Severe diarrhoea in dogs

[Dodder]

Collected our 2 1/2yr old Weimararner bitch from the kennels after a week away the other day and she has the above. Immediately started feeding her chicken & boiled rice which normally does the trick, but not this time.
She is wining to go out every few hours day & night where she firstly has a little explosion of brown liquid and then has another couple of squats groaning with a few drops coming out - there appears to be blood in this. She is also feeling very sorry for herself.
Couldn't get her into the vets yesterday (!) for an E consult but am hoping to this morning but thought I'd ask whther any of you have experienced this and if so what cured it please?

 

[Donkey Basher]

Have you spoken to the kennels to see if she had this when with them? - sorry I know it's an obvious question but I'd be trying to establish how this has come about etc.

To me it sounds like she's picked something up whilst boarded - I'm not a vet but what you describe sounds like large intestine so could be a parasite, over the years I've had a couple of instances of this & would guess at giardia maybe.

I'm sure one of the resident vets will be along soon but meantime I'd get the dog to the vets for diagnosis & treatment - not an econsult either, if your normal vet won't see her then find one that will.

Should add too that I'd be speaking to the kennels about this with a view a) to making them aware so that they can ensure proper care & awareness for others and b) to recoup the costs of treatment from them!

 

[Dodder]

Thanks DB - yes spoken to the kennels and they did advise us that they first noticed the morning we collected her.
Guardia was my thought too - managed to get a physical appointment this afternoon at our vets but hoping to get this brought forward if possible.
Will advise of the outcome but thanks again for your input.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Stop feeding her .
Give it a good 24hrs of nothing but access to water , then try feeding

 

[Will the chippy]

My cocker when a pup had the runs, kept changing her food, nothing. Took her to the vets and had to get a poo sample etc. Long story short after speaking to three vets at the practice, she had gardia worm. a 10 day course of powdered panacur , normal is 3, soon solved it. It cost 140 for the poo test and 40 for the treatment. Did both my dogs as the other might be a carrier.
If it looks like it's coming back they get another dose, it won't harm them and it's cheaper/ less time consuming than getting tested again.
Hope you soon get sorted.

 

[Bigcal]

Try full fat Greek yoghurt over 2-3 days, it’s a pro biotic so does help and they love it

 

[Dodder]

Thanks all for your input - will be taking a sample of her poo to the vets at 3pm today ,- I'm getting more convinced it probably is Guardia....

 

[Tegner]

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[rooster]

Try some immodium, it works. Stop feeding too.

 

[Dodder]

OK update time - dog was very mopesy first thing, but seems much perkier this afternoon. (Mrs D gave her some powdered probiotic last night on the chicken & rice but no ides if this has helped or not?).
Vet doesn't seem unduly worried, her temperature is ok and abdomen not tender so gave us a three day course of Promax Probiotic and a can of special Royal Canin food. She thinks it may be stress related (her kennel stint was unfortunately the longest yet with our other dog at 10 days). She advised definitely not to stop feeding her but suggested white fish or chickhen mashed up with rice. If she's no better in a couple of days we are to take her back when they will test her stools for Guardia, etc. Hopefully for her sake it won't come to that - thanks again for all you input!

 

[Norfolk Horn]

Chappie which has been about for years is good for dogs recovering from a bad stomach I was always told by my old vet

 

[Buchan]

This sounds like large bowel diarrhoea (discomfort, urgency, squats, drops and blood (I might adopt that for my students!)) which isn't that common in a young dog, but might be stress related. You do right with the light diet, little and often. It's now accepted that feeding a gut helps it recover, so long as it's digestible and small amounts, rather than starving, as food brings blood to digest and so also heal. You can try probiotics, but I'm not convinced by them. I doubt it's parasitic at that age

 

[Rake Aboot]

What’s the theory with not starving the dog ?
Saying as that’s been the working first step since Noah had a dug !

