Our Guide for Understanding and Managing Dog Diarrhea

What Is Dog Diarrhea?

Dog diarrhea isn’t something any pet parent wants to deal with. We all have, unfortunately, seen diarrhea before, and in dogs, this is a symptom of other underlying diseases. Dog diarrhea is when their stools are passed loose or liquid in large amounts, and often in large or spontaneous amounts. It’s frustrating, gross, and worrying.

When your dog has diarrhea, you must take them to the veterinarian so that the doctor can find the underlying cause. Prognosis and treatment are crucial as diarrhea can be caused by your dog ingesting something abnormal, or contracting a viral disease.

Regardless of the cause, you need to know how to stop and treat the condition. If your dog has diarrhea, do you rush them to the vet or try and treat the condition at home? What can you do to prevent dog diarrhea in the future? Here’s everything you ever wanted (or didn’t want) to know about dog diarrhea.

Types of Dog Diarrhea

It’s unfortunate, but your veterinarian will want to know all the gross, smelly details about your dog’s diarrhea. It’s important that you know the difference between your dog’s diarrhea types, and we’ve split them into four categories that can better help you and your veterinarian figure out what’s wrong with your precious pet. 

Osmotic Diarrhea

Osmotic diarrhea occurs when partially digested, undigested, and poorly absorbed food/nutrients pull extra water into the intestines. It looks like extremely loose, watery bowel movements. This can be remedied with diet changes and certain medications—temporary food withholding for 12–24 hours under veterinary guidance may be recommended in select adult dogs. This is not appropriate for puppies, small/toy breeds, seniors, underweight dogs, or dogs with metabolic disease.

Secretory Diarrhea

Secretory diarrhea occurs when the intestines secrete excess fluids. Secretory dog diarrhea is often caused by bacterial toxins, infections, and certain diseases. Pet owners may see abundant amounts of loose, watery feces. This type typically doesn’t improve via fasting and requires medication and veterinary attention.

Exudative Diarrhea

Exudative diarrhea in dogs is a result of inflammation or damage to the lining of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, causing mucus, blood, or pus to appear in a dog’s stool. Conditions like inflammatory bowel disease or infections are common culprits, as are breed-specific diseases such as ulcerative colitis and autoimmune diseases. Pet owners may notice blood or mucus in the feces.

Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, certain infections, and breed-associated colitis (e.g., Boxer colitis) can cause exudative diarrhea. In some cases, protein loss (protein-losing enteropathy) may occur.

Rapid Intestinal Transit Diarrhea

Rapid intestinal transit diarrhea occurs when food moves too quickly through the digestive system, preventing proper digestion and absorption. A dog’s colon may squeeze more intensely than normal, which pushes materials through the GI tract rapidly. This results in watery feces and may be corrected with medication and veterinary attention.

Motility-related diarrhea occurs when intestinal contents move too quickly for adequate digestion/absorption. Veterinarians often distinguish diarrhea by small-bowel versus large-bowel signs to guide diagnosis and treatment.

Is Dog Diarrhea an Emergency?

When dog diarrhea is lasting it can be a problem. If your dog experiences diarrhea but seems happy and healthy, you can watch their condition at home until it improves. You should seek veterinary care if the diarrhea doesn’t clear up in 48 hours, or if it occurs more than once within days or weeks. Dog diarrhea can also be an emergency if you notice blood or mucus in their stool. 

You should seek veterinary emergency care if your dog:

• has ingested a toxin
• has drank something poisonous
• shows signs of lethargy
• has a fever
• is experiencing belly pain
• is vomiting
• has any abdominal distention
• is a senior or puppy
• has any pre-existing health conditions

In the case of an emergency, call the Animal Poison Control Center. 

Common Myths About Dog Diarrhea

There are popular myths and misconceptions around dog diarrhea that can be dangerous for pets.

Not all remedies are safe or effective, and dog diarrhea doesn’t always resolve on its own. There are plenty of cures that are not “vet-approved,” and pet owners should be extremely careful about trusting products that haven’t been recommended. Alternative remedies could cause more harm. Pet owners should give their pets a bland diet, provide plenty of water, and allow their pet to rest.

