According to surveys by the national Veterinary group, canine diarrhea is the third most common problem they treat in their offices. If your pup has ever had this issue, you know how much your day is changed around. Stomach problems in dogs can come from too much bacteria in their intestinal system tract, or just from you giving them too much food or snacks. The more serious cases can include bloating or even stomach cancer.
If the dog’s stomach problems are not accompanied by vomiting and a sudden lack of appetite, the problem may be mild and you can handle it yourself. We’ve got some tips you might find helpful if your dog has loose bowel movements. But if your little dog is vomiting or showing blood in his feces, you need to put him in the car and drive directly to the vet’s office.
But sometimes stomach problems and loose bowels are just side effects from diet changes, super snacking or digging through the trash in the kitchen. Other causes could be due to parasites like worms that can make harmful bacteria grow in your dog’s stomach and intestines.
If you see worms in your dog’s feces, either spaghetti looking or rice like in appearance, you can get an OTC de-wormer medicine and this might just do the trick. But some parasites like Giardia or other worms you can’t see are not so easily dealt with by pet owners. This will probably cause further stomach problems and more diarrhea. When this happens, you need to scoop up some of your dog’s stool and carry it off to the vet office for further testing.
Its possible that you can handle mild stomach problems just by withholding food from your pet for a day. This with the assumption that all else is normal with your dog’s health, with the exception of the loose stool.
After a day of no food at all for your dog, give him or her a meal made of boiled hamburger, chicken and white rice with all the fat drained off of the meat. Give your dog small portions of food 5 or 6 times a day until his bowels are normal and the stool turns firm again. Sometimes, the vet would recommend small bits of yogurt so that beneficial bacteria can grow safely in the dog’s stomach.