 

[potshotpat]

Can I suggest Colitis. Had a problem with my dogs recently. Regular pooing but a bit loose. Spoke to our vet and I mentioned that there was mucus in the poo. Got medication ( can't remember which sort) seems to have cleared up, but I'm still checking ( the dogs not me ) good luck

 

[Jon P]

Can I suggest Colitis. Had a problem with my dogs recently. Regular pooing but a bit loose. Spoke to our vet and I mentioned that there was mucus in the poo. Got medication ( can't remember which sort) seems to have cleared up, but I'm still checking ( the dogs not me ) good luck

I had a spaniel years ago that had Colitis, was brought on by the colourings in dog biscuit (omega dog food at the time) he had a few month on boiled rabbit & rice and was fine afterwards, just had to watch what colours were added to his feed as it would start it back off .

 

[Rusty Gate]

Collected our 2 1/2yr old Weimararner bitch from the kennels after a week away the other day and she has the above. Immediately started feeding her chicken & boiled rice which normally does the trick, but not this time.
She is wining to go out every few hours day & night where she firstly has a little explosion of brown liquid and then has another couple of squats groaning with a few drops coming out - there appears to be blood in this. She is also feeling very sorry for herself.
Couldn't get her into the vets yesterday (!) for an E consult but am hoping to this morning but thought I'd ask whther any of you have experienced this and if so what cured it please?

Boiled rice mixed 50/50 with normal food. Collitis, antibiotics course. It dont help the kennel prob just gave them any food not what its used to

 

[Buchan]

What’s the theory with not starving the dog ?
Saying as that’s been the working first step since Noah had a dug !

Put food in a gut the body supplys extra blood to digest it, bringing with it all the gut needs to repair the damged gut lining. We used to starve, sometimes 48 hours after gut surgery, now we get them to eat ASAP. You have to be sensible, a vindaloo isnt going to help, hence the need for very digesitible eggs, chicken, rise, fish - and little and little and often.
Vomiting - I starve, diarrhoea, I feed (not on it you understand)

 

[Buchan]

Boiled rice mixed 50/50 with normal food. Collitis, antibiotics course. It dont help the kennel prob just gave them any food not what its used to

Antibiotics only if proven pathogen AND very sick animal. It' sbeen shown to make no difference, even with bloody D

 

[Rake Aboot]

Put food in a gut the body supplys extra blood to digest it, bringing with it all the gut needs to repair the damged gut lining. We used to starve, sometimes 48 hours after gut surgery, now we get them to eat ASAP. You have to be sensible, a vindaloo isnt going to help, hence the need for very digesitible eggs, chicken, rise, fish - and little and little and often.
Vomiting - I starve, diarrhoea, I feed (not on it you understand)

Ok, but that’s for a damaged gut or , as you say , after surgery.

A dog with the sh!ts may very well not have a damaged gut. Just a dose of the sh!ts.

I’m happy to be corrected but we seem to be expanding the issue here.
Dog has scoots, starve dog 24 hrs then light feed. No ?

 

[hcm1]

In uncomplicated cases of diarrhoea, starve vs non starve probably doesn't make a massive difference. But any diarrhoea is an indication of an upset intestine. Large intestinal diarrhoea is often due to irritation (numerous specific reasons) which in itself means angry cells lining the gut. The cells lining the gut actually get little nourishment from the blood supply. Instead they rely on the nutrients within the gut to maintain the lining so any angry/damaged cells need the nourishment of material in them to repair, but as Buchan says the food you feed needs to be easily digestible.
Pro-Kolin (or similar) seem to be quite useful but more for small intestinal diarrhoea rather than large intestinal diarrhoea.
On occasion anti-inflammatory treatment is indicated for unpleasant colitis cases as they can be quite upset by it. Generally speaking, bland diet for a few days will usually give a resolution (unless there is an infectious reason) but a trip to the vet is in order if there is significant distress or any sign of ill health otherwise.