or the food does not meet the dog's requirements.
• Stress, this can cause many complaints including diarrhoea. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to find out what is causing the stress. Examples include moving house, other housemates, boss away more often, agitation due to arguments in the house, going to a boarding house.
• Food hypersensitivity, but then we often see that the diarrhoea and other complaints naturally persist as long as the dog is fed this food.

How to deal with acute diarrhoea in dogs,

If the dog has diarrhoea for longer than a week, looks sick or has blood or mucus in the stools, it is highly recommended to visit your vet. There, the dog will be examined to see if the dog might need a drip to get fluids and electrolytes back to the desired level. Diarrhoea causes all kinds of shifts in water and mineral metabolism, which in turn contribute to the dog feeling ill. In addition, further treatment depends entirely on the cause. It may then be necessary, for example, to deworm, give fever-reducing and pain-relieving medication or give nothing other than a drip. Furthermore, it is often chosen to temporarily feed more often, so that the portions are smaller. This puts less strain on the intestines. And a food that is easily digestible and has more nutritional value is often used, so that the dog can still take in enough energy, nutrients and minerals with smaller portions.

If the above measures do not seem to work sufficiently when returning to the old food and it can be ruled out that the dog gets food elsewhere, it may be a case of food intolerance. In that case, giving the dog a hypoallergenic food can contribute to its recovery. It is advisable to do this with your vet.

-This is an automated translation-