What Canine Stools Tell You About Diarrhea
Diarrhea is the passage of loose, unformed stools generally occurring in more frequent bowel movements. It is the most common sign of an intestinal disease.
Diarrhea can be classified as acute or chronic, depending on its duration. Acute diarrhea comes on suddenly and is finished in a short period. Chronic diarrhea often comes on gradually and persists for three weeks or longer, or has an episodic pattern of recurrence.
Chronic diarrhea requires veterinary investigation.
Food in the small intestine takes about 8 hours to reach the colon. During that time, the bulk of the food and 80 percent of the water is absorbed. The colon concentrates the remainder. In the end, a well-formed stool is evacuated.
Transit time in the intestinal tract can be speeded up for a variety of reasons resulting in a large, loose, unformed bowel movement. This accounts for the majority of acute diarrheas of short duration.
To determine the cause of the diarrhea, it’s impoprtant to decide where the disease is located: small intestine or colon. This is done by examining the color, consistency, odor and frequency of the stools, as well as the condition of the dog:
COLOR
- Yellow stool — indicates rapid transit (small bowel). When the stool is loose, full of mucus and is yellow in color, it is typically the result of a food intolerance. Did you change foods recently?
- Green stool — It could mean your dog has eaten a large amount of grass. It can also be intestinal parasites, rat poisoning or other internal issues.
- Orange stool — It could indicate a liver issue or biliary disease, or it could just mean that your dog’s poop moved too quickly through the GI tract to pick up the bile which changes poop to the normal brown color we expect. If your dog has orange diarrhea, contact your vet.
- Black, tarry stool — indicates bleeding in the upper digestive tract. It may be a sign of a gastrointestinal ulcer or a stomach ulcer. Many human medications can cause stomach ulcers in dogs, especially aspirin, so never give human meds without consulting your vet.
- Bloody stool — red blood or clots indicate bleeding in the colon. Streaks of blood may be colitis (inflammation of the colon), a rectal injury, an anal gland infection or possibly a tumor.
- Pink or purple stool — Anything that resembles raspberry jam could indicate hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE). A large number of dogs die each year from HGE but most will recover with prompt treatment. Seek medical attention.
- Pasty, light-colored stool — indicates lack of bile (liver disease). While it could be a sign of liver or biliary disease, it could simply mean that your dog’s poop moved too fast through the GI tract to pick up the bile which changes the color to the normal brown you recognize.
- Large, grey, rancid-smelling stool — indicates inadequate digestion or absorption (malabsorption syndrome). Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) is commonly referred to as maldigestion. Essentially this means the pancreas is not functioning properly. It is a common issue for German Shepherds and Collies. The good news is that this is a very treatable condition, but it is serious, so take your dog to the vet right away.
- White specks — Worms often look like white grains of rice in your pup’s stool. Your dog needs to be de-wormed.
CONSISTENCY
- Watery stool — indicates small bowel wall irritation (toxins and severe infections). When the stool is watery, it can be a sign of an upset stomach due to dog food or GI tract issue. If it continues, see a vet.
- Foamy stool — suggests a bacterial infection
- Greasy stool — often with oil on the hair around the anus: indicates malabsorption
- Excessive mucus — a glistening or jellylike appearance; indicates colonic origin.
ODOR (the more watery the stool, the greater the odor)
- Foodlike, or smelling like sour milk — suggests rapid transit and malabsorption: for example, overfeeding, especially in puppies
- Putrid smelling — suggests an intestinal infection.
FREQUENCY
- Several in an hour, each small, with straining — suggests colitis (inflammation of the large bowel)
- Three or four times a day, each large — suggests a malabsorption or small bowel disorder
CONDITION OF DOG
- Weight loss, malnutrition — suggests small bowel disorder
- Normal appetite, minimal weight loss — suggests large bowel disorder
- Vomiting — small bowel origin, except for colitis
Common Causes of Diarrhea
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.
Most cases are caused by an irritation of the bowel lining from ingested substances or infections agents — in other words, something they ate. Any change in your dog’s diet could be the trigger: unfamiliar water; intolerance to certain foods like beef, pork, chicken, horsemeat, fish, eggs, spices, corn, wheat, soy, gravies, salts, spices, fats, and some commercial dog foods; excitement or emotional upset.
Dogs are scavengers and sometimes tend to eat things they can’t digest like:
- dead animals, rodents and birds
- garbage and decayed food
- rich foods, table scraps, gravies, salts, spices and fats
- sticks, cloth, grass, paper, etc.
- parts of flea collars
Toxic substances causing diarrhea include:
- gasoline, kerosene, oil or coal tar derivatives
- cleaning fluid, refrigerants
- insecticides
- bleaches, often in toilet bowls
- wild or ornamental plants, toadstools
- building materials: cement, lime, paints, caulks
- fireworks containing phosphorus
Many of these are equally as irritating to the stomach and will cause vomiting.
Treatment
Diarrhea is a symptom. The first step in treating it is to identify and remove the underlying cause, if possible. If the diarrhea is caused by overeating, cut back the food intake and feed 2-3 times a day in controlled portions. If unfamiliar water is the problem, carry an extra supply with you. In the case where irritating or toxic substances have been ingested, an effort should be made to identify the agent as specific antidotes may be required.
Food allergies can be cleared up by removing the problem food. Sometimes changing a dog’s food can trigger diarrhea. The new food should be introduced slowly over a couple weeks to avoid this kind of diarrhea.
Most cases of diarrhea can be treated at home:
- Withhold all food for 24-48 hours. If your dog appears thirsty, give a small amount of water or ice cubes to lick.
- Administer lomotil at a dose of one tablet per 25 lbs of dog, three times a day. Or Kaopectate at 1/2 – 1 tsp per 5 lb, to a maximum of 2 Tbsp every 8 hours. Or Pepto-Bismal at 0.5 ml per lb or 1/2-1 tsp per 5 lb, to a maximum of 30 ml or 2 Tbsp.
- As the dog starts to respond, feed an easily digested diet that contains no fats:
- boiled hamburger (1- to 2-parts cooked rice; discard the broth)
- cottage cheese
- cooked macaroni or soft-boiled eggs
Prescription diets are available from your vet.
- Continue the bland diet for three days, even if your dog seems better.
A diarrhea that persists for more than 24 hours, a bloody diarrhea and diarrhea accompanied by vomiting, fever and other signs of toxicity should be checked out by your vet immediately.
Source: Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook
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My dog had blood in his stool for a few days, took it in and vet said no worms or parasites. Did it again so I took him in vet said he had an intestinal infection, gave him 2 shots and antibiotics to take home, it has been 3 days on them and there is no blood in stool but it still smells foul like blood or metal. Is this normal?
What is the consistency? Part of the smell could be related the meds the vet gave him and to the infection. This can take a few days to balance out. If it is still there in a couple more days, give your vet a call. Antibiotics can deplete good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria, so you might add some plain yogurt to his food or other probiotic to add good bacteria into his gut.