Your dog’s veterinarian may recommend bland diets, especially if your dog has ongoing loose stools and bowel movements. Bland diets are specific, as is their portion size. Overeating with diarrhea can have adverse effects. Pet owners need to provide boiled skinless chicken breast or white fish for protein with plain white rice or boiled plain potatoes for carbohydrates; avoid oils, butter, and seasonings. Your veterinarian may recommend adding a typical ratio (e.g., 1 part protein to 2 parts carbohydrate by volume) and small, frequent meals for 24–48 hours unless directed otherwise by the veterinarian.

Owners should avoid over-the-counter anti-diarrheals (e.g., loperamide) unless specifically directed by a veterinarian; certain breeds with MDR1 mutations (e.g., Collies, Australian Shepherds) are at risk for serious adverse effects. Bismuth subsalicylate can cause black stools and contains salicylate.

Some veterinarians may recommend 24 hours of fasting to give a dog’s stomach time to settle. This is an alternative to bland meals, and may help in certain situations. Very young, senior, or suffering dogs should not be forced to fast, and this should never be attempted without the direct recommendation and/or supervision of a veterinary doctor.

Causes of Diarrhea

Nobody wants their dog to be in pain. As discussed above, your dog’s loose stool could be a minor event—or a serious condition. Diarrhea can be sudden, beginning acutely and lasting only a day or two. Or it can be chronic, lasting weeks at a time and changing in intensity day by day. The reasons for the diarrhea can be obvious, but the exact cause can be difficult to figure out, requiring attentive care from your pet’s veterinarian. Here are some of the common causes of dog diarrhea, and how to prevent them.

Dietary indiscretion

What has your dog been eating? Digestive upsets can be caused by several things, such as sudden changes in diet, switching to new food, discovering a new food intolerance, or ingesting an allergen. 

Dogs love to eat things that they shouldn’t. They’re natural scavengers, and they love to consume prizes such as garbage, table scraps, and animal carcasses. These can lead to digestive upsets, and scavenging for foodstuffs can cause them to ingest toxins, pathogens, and other nasty things. Eating human snacks, chomping on trash, or finding a dead squirrel or possum can be a dietary discretion, and is possibly the most common cause of acute dog diarrhea. 

When this happens, their diarrhea should clear up in a day or two and shouldn’t be cause for distress unless you believe your dog has eaten something poisonous, in which case you should take them to their veterinarian right away. 

Intestinal Blockages

Intestinal blockages are very dangerous. If you suspect your dog has eaten a toy or another foreign object, take them to their veterinarian immediately. Foreign bodies can be a cause for diarrhea, and blockages in the GI tract are very serious and can interfere with your dog’s internal motility. Digestive tissues can become inflamed, and tissues near the obstruction might stretch, creating loose stool around the blockage. 

Stress

Like humans, dogs are affected by stress and anxiety. Stress can be a cause for sudden acute onset diarrhea, because the body reacts to stress by releasing chemicals that disrupt the gut biome. When the microbiome is disrupted, the community of microorganisms in the GI tract can cause bodily problems in various ways. Anything from dehydration, to fireworks, to a recent injury can create these disruptions. 

Vigorous Exercise

Dogs love exercise, but even they can be victims of too much of a good thing. Diarrhea caused by over-exercise is typically short-term and not abnormal—while it can still be gross and scary, this diarrhea is caused by muscles working too hard and the body directing blood flow away from the digestive system. This can cause disruptions in the GI tract, creating changes that lead to intestinal distress. 

Exercising in hot weather can lead to diarrhea and other issues, as it is easy for dogs to overheat and become dehydrated. Try and avoid excessive play in hot weather or environments. 

Parasites and Pathogens

Parasites, such as tapeworms, roundworms, or hookworms, can be a cause of diarrhea. Pathogens and other bacteria will also cause problems in a dog’s GI tract, such as E. coli or Salmonella. 

