Dog Diarrhea

Diarrhea is common in dogs and not all dog diarrhea treatment is the same. Let's look at this problem and its treatment options in greater detail.

It is hard to give an exact definition for diarrhea since each dog is different in how frequently he has a bowel movement. Generally speaking, a dog is considered to have diarrhea when he is passing soft or liquid stools, more often than his typical frequency.

It is important to realize that diarrhea is really not a disease in and of itself. Instead it is usually a symptom of another illness. Most of the time the underlying ailment is benign and short-lived. However, diarrhea can sometimes be the result of quite severe, even life-threatening conditions.

Diarrhea is typically classified into chronic or acute, based on how long the symptoms have been present. If your dog has been experiencing diarrhea chronically (that is, for more than a few days), take him to the veterinarian right away to seek the most appropriate treatment. First of all, the diarrhea could be due to a dangerous condition. Secondly, if your dog has had the diarrhea chronically, he may be getting dehydrated from all of the fluid loss.

If the diarrhea is acute and has only been ongoing for a few days, then you should keep a lookout for other symptoms that may act as alarm signals. These symptoms, when associated with acute diarrhea, often mean that there is a more serious underlying condition. In this situation, please take you dog to a veterinarian right away. To see these symptoms, please read on.

Symptoms
Diagnostic Tests
Treatment