Hello, so I have a four month old pigeon has had pumpkin colored watery diarrhea for six days. I am worried because the internet says he might have lover problems. He doesn’t like drinking water he has no interest in it. I have been giving him rice with boiled chicken breast since the first day of diarrhea with some water because I am concerned about dehydration. He shows no signs of other side effects, like vomiting or lack of energy. He is a puppy so he is always super hyper after his naps or feeding time. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong or what’s wrong with him? What do you recommend?
Pigeon? I’m thinking that’s a typo.
Given his young age, it may not be a liver problem. Has he been de-wormed yet? Is there something he is getting into that no one has seen him getting into yet — like garbage or something in the yard? Does he drink LESS water than he used to? Are you filling the water bowl LESS often or are you not seeing him drink. If he is not drinking, it may be because he is not thirsty. This would seem to be true if his appetite is normal. Do you know how to do the pinch test for dehydration. You can also find videos on youtube for doing it.
Add some plain canned pumpkin to his food. This has fiber in it that should firm up his bowel movements. You should see an improvement in a day, but it may take 2-3 to get back to normal. If you do not see an improvement, you might take a sample of the diarrhea to the vet for them to test. Let us know how things go.
Thank you for your feedback.
And yes you would be correct about not a pretty picture. Has been a disaster with her fur.
Hopefully, things get better very soon.
My 7 year old Great Pyrenees has been having diarrhea for 2 days. First day it was yellow and foul smelling. She vomited that night-mostly liquid. Second day the yellow diarrhea continued but seemed to slow. We withheld food all day until dinner and we gave her a cup of cooked rice and chicken. Diarrhea continued. We gave her kaeopectate and pure pumpkin. She went again an hour later, and then not again for 4 hours but now the diarrhea is dark brown.
Sounds like you are making progress. You might continue the rice and chicken with the pumpkin for a couple more days. You can also add some plain yogurt or other probiotic to the meal so she will start to get good bacteria back in her gut.
A Great Pyrenees with diarrhea…. hmmm, that’s not a pretty picture. :/
Hi! First off, thank you for all your help!
Here’s the rundown – my 10 month old chihuahua mix started going to dog daycare on Monday and Tuesday (2 days). They say they fed him what is given, which is his normal dry food, but to be honest… we would never know. Tuesday night, he had normal poop but more than usual. Wednesday morning (~1-5am) he vomited and had diarrhea (no blood). All throughout Wed, he had diarrhea of the same consistency (green/brown and runny) but a bit of blood drops followed @ the end. This (blood in stool) happened twice on Wednesday. He went a total of 5 times. Thursday morning (~1-5am) he vomited yellow and had a tiny amount of brownish diarrhea (had a little more texture/not completely runny). Throughout Thursday, he had less diarrhea (first time outside, he had smaller and fewer droplets of blood at the end; no more blood the rest of Thursday). He went a total of 2-3 times. Thursday night, his excrement was more yellow-ish but, again, a bit more texture than Wednesday. However, today, for his morning walk, it had a yellowish/brown color but resorted back to being runny.
As for his overall mood – Mon/Tues he was less energetic than normal, which I assumed was because of his activities @ daycare (he runs with the dogs ALOT). On Wednesday, I’d had hoped his energy levels went back to normal, but he still had low energy levels and was sleeping most of the day. I attributed this to him still being tired from 2 days of daycare. However, Thursday and today his mood seems to be pretty normal again.
Wednesday, his diet consisted of his normal food (1x) which then switched to chicken broth and rice (2x). He eats 3x a day. Thursday, all chicken broth and rice. This morning I fed him him a small amount of his dry food along w/ the rice+broth combo since I felt that his excrement on Thursday night seemed to be getting back to normal (yellowish/more consistency). His appetite hasn’t changed. He still eats normally.
I’m worried about the length of how long he should continue with diarrhea before visiting a vet. I see websites ranging to wait for up to a week. I was planning on going today, but his mood seems fine and there’s no more blood. I was also planning on going out of town for the weekend, but may stay since when he is at daycare, he doesn’t pay attention to his basic needs and comes home SUPER THIRSTY, so that combo could lead to dehydration + visit to hospital while I’m away.
What do you recommend? Should I visit a doctor ASAP or give a few more days? What diet should he be on (i.e. should he start solid food? continue w/ rice+broth)?
THANK YOU SO MUCH
Hmmm… what a busy boy. Sometimes overeating will lead to diarrhea, so one thought I had was that he ate too much. And maybe he ate his and someone else’s food. How do they separate the dogs at feeding time? This diarrhea should have passed in a couple days. Is daycare new to him? That can cause a change, but again, that should pass in a couple days. So we’re left with whether he got into something when no one was looking — as 10 month olds can easily do — or if he picked up something from another dog.
In cases of diarrhea, it is not uncommon to find small traces of blood, so that is not immediately an issue in my mind.
The yellow color indicates that the food passed quickly through his system which happens with diarrhea. It can also indicate a food intolerance which could be from eating someone else’s food that was different than his usual.
A good general meal for a dog with diarrhea is boiled chicken and white rice. The chicken provides protein and the rice is slow to digest so should help produce firmer stools. Broth may be a bit too rich and may contain onions. Check the label on that. You can add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to the chicken and rice. Pumpkin contains fiber and is a great way to balance out a stool that is either too hard or too soft. You can also add some plain yogurt or other probiotic to his food to put good bacteria back in his gut which is lost through diarrhea.
It sounds like you are seeing an improvement. That combined with his acting normal as well as eating and drinking makes me think you can monitor him for a couple more days. I would back off the broth though. Good luck.
My 2 year old half golden half doberman just had a diarrhea, very liquidy with looks like drops of blood. He vomited this morning as well. He seems ok. Still chasing our cats and doesn’t look like he is in any pain. We recently changed his food and just wondering what it could be. We are going to monitor him tonight and if it still happen we are going to take him to the vet.
A few drops of blood in diarrhea is not necessarily uncommon. At this point, it could be that he got into something you didn’t notice or for some reason has an upset stomach. If he will eat, add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to his food twice a day. That should firm up his stools in a day or two. If the diarrhea and vomiting persist, a visit to your vet will be a good idea. Good luck.
My Dog recently started having diarrhea and it’s a dark brown with a sour milk smell. I recently changed his diet completely could that be the issue
If there were no issues before the change, I would suspect the change in food. Add some plain yogurt and some plain canned pumpkin to his food. The yogurt puts good bacteria back into his digestive system and the fiber in the pumpkin balances out the consistency of the stool.
Hi, my 7yo flat coat retriever was diagnosed with an anal gland tumor two years ago. He was given six months, but is still going strong with no symptoms, discomfort, eating issues, etc. This week he developed orange diarrhea….no lethargy, nothing else. What do you think?
Congrats on your boy’s longevity! May he keep going another 7 or more!