Since you cannot see bacterial pathogens, this cause can be difficult to pinpoint on your own. Some parasites can show up in your dog’s stool as specks or grains, and if you notice this abnormality you should take a sample to your veterinarian so they can screen it for parasites and pathogens. Stay current with your dog’s antiparasitic medications to prevent this type of diarrhea. 

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Dog diarrhea can sometimes last for a few weeks or more, continuously or intermittently. If the bouts of diarrhea are accompanied by loss of appetite or vomiting, chronic inflammation of the GI tract might be the culprit. Inflammatory bowel disease or IBD is a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. This interferes with the ability to process food and absorb nutrients, and can be a significant factor causing your dog’s diarrhea.

IBD is a disruption of the gut microbiome. Bacterial populations can grow too large and take resources away from other bacteria, creating an imbalance in the gut. Beneficial bacteria need space and resources to function, and IBD creates a loss or reduction of your dog’s natural microbiome environment. 

While IBD and its causes can be tough to figure out, your veterinarian will offer several treatments, including supplements, microbiota transplants, or diet changes. 

Medication Side Effects

Dogs can experience unfortunate medication side effects just like humans can. Diarrhea can be a side effect of various medications, such as antibiotics. When the bacteria in your dog’s gut is killed or disrupted by antibiotics, this imbalance of their gut microbiome and gut flora can cause acute diarrhea. When your veterinarian prescribes an antibiotic to your dog, they will also prescribe antibiotic-associated diarrhea-preventative supplements. 

Other Diseases

Various diseases can cause dog diarrhea. Bacterial infections, viral infections, GI tract disruptions, hormonal imbalances, and cancer can all have diarrhea as a side effect. Remember, there are any number of parasites and pathogens that can lead to dog diarrhea, and when your veterinarian is trying to diagnose a case of diarrhea, you must give them as much information as possible. 

How Veterinarians Diagnose Dog Diarrhea

Diagnosis and creating a proper treatment plan is the best way to cure your dog of their diarrhea and its root cause. Diagnostics can include a physical exam, blood work, tests, and biopsy to find out the real problem.

• History: Your veterinarian will look through your dog’s detailed history to figure out if anything triggered the diarrhea.
• Physical Exam: A thorough exam will allow your veterinarian to track your dog’s overall health and find any abnormalities.
• Blood Work: A complete blood count and biochemistry profile will allow your veterinarian to detect liver disease, kidney disease, infections, hydration status, and more.
• Fecal Exam: This allows the veterinarian to find internal parasites.
• Parvo Test: Your veterinarian might recommend this test to a puppy or unvaccinated dog to rule out any deadly viral diseases.
• X-rays: Sometimes X-rays will be necessary to find foreign body blockage or internal damage.
• Biopsy: Intestinal biopsies are the best way to diagnose the cause of diarrhea.
• Food Elimination Trial: If a food allergy is suspected, your veterinarian might schedule a food elimination trial to discover which ingredient is causing the issue. 

Treatment of Dog Diarrhea

Once the underlying cause is found, your veterinarian can begin treatment. Potential treatments for diarrhea and its causes include:

• Fasting: Withholding food for up to 24 hours can give an inflamed intestine enough time to calm down. 
• Fluid Therapy: Replacing lost fluid and correcting an electrolyte imbalance.
• Antibiotics: These are prescribed to clear up or prevent bacterial infections.
• Antiparasitics: If your dog has worms or other intestinal parasites, your veterinarian will prescribe antiparasitics.
• Change in Diet: Food sensitivities and allergies can cause diarrhea, and your veterinarian will recommend a controlled diet to offset their symptoms.

Initial At-Home Care

In some situations, your dog may have diarrhea once or twice and may otherwise appear happy and healthy. Your veterinarian may recommend at-home care, allowing you to observe their condition until it improves or worsens.

