How To Treat A Dog With Diarrhea At Home

Introduction

The first time my dog had diarrhea, I was a little freaked out. Now, I can handle it like a pro. If you’re reading this article, your dog probably has diarrhea right now—or at least has had it in the past. And if that’s the case, you’re likely wondering how to treat it at home and when to go to the vet.

Here’s what I tell people who ask me questions about their dogs’ diarrhea: Having occasional bouts of diarrhea is normal for humans and dogs alike. Most of the time, though, dog diarrhea is easy to treat with simple remedies such as food changes and over-the-counter medications.

However, sometimes your dog’s diarrhea requires more attention than that! So before trying any treatment at home, you should understand which symptoms require immediate emergency care from your veterinarian so that you don’t exacerbate an already serious situation with improper self-treatment.

What Causes Dog Diarrhea?

The first thing to do is try to identify the underlying cause of your dog’s diarrhea. Diarrhea can be caused by many different things, including dietary changes and infections. Here are some common causes of canine diarrhea:

Dietary causes – The most common reason for a change in bowel movements is an increase or decrease in food intake that causes rapid and drastic changes in your dog’s digestive system. If you have recently switched brands or types of food, this can also cause an upset stomach.
Infectious causes – Infection often leads to gastrointestinal distress if it spreads from another part of the body (such as the mouth) into the intestines and colon; however, sometimes it happens when an infection enters directly through broken skin or mucous membranes into these organs as well (such as after being bitten by a mosquito). Most infectious agents affect both dogs’ stomachs and colons at similar rates; however there are certain viruses which primarily affect one area over others – see below for more information on specific viral infections!

How To Treat Dog Diarrhea At Home

The BRAT diet is the first step in treating a dog’s diarrhea. The acronym stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. You can also use BRATT to remember these items: bananas, rice, applesauce and tea.

BRAT diets work because they are bland and easy on the stomach while being packed with nutrients that your dog needs to recover from diarrhea.

The main ingredients you will need are:

Rice – 1 cup cooked (preferably white)

Bananas – 1/2 cup mashed or one whole banana (frozen)

Apple sauce – 1/3 cup (unsweetened)

Toast – 2 slices of bread

The BRAT Diet

The BRAT diet is a simple, effective way to treat diarrhea in dogs. It stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Bananas are a good source of soluble fiber which helps bind the stool together to make it less watery. Rice is also high in soluble fiber as well as being low on the glycemic index (GI), meaning it won’t spike your dog’s blood sugar levels like other starchy foods might. Applesauce helps keep moisture in the stool so it doesn’t pass through too quickly and become hard and dry (this could lead to constipation). Toast provides bulk without adding much nutritional value so you don’t have to worry about overloading your pup with unnecessary calories or fat—but if you feel guilty about giving him something processed (like white bread) I would recommend whole wheat instead!

You may want to start by giving one banana per day along with at least 1 cup of cooked brown rice mixed into your dog’s food once per day until they’re feeling better; then move onto two bananas per day along with two cups cooked brown rice mixed into their food twice per day until they’re back on track!

The BRATT Diet

The BRATT diet is a treatment option for dogs with diarrhea, whose symptoms include: increased frequency of bowel movements, soft stools, or loose stools. The BRATT diet consists of bananas to replace fluids; rice to replace nutrients; applesauce to soothe the stomach; toast to firm up the stool; and tea (or water) to cleanse the bowels and prevent dehydration.

Bananas contain potassium and pectin—two key electrolytes for replacing fluids lost in diarrhea. You can also add some honey if your dog has an upset tummy from his diarrhea episode.

Replace Fluid Losses With Bananas: Bananas are high in potassium and pectin which can help replace fluid losses from vomiting or diarrhea episodes by binding water within the body’s cells.* A medium banana contains about 100 calories and 3 grams of fiber so make sure you don’t overdo it!

Other Helpful Remedies For Dog Diarrhea

Feed your dog a bland diet. If your dog has diarrhea, it’s important to feed him or her a bland diet. A bland diet is one that contains no fiber, but still has enough nutrients to keep your pup healthy. You can make this by mixing rice, boiled chicken breast and water in equal amounts (about one cup each).
Give your pet probiotics. Probiotics are live organisms that help maintain healthy digestion. Probiotic bacteria are found in yogurt and some other foods like sauerkraut and kombucha tea; however, there aren’t any studies showing whether these ingredients work for treating intestinal infections (not just mild diarrhea) in dogs.[4] One study showed that giving dogs probiotics resulted in fewer instances of colitis when compared with those who didn’t receive the supplement.[5]
Feed yogurt if you have access to it because yogurt contains probiotic bacteria strains which may help prevent diarrhea caused by bacterial infections such as E coli 0157:H7.[6][7] You can feed this food straight off the spoon so long as it doesn’t upset their tummies too much!

This article will help you identify the symptoms of dog diarrhea.

How will you know if your dog has diarrhea?

The following symptoms can help you identify whether or not your dog is experiencing diarrhea. Symptoms of diarrhea in dogs include:

Watery, soft stool that is stinky and may contain mucus, blood or bacteria.
The stool should be soft to the touch and should pass easily from the rectum. If it takes an excessive amount of time for this to happen, then there is a chance that your pet has developed diarrhea due to another condition such as cancer or an inflammatory disease.
Your pet will emit foul-smelling gas after passing a bowel movement due to irritation caused by digestive enzymes released during digestion which are not always digested properly before reaching the colon (intestines).

Conclusion

With any luck, this article has given you some helpful ideas to help you identify and treat dog diarrhea. Keep in mind that if your dog’s diarrhea does not resolve within a few days or the symptoms worsen, contact your veterinarian immediately for further care.