Orange diarrhea could mean that his poop moved too quickly through the GI tract to pick up the bile which changes poop to the normal brown color we usually see. Has anything changed in his diet or has he gotten into anything. Sometimes the change in seasons brings new smells and attractions out.
Has he been vaccinated? Sometimes coronavirus presents this way, though it is usually accompanied by loss of weight and lethargy.
It could indicate a liver issue or biliary disease. If it doesn’t correct itself in another day or so, give your vet a call. You may be able to submit a stool sample to them for testing.
My sixish year-old rescued black lab has diarrhea DAILY during walks. First stool is soft, but can be picked up only if he goes on something like sand or mulch, no “clean catch” if he goes on grass. Then within less than two minutes he has urgent green stool ranging from pudding to liquid. Sometimes there’s mucous, sometimes it’s foamy, never bloody. Smells foul. Nerves seem to be a factor, like when he sees or smells another dog. For this reason the dog park is out. It often happens that he lifts his leg to urinate and ends up having diarrhea instead. Pumpkin neither helps nor hurts. He gets high quality kibble from a natural pet food store, and protein source changed every six months. Again, his first poop starts out solid, it’s the subsequent second and often third “go” that makes us a neighborhood nuisance. Nobody wants dog poop on the sidewalk! Beginning to think this was the reason he was surrendered to a shelter in the first place. Have been struggling with him for over two years in this. His coat is shiny and health–although he sheds a lot–and his mood and energy are good. Weighs around 80# and drinks about 2 cups of water daily. Beyond frustrated.
I can imagine your frustration, but good on you for rescuing him. Does this only happen on walks? Does he have a backyard where this does not happen?
It could be one of a few things —
If you suspect it to be nerves, there are a couple options. One is a new-to-dogs drug called Sileo. Sileo works by blocking norepinephrine, a brain chemical similar to adrenaline that pumps up anxiety. It comes in prefilled plastic syringes with a dial for setting a precise dose according to the dog’s weight. It is applied under the lip to the gums. However, it is probably too pricey for daily use. You could also try the herb Valerian.
Another option would be to talk to an animal communicator. That may sound funny to you, but from my personal experience, I believe in them. A rescue dog was scheduled to be put down after he suddenly turned aggressive. The animal communicator found that he had an infection in his sinus cavity that everyone missed. Once that was addressed, he was back to his old gentle self and his life was saved. I used this same communicator to help me find my deaf dog a couple years ago when he got lost in the woods after chasing a deer. It took four days because the woods cover MANY acres, but we found him.
The woman used in the two examples above is Diane Samsel. And even though she is located in North Carolina, she helped the rescue dog in New York state and my dog in Texas. She also helped me rescue a dog living in the woods a few months ago who would not let anyone get anywhere near her. And I tried for weeks. The day after Diane “spoke” to her, I was able to pick her up and walk out of the woods with her.
Another thought is: what is the quantity of food that you are feeding him. It seems unusual that he would poop three times in a single walk. Is he eating too much maybe? The green color suggests that he is eating grass — maybe because he has an upset stomach? If so, has he been de-wormed.
Is he on any medications?
Have you tried adding probiotics/acidophyllus to his food. This will add good bacteria to his gut. If he is passing a lot of mucous, his good bacteria is likely being eliminated, too.
And lastly, maybe he has an intolerance to the kibble you are feeding him. Some dogs don’t do well on high quality kibble.
Hi. My 4 year old shar pei has been having a bad stomach for a couple of weeks now, had blood clots in both his vomit which was yellow foamy and in his diahrrea. Took him to the vets with a poo sample and came back that he had giardia. Gave him treatment, but after a week now hes having foamy white vomit and diahrrea with few blood clots again. Tried changing his diet around, plain rice and chicken seemed to make his stomach worse with occasional diarrhea but with no blood until today. New canned and dry food that we bought, he doesnt seem to like and wont eat it. Dont really know what else to do and what to give him. Many thanks
Have you determined the source of the giardia? If not, your dog may be re-infecting himself so the change in diet won’t accomplish your goal. A dog can acquire giardia by ingesting an infected cyst contained in another animal’s poop. Contamination can occur directly or indirectly through contact with infected cysts.
The most common route of transmission is through feces-contaminated water, however grass, soil, and other surfaces can be contaminated as well.
To prevent it,
• Avoid kenneling your companion with a bunch of other animals.
• Pick up your own pet’s feces outside. Avoid walking your pet where other animals have pooped.
• As much as possible, prevent your pet from drinking from outdoor water sources.
If you suspect the giardia is back, have your vet test a stool sample to confirm and retreat.
Foamy white vomit is generally associated with stomach upset. I’m surprised he didn’t like the chicken and rice. You can try some pepto bismol — the recommended dosage is 1 teaspoon for every 10 pounds. It can be offered to your dog every 6-to-8 hours, but if your dog still has diarrhea after a few doses, stop the medication and call your veterinarian. There are also several anti-diarrhea medications available at your local pet supply store.
I recently bought an eight week old puppy, she is being taken to get her shots this coming Sunday as she has had none. She has been vomiting today, the first was non digested kibble and the three to five times after that, has been what I’d assume to be saliva. Her poop was fine until just recently when she had a white, solid poop. The one after that was mostly liquid, milky pink in color and had chunks of what looked like mucous in it. I have not seen her eat, but seeing as how we have only had her for two days, I do not know what her eating habits are like not have I have I been able to say her on a normal schedule. This has occurred in the last twelve hours starting with the vomiting, the stool change, maybe in the last three.
White poop is generally associated with calcium intake. If her poop started out brown, then slowly turned to white over a couple of days, it could be a low load of calcium from raw bones, intestinal parasites, bad bacteria or eating non-food items. In that case, feed her one tablespoon of plain yogurt daily. It has acidopholus in it that puts good bacteria back into the bowels. The cause could also be stress from being in a new environment as well as new food. The vomiting might be caused by eating too fast? I would suggest that you also soak the dry kibble in some water to soften it before feeding it to her. The pink is likely a small amount of blood that could be caused by the stress to her system right now or even from intestinal parasites. It’s not uncommon for puppies to have these parasites. And make sure she has clean water to drink. It’s important for her to have easy access to water.
Hi,I have 13 year old collie. She on a homemade diet but every other day she is doing orange, soft,formed,poo. She may do a properly hard poo once a week but usually soft but formed with orange tinge. Sometimes mucus present, this has been for two weeks now so its time for ves now but what do you think this could be. Oh she has the runs at least once a west too I’m not sure if this is connected but her skin seems dryer than normal and she is moulting like mad. Thanks
How long has your dog been on the homemade diet? Have the soft stools started with the diet? Mucus is naturally occurring in the body as a way to protect the digestive tract from digestive acids. The consistency of the stool could indicate that you need some change in the diet itself — maybe more fiber which you can get by adding plain canned pumpkin (no spices). You can also add some plain yogurt or other probiotics to keep good bacteria in her stomach. The orange color could be a couple things: it could be that her food is moving too quickly through her GI tract which goes back to maybe needing an adjustment to the recipe. It can also be an indication of an issue with her liver.