Seek veterinary care if your dog’s diarrhea doesn’t clear up within 48 hours, or if it occurs again for several days/weeks. Your veterinarian may recommend a bland diet, extra hydration, medications, and other steps for mild, short-term diarrhea. If symptoms persist, it’s essential to contact your veterinarian immediately.

Veterinary Care and Professional Treatment

Treatment plans for dog diarrhea are created when veterinarians diagnose the underlying causes.

Diagnostics for dog diarrhea may include:

Health History—Your dog’s detailed health history will be considered, and your veterinarian will evaluate potential triggers that may have caused the diarrhea.

Physical Exam—The veterinarian will conduct a thorough exam to ascertain overall health and look for diseases, abnormalities, and signs of physical distress.

Blood Work—A full biochemistry profile will be conducted to look for kidney disease, liver disease, and infections. Your dog’s hydration, electrolyte status, and complete blood cell count will be taken.

Fecal Matter Exam—This is helpful to find intestinal parasites and other signs of internal issues. Your veterinarian may ask you to collect a stool sample in a dog poop bag for laboratory work.

Tests and Biopsies—Puppies & unvaccinated dogs may require a Parvo Test to rule out potential viral diseases. X-rays may be taken, and intestinal biopsies may help diagnose the cause of diarrhea in dogs.

Food Trials—Your dog’s veterinarian may conduct food elimination trials if they suspect food allergies. These can be lengthy, requiring months of specific diets, but can help diagnose which ingredient is causing the problem.

Foods That Can Help Dog Diarrhea

After fasting, it’s important to reintroduce your dog to simple foods that will act as “binders” to help normalize stool consistency. The best foods for pets with sensitive stomachs include:

• Boiled high-quality white rice
• Plain, cooked white rice with a splash of unsalted chicken broth
• Canned pumpkin puree
• Shelf-stable pumpkin powder
• Plain yogurt with active cultures
• Boiled, skinless potatoes
• Low-sodium, low-fat plain cottage cheese
• Plain eggs or skinless chicken

Your veterinarian can help recommend safe, gut-healthy foods for your dogs after an acute or chronic diarrhea event.

Prevention of Dog Diarrhea

While not every diarrhea event can be prevented, there are a few things you can do to lower your dog’s risk of diarrhea. Dog diarrhea prevention can include:

• Updating your dog’s vaccinations
• Switching your dog’s diet gradually
• Utilizing year-round parasite prevention medications
• Keep your garbage containers sealed
• Keep your dog away from fecal matter
• Don’t allow your dog to drink from public water sources
• Avoid toxic ingredients
• Keep your house clean and tidy
• Don’t feed your dog table scraps
• Keep your dog’s stress at a manageable level

High-Quality Diet

Dietary changes may be needed to prevent recurring dog diarrhea and ensure your pet’s gut biome and GI tract stay healthy. Slowly introduce any new food with their original food to prevent intestinal upsets. A pet nutrition consultation with a veterinarian may help rule out food allergies, and your dog’s veterinarian will help choose a complete food that’s the best fit for their health.

Avoid dietary indiscretions inside and outside the home. Store tempting items away, and avoid giving them human “treats” that may affect their digestion. Keep a close eye on what your dog picks up when you are on walks together.

Bland meals can help when your dog experiences diarrhea, but a high-quality diet and consistency ensure your dog remains healthy and happy. Balanced, vet-approved diets that are nutrient-dense and avoid any allergies will help maintain your dog’s overall health. Start your pup strong with a New Client Exam at Paoli Vetcare.

Make Diet Transitions Gradual

It’s important to gradually introduce a dog’s new food to prevent any intestinal upsets. If the new food causes dietary issues, it may require a nutrition consultation. Your dog’s veterinarian will want to rule out food allergies, and help choose a nutritionally complete and balanced diet that’s fit for your dog.

Consider the “7-10 day rule” for your dog’s gradual transition period. When switching to a new dog food, gradually introduce it over a period of days to give their digestive system time to adjust. Different dog foods contain new ingredients, fats, and macronutrient ratios, making abrupt changes cause GI upsets, resulting in vomiting, gas, and diarrhea.

