Diarrhea in Dogs: Causes and Treatment
Diarrhea is the passage of loose, unformed stools. In most cases there is a large volume of stool and an increased number of bowel movements. The two most common causes of diarrhea in dogs are dietary indiscretion and intestinal parasites. Many canine infectious diseases are also associated with acute diarrhea.
Food takes about eight hours to pass through the small intestines. During that time, the bulk of the food and 80 percent of the water is absorbed. The colon concentrates the remainder. At the end, a well-formed stool is evacuated. A normal stool contains no mucus, blood, or undigested food.
With rapid transit through the bowel, food arrives at the rectum in a liquid state, resulting in a loose, unformed bowel movement. This type of rapid transit accounts for the majority of temporary diarrhea in dogs.
Dietary indiscretion is a common cause of rapid transit. Dogs are natural scavengers and tend to eat many indigestible substances, including garbage and decayed food, dead animals, grass, wild and ornamental plants, and pieces of plastic, wood, paper, and other foreign materials. Many of these are irritating to the stomach as well as to the bowel, and are partially eliminated through vomiting.
Food intolerancecan also cause rapid transit. Foods that some dogs seem unable to tolerate can include beef, pork, chicken, horsemeat, fish, eggs, spices, corn, wheat, soy, gravies, salts, spices, fats, and some commercial dog foods. Note that food intolerance is not the same as food allergy, which causes dermatitis and possibly vomiting, but rarely causes diarrhea.
Characteristics of Diarrhea
Color | Likely Cause | Likely Location |
Yellowish or greenish | Rapid transit | Small bowel |
Black, tarry | Upper GI bleeding | Stomach or small bowel |
Red blood or clots | Lower GI bleeding | Colon clots |
Pasty, light | Lack of bile | Liver |
Large, gray, rancid | Inadequate digestion | Small bowel or absorption |
Consistency | Likely Cause | Likely Location |
Watery | Rapid transit | Small bowel |
Foamy | Bacterial infection | Small bowel |
Greasy, often with oily hair around the anus | Malabsorption | Small bowel, pancreas |
Glistening or jellylike | Constains mucus | Colon |
Odor | Likely Cause | Likely Location |
Foodlike, or smelling like sour milk | Rapid transit and inadequate digestion or absorption (suggests overfeeding, especially in puppies) | Small bowel |
Rancid or foul | Inadequate digestion with fermentation | Small bowel, pancreas |
Frequency | Likely Cause | Likely Location |
Several small stools in an hour, with straining | Colitis | Colon |
Three or four large stools in a day | Inadequate digestion or absorption | Small bowel, pancreas |
Condition of the Dog | Likely Cause | Likely Location |
Weight loss | Inadequate digestion or absorption | Small bowel, pancreas |
No weight loss, normal appetite | Large bowel disorder | Colon |
Vomiting | Enteritis | Small bowel, rarely colon |
Intestinal parasites are a common cause of acute and chronic diarrhea in puppies and adults. The greatest problems are caused by roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, threadworms, and giardia.
Diarrhea is a common side effect of many drugs and medications, particularly the NSAIDs,which include aspirin. Some heart medications, some dewormers, and most antibiotics also can cause diarrhea.
Dogs can experience diarrhea when they’re excited or upset-for example, when they’re going to the veterinary hospital or a dog show. In fact, any sudden change in a dog’s diet or living circumstances may cause emotional diarrhea
WebMD Veterinary Reference from "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook"
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