Diet will also affect skin and hair. So in my mind, it goes back to how long she has been on the homemade diet. If the symptoms occurred with the diet change or even within a few weeks of the diet change, you may need to adjust something in her diet. If she has been on the diet for months and these changes are recent, it’s a good idea to have your vet check her out to be sure there isn’t something else going on.
This site is very informative, thank you.
I hope you can hel0 me understand my pups issue. She’s a large white (blue) heeler. Seemed ok last night. Today she was taken for a walk by daughter and had diarrhea (lots) I didn’t know this when she returned. It was a very vigorous walk. When home she puked. It was clear with a little foam. Since then she did not eat her breakfast or dinner (iams mini chunks, is all,shell eat). Dilly has only thrown up that 1 time. She still has diarrhea. When she wouldn’t eat her food and her very appearent not herself, I called an emergency vet(s) (none of which would take payments, and we’ve fallen on hard times the last 6 months, savings gone, ccs maxed) when the vets were no help. I boiled some chicken and rice, she wouldn’t eat it, until I picked out the chicken. Then she ate the chicken. I also gave her some canned pumpkin. About 2 or 3 hours later she had the diarrhea which was lots of water and hard to find, it looks like grey p.o. pon mustard, yellow green….maybe tiny tiny black flakes…and her hair. No johndus (can’t spell that) gums look normalish, but she’s not, defiantly not inside. She doesn’t like her ribs pressed (about 3 or so inches back from her front paws shpulder, (only thing I can figure is there is her liver, and this has been going on for awhile, but she will yelp. But I just thought of it as something she didn’t like… Should I be worried about this? It hasn’t been a full 24 hours yet, but it will be in another 9. Outside she wanted to,get her ball . inside though she’s almost depressed like. Very very strange. She’s still drinking, has no fleas as far as I know, but I think over due for atvantage, I almost gave today, but decided against it because of how she’s feeling. Laying in bed curled up in a ball, just looking at me with sad eyes
Sometimes when our pet isn’t feeling well, we stare at them harder than any other time and we think we see more than we do. So relax a bit, but keep an eye on her. You said her gums look good and she is active when she is outside plus she is drinking water and will eat chicken. Sounds good. Diarrhea happens from time to time, and as long as it runs its cycle, she should be okay.
The benefit to the rice is that it is slower to digest and allows for firmer poop. The yellow-orange color you saw in her diarrhea may be the pumpkin. The watery-ness is probably coming from the amount of water she is drinking. You need to balance the liquid she is losing with the water she is drinking, so if she is drinking a lot of water, remove it from her for a couple hours, put it down for a bit, then remove it for a couple hours again. Try to get her to eat some chicken and rice with pumpkin mixed in, plain chicken with pumpkin or even some of her kibble with some pumpkin on it. Kibble tends to draw liquid during digestion and can help firm her poop. The pumpkin does something similar.
If the diarrhea doesn’t change in a day’s time, you can give her some pepto bismol. The typical dose administered to dogs is 0.5 to 1.5 ml per pound per day (1 to 3 ml/kg/day). The total daily dose should be divided into two to four doses. This amounts to approximately 2 teaspoons (10 ml total) per 10-pounds per day, ideally split between two to four doses.
By the way my dogs a two year old mini schnauzer
My dog started out vommiting a 3 days ago just yellow(stomach bile). This sometimes happens if he eats to much so i thoughg nothing of it. He then started acting tired and not active. Yesterday he had diarrhea and it was bloody. We took him to vet and they gave him a nausea shot, a shot of baytril. I also was given pills (baytril) to give him every 6 hours. This am he drank some water and ate about a half a table spoon on science diet sensitive stomach wet food. He still was lethargic all day. He had orange dihareah this am. Around 3pm he had a normal stool. But hadnt drank or ate all day. Then at 6pm he had orange dihareah again. And again at 8:00pm. I called a second vet and he said the meds take a couple days and to try pepto. Should i be more worried about hge!? Idk what to do. Especially when i talked to two vets. The first one he saw though didnt test his stool or run any tests. The second opinion was over the phone
Seems the first vet was not concerned with what he saw via his visual exam to run any tests. So go with that for a few days. Let the meds do their work for a couple more days and, if you are not seeing a change, call the first vet back with the current status and see what he says. You can try the pepto bismol or maybe even add a tablespoon of some plain canned pumpkin (no spices) on his food. If your pup got into something that is disagreeing with him, it could take some time to get it to pass through his system. He does need to drink water though. If that is not happening, call your vet.
My chihuahua started having Diarrhea 2 days ago now. I switched her food to rice and a scrambled egg when it started. she is already a small dog so i worry about not feeding her for a whole day she does not have a lot of extra weight to lose. She is eating well and her behavior has not changed. When it started it was brown. She just went again and now its looking yellow with a little blood. She stays inside most the time and she has not been given table scraps and i use natural house cleaners. If there is any advice i would appreciate it.
It’s not uncommon to see a little blood on the occasion where a dog is having bowel issues. If the blood continues and/or becomes more than a little, there is a need to be concerned. If she is eating and drinking normally and her attitude is good, it could just be a passing thing. You can add some plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to her food. The fiber in the pumpkin should help get her back to normal. If things don’t improve, you should probably have your vet check her out to be sure there isn’t something else going on.
My Chihuahua had been sick for three days with diarrhea. She threw up once, food but has had gritty yellowy diarrhea since. I’ve been getting her boiled chicken and rice for three days. When should I take a stool sample in to the vet?
No change after eating chicken and boiled rice for three days? Has she been de-wormed? Is she eating and drinking? Active? If there has been no change in her stools and the diarrhea has been consistently gritty yellow for 3 days, taking a stool sample to the vet about now would be a good thing to do. Let us know what you find out.
8yr old golden. She is a service dog. Her owner got ill they are still together. But I got left to care for the stressed out diarrhea golden. Its been 4 days. Drinks lots of water begs to eat. Did rice and chicken. Maybe I don’t feed enough.switches between watery and mushy stools. Tried pumpkin no major effects.im at a loss. Angel
If the rice and chicken is new to her, maybe she begs for more because she likes it so much. You can add some plain yogurt to it as well as the pumpkin. The yogurt adds good bacteria to her gut.
You can also try some Pepto-Bismol: the recommended dosage is 1 teaspoon for every 10 pounds. It can be offered to the dog every 6-to-8 hours, but if she still has diarrhea after a few doses, stop the medication and call her vet.
Hi I have a 3 month old dorkie (yorkie/dachshund mix) that has had diarrhea for 3 days now. Four days ago he was seen at the vet for occasional vomiting, and they prescribed him a probiotic. The next day I sprinkled the probiotic on his new dry food that the vet suggested, but he wouldn’t eat it.