Stay Up to Date on Parasite Prevention

Ensuring your dog is updated on vaccinations and parasite control helps prevent disease and intestinal parasites that can cause diarrhea. Wellness exams, routine checkups, and regular testing help catch medical conditions early, keeping your dog healthy and allowing your veterinarian to keep track of your pet’s overall health.

Heartworm, flea, and parasite preventatives protect your dog for life. Paoli Vetcare is a trusted provider of parasite prevention plans, with a long history of health and disease screenings for dogs.

Ensure Clean, Safe Drinking Water

Dogs are curious creatures, especially when outdoors. Even though your dog loves their regular walk, it’s important to watch what they interact with daily. Contaminated water, such as puddles, lakes, or community dog bowls, can trigger diarrhea and other reactions. There is the risk of Giardia and leptospirosis from contaminated water—it’s important to bring your own bottled water on hikes and avoid letting your dog drink standing water.

Be mindful of what your dog is eating and drinking, bring your own bowl/purified water when you go on walks, and practice behavioral methods that may prevent your dog from being overly curious.

Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Stress from boarding, travel, and new environments can create bouts of nervousness, leading to diarrhea. A reduction in stress and anxiety, especially in dogs who experience heightened behavioral changes, can reduce these events. Training, routine safe spaces, and veterinary consultations for chronic anxiety may all be helpful for your pet.

Avoid Over-Exertion After Meals

Vigorous exercise right after feeding can cause your dog to experience an upset stomach and may trigger digestive issues. Avoid vigorous exercise post-meal, especially in large/giant deep-chested breeds. There are broader risks to sudden post-meal exercise, including gastric dilatation-volvulus or bloat, where excess gas in the stomach forces the organ to twist unnaturally.

Schedule Regular Vet Checkups

Routine wellness, regular checkups, and health-conscious training are the best ways to ensure your dog is happy and healthy. Paoli Vetcare can help you incorporate a wellness plan into your dog’s routine, and veterinary checkups can help catch early signs of disease.

What Different Colors of Dog Diarrhea Mean

Attentive dog owners may notice that their pet’s stool can come in all shapes and colors. While some of these colors are normal, others may indicate serious medical issues. Despite its gross-out factor, it’s important to know what healthy dog stool looks like and how to identify issues based on color and consistency.

Consistency itself is more significant than color, and it’s important to remember that if your dog is behaving normally and in good health, color may be related to something your dog ate. Stay aware of your dog’s condition, the natural state of their stool, and when they begin to show abnormal signs.

Brown Stool

Chocolate brown is the normal, healthy color of dog stool. Healthy stool may come in various shades of brown based on what your pet has eaten. The more consistent their diet, the more consistent the color, though loose stools may signify a diet-related upset.

Yellow Stool

Orange or yellow stool can signify mucus in the stool, or disorders causing food to pass too quickly through their digestive tract. Fully yellow stool may be a sign of liver issues, rapid gut transit, or food intolerance. Carrots, human foods that contain orange food dye, and other off-diet items ingested may change the color to yellow or orange.

Green Stool

The most common cause of green stool in dogs is ingesting something green. Grass, crayons, and dyed human foods can cause green streaks in your dog’s stool. Green is also the sign of other foreign substances, such as small doses of rodenticide.

Some rodenticide baits are dyed green/blue; stool or vomit may be discolored, but the absence of color change does not rule out exposure. If rodenticide ingestion is suspected, contact a veterinarian, urgent care, or pet poison control immediately—do not wait for symptoms.

Green stool can also have a physiological source. Rather than being related to something your dog ate, the bowel movement may have a uniform green hue because of rapid GI transit, gastritis, or colitis. It may be the result of gallbladder issues, the side effects of medications, etc.