We were traveling that day to celebrate Christmas with my dad. He has adult dogs. So I gave my pup some dog food from my dad’s house just so that he would eat something (big mistake). The next day he had diarrhea and has had it two days after that. I tried giving him a bland diet of chicken and rice the day he first had diarrhea and the next day, but he still has it on day 3. He has also vommitted some mornings. I’m not sure if it’s from the sudden change of food or from the probiotic. Please advise what we should do.
The probiotic shouldn’t cause vomiting or diarrhea. At this point, it could be all the changes in food he has had over the holidays. Rice generally is slower to digest and that helps make stools firmer. However, add about a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to his bland diet and feed that to him twice a day. You should see an improvement in a day. Once you get him evened out, slowly wean him over to the new food.
Did this all start BEFORE the holiday travels? Given his young age, I wonder if he has a sensitive gut. Some dogs have this condition and will do best with a food that contains no grains — no corn, no wheat, no soy. Sometimes it takes time and trial-and-error to find the perfect food, but that is a possibility. If the pumpkin works, there is no problem with adding it to his food everyday.
My 10y/o Dachshund does not normally get treats beyond occasional healthy ones, but I took her home for Christmas and the family gave her way too much bad treat (cheese, salami, etc.) over the course of 12/25/16. She did not get sick initially, but then I also changed her to canned can food with her normal dry food due my other dog needing soft food for back pain meds. This was fed on 12/26, 12/27/16 and the morning of 12/28/16. As of the night of 12/29/16, she is vomiting and has diarrhea. Both are yellow to yellow-brown and very watery. I am not noticing any blood. I withheld food for about 18 hours and then tried to feed her some brown rice with chicken broth. She was not interested and vomited/ diarrhea the little she did eat. She does come into the kitchen to beg for food when I am cooking, so she appears to want to eat…just not rice. She is also drinking normally and her energy level is normal. I began white rice, rice water, a small amount of Karo syrup and a little chopped boiled chicken today. Still has watery diarrhea, but with a few chunks in it. Can I give Imodium? This is day #3.
Give her a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) a couple times a day and you should see her stools firm up. Given her age, her size (easy to overdoes a small dog) and not knowing her medical history, Immodium might not be the best solution. So try the pumpkin first. It sounds like she ate a lot of new stuff and is paying for it now.
As a side note, dogs should not eat salami. Tests show that salami has a 26% fat which can lead to inflammation of the pancreas… and diarrhea. 🙂
So my dog woke up in the middle of the night vomiting. It was dark brown and foul smelling. She also has yellow-ish diarrhea. What can I do as a home treatment? I don’t have any money to pay for pet hospital bills at the moment.
Certainly sounds like she ate something that did not agree with her. If that is the case, it should resolve itself. Having thrown up, she has hopefully passed the most offensive part. Make sure she has plenty of fresh water. You can give her some Pepto-Bismol for her stomach and/or even some plain yogurt (no sugar, no fruit) mixed into her food. She should be fine in a day. If not, there might be something else going on.
My 3 year old mix has a normal colored but very runny stool (water consistency), no foul smell or blood that I have seen. Her energy and eating habits are normal. Nothing appears wrong with her other than this. It started yesterday that I noticed. So I withheld food and treats but it is still happening about 24 hours later. Any thoughts?
Add some canned pumpkin (plain, no spices) to her food — about a tablespoon — twice a day for 2-3 days. You should see a change in a day. Pumpkin contains fiber and tends to balance out a dog’s stool whether it is too soft or too hard. Plus it’s good for her. The great equalizer! 🙂
I have 11 month old lab/pit mix she has has liquid diarrhea for two days now. The first day it was so bad that the smell woke me up and she had in the house (she tried to make it to the back door) and it got better the following day. This morning she went potty and it was a much much bigger piece than normal (looked like maybe she was backed up and finally got it out) followed by very mushy watery poop. This afternoon she was trying to go and when she went she passed a 4inch piece of material (she obviously ate a part of the blanket in her crate) and the rest of the afternoon it has been mushy light brown and mucus covered (but no blood). She has continued to have very loose stool the rest of the afternoon. We have given her pumpkin, which helped for a day but then went back to mush.
I should add that she still eats like a piggy, is a crazy puppy, and drinks plenty of water.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!
How funny about the blanket. I have a small dog who ate an entire tall sock whole. How I did not see that happening and how he managed to swallow such a large sock whole I don’t know. But it sure backed him up.
I think the different stools you are seeing is her system adjusting to being backed up. You can continue the pumpkin on her food a couple times a day for a few days. It won’t hurt her at all. And will hopefully help her even out.
Pumpkin is the great equalizer. It softens stools that are too hard and firms up stools that are too soft.
My dog has been having bilious vomiting syndrome for a few days so he was treated at the vet with a shot of some type of antacid, a shot of an anti nausea Med and some fluids. He’s been on chicken and rice, slowly introducing his dry food to that starting yesterday . He pooped today but it was mushy and yellow. Could this be a side affect from the meds? Or diet? Or is it something more serious? Thanks in advance!
Sounds like it is a reaction to the meds. The yellow is bile and the texture is perhaps mushy because of the meds. Keep an eye on him. It should straighten out in a day or so. If not, call your vet.
3/4 month pitbull. I gave her a parvo shot Friday and also on Friday mixed hard food with canned food. Saturday came home to bloody mucusy diarrhea in her kennel. She ate fine that morning hard and soft food and at night a bowl of hard food. Sunday about a few licks of the soft food. Drinks water. That’s it. Again cane home to bloody mucusy diarrhea. Monday morning did not eat. Left bowls food n water in kernel and again mucusy bloody dark diarrhea. Tuesday I stayed home gave her Pedialyte boiled rice every 4 hrs and Pepto 3× that day all day and plenty of water still drank sometimes on her own. Pooped again once bloody dark diarrhea. smells really really badly all those times.w Wednesday same as Tuesday except Pepto once and a pill of probiotics. Pooped twice today the same. Don’t have money for vet. She’s a fighter wish I could do more. Weight and hair loss also involved.
The smelly, bloody diarrhea, loss of appetite and not drinking on her own could be indicators of parvo. Is she vomiting? The hair loss could be something else?
Once a parvo shot is administered, it still takes the body time to develop immunity to the virus. Depending upon the vaccine, some shots use a live and weakened state virus that a healthy dog’s body works to fight off. This is generally what puppies are given. Dogs that develop parvo will show symptoms 3-10 days after being exposed. So, if this is parvo, she likely contracted it before you gave her the parvo shot.
Read through the comments on this page for things people have done. In a nutshell, the biggest issue is hydration as dogs with parvo are not drinking and are losing liquids through vomiting and diarrhea. Without hydration, the organs cannot function. Set yourself up with a schedule and stick to it no matter what. This includes force feeding (if that’s what it takes) and hydrating — either orally or via iv.
You also need to clean her area very well with a solution of bleach and water as described above — her kennel, her bedding, the room her kennel is in (hopefully, you have her kennel inside. If not, bring it in.
People have contributed many ideas for what has helped them in the comments on this page, so read through them. You are all she has, so don’t give up on her.
My dogs diarrhea is extremely watery. She will go several times a day, even waking me at night to be let out and when she goes (sorry for this description) will squirt out. She will stay in the pooing position for very long without anything coming out as well. Very worried about her, she is notorious for eating things she shouldn’t. This has been going on for 2days now. The only thing I can think of that she ate was some uncooked rice. Should I take her to the vet? I stopped feeding her, was thinking of getting her some cottage cheese.
Thanks so much!
It could be several things. It could very well be that she has a partial blockage where the only thing that is getting passed it is the liquid. So it would a good idea to have your vet check her out.
You might also add some food oil on bread to “grease” her gut. If there is a blockage, this may help it slide along better.
One of my small dogs swallowed a sock whole and it eventually blocked him up. He quit eating and lost weight before the sock finally came out. I don’t know how such a small dog ate such a large sock and was able to swallow it whole.
Hi, My 2.5 yrs German Shepherd has been having watery stool for coming to 2 months. I have already sent my dog to the vet twice (spent more than $500) – 2 different rounds of antibiotics & a stool analysis( No worms). The watery stool started when I gave him raw beef bones. Normally he get a watery stool one or 2 days and then stop. But not this time. Initially I also suspected it may be the batch of food. I have change and tried different premium food that specialise for stool to no prevail. Some days the morning stool is soft pasty and afternoon one is watery. Stool light is brown, no blood & not formy. My dog still has very good appetite for food and very active.
Do you have any suggestions. Thank You.
How odd that it won’t stop. Give him a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) twice a day. It generally evens out the consistency of stools by adding fiber. If you see an improvement, but want his stools a bit firmer, add more pumpkin. It won’t hurt and is actually good for him. Let us know if it works.
My husband and I have about a 7 month old lab mix. We found her in a dugout and for personal reasons she has been living with my husband’s parents for the past 6 months and has never gone to the vet. For about 3-4 days now she has been having uncontrollable green diarrhea. She has to go several times a day and when she does it is explosive (sorry for that description). Not only is the stool fowl smelling but so is her gas, however, she has been eating and drinking normally. I think it is because we may have changed her diet but my husband thinks it could be from her getting ahold of grass/very small acorns that we have caught her eating while letting her out to go to the bathroom. Should we rush her to the vet???
She may have been eating grass/acorns because her stomach was upset by something else. You can try feeding her boiled chicken and rice with a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin mixed in. The rice is slower to digest, the chicken will give her protein and the pumpkin has a way of firming stools that are either too soft or too hard. You can also add either acidophyllus from a capsule (sold where vitamins are sold) or other probiotic/plain yogurt to put good bacteria into her gut. If you don’t see a change in a day and her symptoms continue, you should see a vet.
Once you get her settled, you should de-worm her if you haven’t. Find a good de-wormer that attacks tapeworms, hookworms and pinworms.
My 13 yr. Old Jack Russell mix is having greenish black diarrhea with an awful putrid smell. She also has frequent flatulence with this same odor.She also has had two bouts, lasting several days each, of bright red blood in her feces. She has become incontinent of both bowel and bladder at night and has to be secluded in a small laundry room with plastic and newspapers.Before her feces turned greenish/black her vet did blood tests snd sent off samples to test for Cushions Syndrome. These were done due to the night time incontinence and her acting hungry snd thirsty most of the time (also tested for diabetes, doesn’t have). The results for the Cushions test have not come back from the lab, yet However the tests done at the vet’s showed some liver and kidney malfunctioning. Do you think canned pumpkin and/or chicken and rice would help improve the consistency of her feces and reduce the terrible odor? Would she benefit from the Probiotic you mentioned to others? Thank you for any advice.
The probiotic adds good bacteria into her gut and this should help combat whatever is causing the greenish/black problem. The pumpkin adds fiber to her stools so this should firm them up. Rice digests slower so the chicken and rice mixture should also help with the diarrhea while providing her with good nutrition. Good luck and best to you both! I hope this is just a passing thing.
Hi,
I have a 5 month old rottsky who’s been having creamy-like stool for 3 days now. Sometimes about 4-5 times day. Seemed to be a bit more “solid” when he drank rice water but still cream-like. What should I do? Beginning to get concerned….because of the smell and frequency.
Is he eating and drinking normally?
Try adding a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to his food. This should firm up his stools in about a day. You can also add some plain yogurt to put good bacteria into his gut. If you don’t see any change, have your vet check him out.
Has he been de-wormed? If not, it could be intestinal parasites.
I have a 10 year old Corgi that on 10/25 we woke in the morning to find foamy vomit and lots of dark green, extremely foul smelling diarrhea. Since then she has not vomited but continues to have 2-3 bouts a day of the dark green, very foul smelling and mucousy diarrhea. She hasn’t eaten since 10/24 but will drink minimal amounts of water. She’s not an overly active dog but her energy levels seem about the same. She is mostly indoors, going out for breaks periodically.
She has not eaten since OCTOBER 24 (10/24) or NOVEMBER 24? Either way, not eating and only drinking minimal amounts of water for an extended length of time can be serious to her health. Have you tried to feed her some boiled rice and chicken? Or even Friskies canned cat food (yes, cat food) to encourage her to eat? Try some Pepto Bismol to coat her stomach? Some probiotics to add good bacteria into her gut. Some canned pumpkin (no spices) to even out her stools. If you cannot make a change in another day, you should have your vet look at her. This could be an indication of something else going on.
I have a 9 1/2 year old Golden Retriever. She has been on Metronidazole for 4 weeks with a break in between. Yellow mucous diarrhea starts to get better with almost normal poops then starts up again. Changed diet to ckn and rice then to beef and potatoes with no change in consistency only in color. Fecal panel was negative, now waiting for results of a diarrhea panel. Should I try the pumpkin. If so. How much? She eats well and has normal activity interest for her age. Thank you.
Yes, you can try the pumpkin. Use the plain canned pumpkin with no spices. She can have about a tablespoon twice a day. Good luck.
Hello! I have an almost 2 year old corgi and day before yesterday he was lethargic and threw up and it was yellow and looked sticky. His behavior went back to normal. Later on he ate grass and cucumber which he threw up and it was covered in slime. I opted for plain brown rice and boiled chicken for dinner. He was back to normal the next day. Today, he threw up and his vomit was white foamy and possibly sticky. Shortly after, he pooped (struggled a little bit) and it was a yellowish brown and was sticky looking. He’s drinking water normally. Does this call for a vet visit???
If you have some plain canned pumpkin (no spices), give him some of that tonight — about a tablespoon. In the morning, give it to him again and see if things improve. The pumpkin generally produces a change in about a day’s time. The fiber in it tends to even things out, so it works whether a dog has constipation or diarrhea. It sounds like he has an upset stomach. Could he have gotten into anything? Was his stool firm or soft?
You said he was drinking water okay. Is he also eating okay? I would watch him for another day. It should pass.
My dog on and off keeps getting diarrhea. This last bout, she only went once but it was green, alot, and smelly. She’s been to the vet numerous times and everything comes back normal. She initially went thru a bout with allergies, or so we thought…now her back leg just scratched whether she is resting or standing…I’m at my wits end because I feel something is bothering her….
I’m sorry, I don’t understand where you say “her back leg just scratched whether she is resting or standing”. To firm up soft stools, add some plain canned pumpkin to her food twice a day. You can also sprinkle acidophyllus — it’s a probiotic that is sold in capsule form where vitamins are sold — at each meal to add good bacteria to her gut. The green color is often from a dog eating grass to settle an upset stomach.
Have you tried changing her food? Maybe there is something in her food she is allergic to. Often this can be corn or maybe another grain. Try a grain-free food? If you are feeding dry kibble, try canned food?
My dog stole a new mini SOS pad off the floor and minutes later spit it out on the couch. It was flattened and less blue, but intact. That was Monday evening. 24 hours later she had ruined our livingroom carpet with thin brown diarrhea. She woke us up throughout the night to let her out – she strained and had unproductive ‘outings’. She re-ruined our carpet on Wednesday with thin yellow diarrhea. I fed her white rice with chicken broth and a little white plain chicken. The diarrhea continued. The vet wanted $650 to do a body scan for foreign objects, but there has been no blood, and her energy level, appetite and activity are normal, so I declined. I have continued to feed her rice, a little natural dog food, plain rice cakes, banana . . . things to ease her digestive system and firm up her bms. Nothing is working. She won’t take Pepto. So now I am going to withhold food for the rest of today. Throughout this whole experience her gas is putrid and noxious. She is a senior dog – a rescue. I will take her to vet again tomorrow, but can I ask for diarrhea solutions without agreeing to body scan that they want to do first?
I’m sorry I missed your message yesterday. The body scan is to look for shreds of the SOS pad as they can get stuck in her digestive tract. The diarrhea may be a result of the blue stuff in the pad. Plain canned pumpkin (no spices) added to her food twice a day generally starts to work within a day by adding fiber to her stool.
Hello I have a 3 And,ihalf month old puppy and its light colored and straight watery like .. She is acting fine just kinda worried why she would be having poop like that
Because she is so young, she may have eaten something no one saw her eat. Other factors are: change of food, change of water, was she recently vaccinated. You can add some plain canned pumpkin (no slices) to her food to firm up her stools.
Actually, I have been giving her 1/2 a TUMS the vet suggested would help with her reflux when I told him she was licking her lips a lot. I give it to her about 2-4 times a week and the lip licking has dissipated. I’m not sure about the deworming. Would that be an injection or tablet? If tablet, no. If injection, not sure. She is up to date on all vaccinations.
Worming is generally a liquid or a pill, though some topicals now work as de-wormers. Your vet can recommend a broad spectrum de-wormer — for tapeworms, round worms, whipworms, hookworms, etc. — that you can buy at a feed store or pet supply store. Sometimes the basic brand sold at pet stores may not be right for all worms. That’s why I suggest asking your vet for a recommendation.
Here’s a chart of wormers on the market. These folks are generally a bit more expensive than other places.
I have a 12 year old Shih-tzu that has been getting up in the middle of the night to go out and poop. Her stool is formed or soft-formed then she continues to squat several times with nothing coming out. When I wipe her butt there is remnants of light brown tinged water. Her stool looks medium brown in color. I had been giving her eggs boiled in water without the shell. It didn’t seem to change her bm until now. I stopped the egg, but she continues to need to go out in the middle of the night for the past 5 nights. She doesn’t go out more often during the day, but when she does go out she does the same routine with squating a number of times and light brown watery discharge when I wipe her behind. She has not vomitted and appears normal except she didn’t really want to eat this morning, but was fine later in the day with her usual appetite including her usual begging around the table. No table food given. Any idea what I should do?
You can add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to her food twice a day. This generally evens out the stools in about a day. If they are too soft, it firms them; if they are too hard, softened them. The light brown watery discharge may be from straining to stool. Has she been de-wormed recently? Have there been any other changes — to her diet or her water?
My dog is 5 years old 12 pounds. The night before last we let her out and she started having diarrhea and has had it since. I let her out every couple hours and she goes diarrhea every time. I took away her food and I’ve given her plain white rice and water but it’s not letting up. It looks a bit orange and very runny. She’s acting her normal self otherwise. Should I be concerned?
It’s a good sign that she does not seem to be affected by the diarrhea. You can add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to her food twice a day. This generally evens out the stools in a day. If they are too soft, it firms them; if they are too hard, softened them. Has she been de-wormed recently? Have there been any changes to her diet? If the diarrhea continues AND she is not drinking water, you should see your vet.
My 7mo old white Shepard has had orangish looking poop all day and she can’t control it. I take her out and she poops 5 times each time. She still acts so energized and happy tho! What could be wrong??
Could be she got into something when no one was looking and it is not agreeing with her. You can add a bit of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) and some plain yogurt to her food and that should help. If it continues for several days, you should see your vet.
Hi,
I have a 7-month old Maltipoo mix and she’s been sick since last Wednesday morning (10/19/2016). That morning she threw up 20+ times of white foam. We took her to the vet where she got tested for parvo and got a full body X-ray. She tested negative for parvo and the X-ray didn’t show anything unusual. The vet sent us home with Advita probiotic, Cerenia, and K-pectin with a rice and cottage cheese diet. She didn’t like the rice and cottage cheese meal, so we just fed her plain wheat bread as that was the only thing she would eat. She was doing a lot better and her poop had more brownish color and started to have a little form similar to soft serve. On Friday afternoon (10/21/2016), the vet called to follow up and he said to add diced boiled chicken with the bread bc she needs a source of protein. So yesterday (10/22/2016), we visit my parents where there was 3 little kids which is unusual there, but she seemed energetic and happy. I also fed her wheat bread and chicken for lunch which she loved and she seemed fine. But later into the evening she regurgitated all the food, and has been having diarrhea of a clear gelatinous material. Is this okay? She seems very tired and uninterested in eating more bread or drinking water? Pls let me know what I should do, thank you.
The clear gelatinous material is likely mucous which occurs naturally to protect the stomach walls from the digestive juices. Do you think she will eat rice if it has chicken in it instead of cottage cheese? Sometimes cottage cheese is a bit weird to them. You can add a little chicken broth IF you can find BROTH WITHOUT ONIONS. If you boil the chicken yourself, cool it, skim any grease off the top and use that broth. If not, you can substitute ground beef for the chicken. Just boil it, drain the juice and dab the meat with a paper towel to remove any excess grease.
You can also give her some plain canned pumpkin — about a teaspoonful a couple times a day. This adds fiber to her gut and tends to help with both diarrhea and constipation. It balances things out. You can also add some plain yogurt or open a capsule of acidophyllus and sprinkle that on her food. It adds good bacteria into her gut.
Maybe the activity with the 3 little kids was just a bit too much too soon.
If she still won’t eat, you could try some Turkey flavored Friskies canned cat food. When all else fails at my house, that generally works. Good luck and keep us posted.
Hi Isak, I couldn’t reply to below. His food is dark brown colored. he just started this new food and is actually loving it. the issue is that he just keeps getting diarheha no matter what we feed him. i just am weening off chicken and rice and its still loose. slightly formed but loose. do you think a probiotic would help?
I believe in probiotics. I would also add some plain canned pumpkin. It’s actually quite good for him.
My 9 month old Goldendoodle has had issues with a sensitive tummy off and on since we got him. At around 7-8 months old, he stopped eating as much and would just graze his food daily. 4 weeks ago, he was neutered and had an umbilical hernia repaired. Because of the pain medicine, they out his on a bland diet for a week and an anti diarhea medicine. We then started re-introducing his food mixed in with the chicken and rice. All was well but one week in, he got terrible diarrhea again. I put him back on chicken and rice for four days. His stool was formed agian but had a mucus casing yesterday. Last night we started introducing his new food, which is a grain free limited ingredient fish and sweet potato from Natural Balance. I put 1/3 cup in with a cup and half of rice and a 1/2 cup of chicken. this morning he had an accident in the house and it was dark, soft formed, and had a mucus casing. I’m at a loss for what to do, this poor pup has not had normal food in weeks and is starving. I can’t afford any more vet visits and need to figure out how to get him weened into the new food. If this normal, will the mucus and soft stools go away after he starts eating just kiddle?
The mucus is a naturally occurring part of his digestive system. It protects the walls of his stomach from digestive acids used to process his food. You could try adding some plain yogurt and some plain canned (no spices) pumpkin to his food –about a tablespoon of each. The pumpkin provides fiber and tends to work whether your pup has diarrhea or constipation. The plain yogurt (you can substitute acidophyllus capsules for the yogurt) adds good bacteria back into his gut. Then go back to the chicken and rice until he is stabilized and normal for a few days before slowly introducing his regular food.
The dark stool may be okay. What color is the kibble you are feeding? Also dark? If it is black-dark, it could indicate blood.
A couple thoughts on his food. I’m not sure that on their own dogs would eat fish. My dogs have never been especially happy with fish flavored food. Second, kibble is dry for convenience and longer shelf-life. You might add some water to the kibble and let it soak for a few minutes before offering it to your pup to see if he likes it better softened.
Let us know how things go.
My 9 month old Chi got sick yesterday morning around 9. He threw up about 3-4 times but his vomit was white and foaming. He last threw up yesterday around 12PM and has been lethargic and not eating. Or drinking. He has had diarrhea twice and it’s really runny. I’ve been giving him pedialyte but I’m not sure what else to do for him.
It sounds like he may have eaten something he shouldn’t have. If he will eat, add some plain canned pumpkin to his food. The fiber will firm up his stools. You can also add some plain yogurt to add some good bacteria back into his gut.
My 1 1/2 year old lab has been throwing up and had the poops the last few days. We had switched her flavor of food from chicken to beef same brand though. She seems playful and fine but then gets sick. Her stool was yellow and smelt awful. Then it went to straight water, I called the vet and the said to try the rice and chicken which I did tonight she loved it and ate it all drank her water too. 4 hours later she got the poops again still watery but brown in color this time but still smelt bad. Then 20 min later she threw up. I gave her a dose of pepto, is there anything else I can do. Do you think she is on the right track, could it be something more than the food switch?
You might add some plain canned pumpkin (no spices flavor) to her food. About a tablespoon. It provides fiber that balances out stools that are either too soft or too hard. You could also add some plain yogurt to put good bacteria back into her gut that is lost with vomiting and diarrhea. If you are able to see an improvement, I think she is on the right track.
My Yorkie Poo is 8 and has had loose stools for 4 days (4-5 times a day). I did not withhold food however I did give her plain rice and chicken for 3 days. She didn’t improve like I hoped but is eating, drinking, nose is wet, doesn’t seem sick other than her bowel movements. Her poop is slightly yellowish/brown and putty. I just gave her some plain greek yogurt to see if that helps. Is there anything else I should try before bringing her in to the vet? Thanks!
You can add some plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to her food. It adds fiber and tends to work whether a dog is constipated or has diarrhea. It seems to balance things out and generally provides results in a day. And keep up the plain yogurt.
Our bull rerrier was at a kennel for eight days and, six days after getting home, he pooped yellow-colored stools (loose but not runny, more pasty) in the house in the house. He did that once a day for three days in a row. I tried the fast and then gave him some bread and, just yesterday, gave him a couple of probiotic / enzyme chewies. Je hasalso had2 slices ofd3li ham. Since the fast he has pooped two times in the house (again once a day) and the stool is now dark brown (still a slight yellow tinge) but now it is runny. It has a poop smell. Does the change in stool suggest a correction in the gi tract which suggests he is getting better?
It could be that the kennel stay stressed him which is often reflected in their digestive systems. The yellow is the bile from his stomach. The probiotic is a great addition and the color change suggests he is heading in the right direction.
You can add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to his food if you like. Plain pumpkin contains fiber which tends to help whether stools are too soft or too hard. Add it to his food twice a day and you should see improvement in a day.
Deli ham, eh? 🙂
GREAT website! Awesome help : )
We have a 6 month old german shepard male. Yesterday morning he was restless laying in bed and i got up to walk him outside. We didnt make it before he had runny diarrhea (a lot of liquid) that smelled horrible. About 2 hours later he went again and it was the same. Later that evening, , we were walking him outside and he had it again. His behavior was fine. Still playful and energetic. He drank well and ate his food well. This morning it happened again and was horrible. His poop is brownish but watery, with a horrible odor. He has had all vaccines and i wormed him Saturday. We have cats as well and he likes to play and eat the cat poop from the liter box. Thus the worming per our vet. I am concerned about him. He doesnt have a fever nor pain nor loss of weight. Any info or suggestions would be great.
Given that he seems to think he is feeling fine, you can add some plain canned pumpkin (no spices) to his food. It adds fiber and tends to help with both diarrhea and constipation. Also some plain yogurt. This will coat his stomach a bit and add some good bacteria into his gut. If you have acidophyllus, sprinkle that on his food. It’s like yogurt, but stronger.
You can also switch him to boiled chicken and rice for a couple meals. The rice tends to digest slower and the chicken provides protein.
I think cat poop is one of the worst smelling things in the world and cannot believe how dogs are attracted to it. Mine love it, too.
I just got a puppy, got him home yesterday, his stool was fine the first couple of times. Since yesterday though he has this yellow, pudding type diarrhea.
I´m a little worried since he is two months old.
Because this has happened since you brought him home and he is young, it could be a combination of a new home and new food. You can give him a small amount of plain canned pumpkin on his food. It has fiber that will help even things out.