Black Stool

Black stools may form due to something your dog ate, though passing loose black stools may constitute an emergency. It may be a sign of internal bleeding that’s passed through the stomach and been digested. If your dog passes black or tarry stools, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Red Stool

If your dog has red stool, this can be initially alarming—pet owners will often mistake this as blood, but red or red-streaked stool is typically red foods or dyed treats. Bright red blood in the bowel movement does indicate fresh, undigested blood from the lower GI tract. A few drops of blood in your dog’s stool may indicate excessive straining and irritation, often because of diarrhea or constipation.

A large amount of blood in your dog’s stool, or the presence of blood clots, constitutes an emergency. You should contact veterinary services right away. Parvovirus and other deadly diseases can cause large volumes of blood to appear in your dog’s diarrhea, and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis can make jelly-like clots of blood appear.

Keep an eye out for streaks of blood (straining bowel movements) versus heavy bleeding (a serious medical issue). Large amounts of blood or the presence of blood clots are evidence of an emergency.

Gray Stool

White, light gray, or gray stool can be the result of a dog that has consumed a lot of extra calcium, such as bones or eggshell supplements. It can also be a sign of pancreatic or gallbladder issues. Other signs of gallbladder dysfunction are greasy, light stools. Contact your veterinarian to express concerns that your dog may be having bile duct issues.

Chalky white stool can occur in dogs consuming large amounts of bone. Pale/gray or greasy stool can indicate disorders affecting bile flow or pancreatic enzyme production (e.g., EPI); veterinary evaluation is needed.

What Else Is Your Dog’s Poop Telling You?

There are useful clues in your dog’s poop, if you know how to look. While normality depends on diet, age, and more, a healthy dog’s poop should generally be a medium brown color, not too hard or soft. Density, dryness, and color can change based on diet and age, and if you’re concerned about any changes you should bring them up with your veterinarian. They can provide you with additional information including a dog poop color chart that can help you track your pet’s stool movements, especially if you are concerned that they ingested something they shouldn’t have. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is nothing working for my dog’s diarrhea?

Does nothing seem to work? The main cause of your dog’s diarrhea may not have been diagnosed correctly. It’s a good idea to return to your veterinarian and ask them to re-examine your dog. You can also take your pet to an animal hospital or get a second opinion from another doctor.

How long should diarrhea last in dogs?

A mild case of dog diarrhea should last for 24-48 hours, minimum. If your dog has diarrhea for more than 2 days, you should call your veterinarian to get a proper diagnosis. It’s time to discuss treatment options. Red flags include discolored, greasy, or bloody stools, behavioral changes, and dietary issues.

Cost of Treating Dog Diarrhea at the Vet

Dog diarrhea treatments at the veterinarian can range from $200 for minor cases, to over $1,000 for complex conditions that require hospitalization. Basic treatments typically include medications, probiotics, and dietary adjustments, but severe cases of dog diarrhea caused by dehydration and underlying illnesses will require fluids, specialized care, and additional medications.

Severity, underlying causes, the presence of parasites, poisoning, foreign body ingestion, testing, supportive care, medication, and hospitalization all contribute to cost variance.

Treatment ranges for parasites or dietary indiscretion can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity of the issue. Treatments for poisoning can cost $3,000 or more, requiring hospitalization, fecal exams, extensive testing, medications, and more. Severe cases of parvo may include daily care costs that can add hundreds of dollars to the bill.

Paoli Vetcare is always up front about treatment costs and care plans. We focus on long-term value that prioritizes your dog’s health, and insist on stool tests, diagnostics, and treatments that keep your pup happy and healthy. If you’re curious about costs, treatments, or any other aspect of veterinary dog care, contact Paoli Vetcare today and book now.

Related Conditions You Should Watch For

Vomiting, constipation, pancreatitis, and parvovirus are conditions related to diarrhea, and can be controlled with early intervention to prevent complications. If you notice signs of these conditions, or your dog begins to show signs of illness, contact your veterinarian at Paoli Vetcare immediately. Bring along stool samples for faster veterinary diagnosis.

What To Bring To Your Appointment

Your veterinarian may ask you to bring fresh stool samples from your pet (12-24 hours old), any current medications and supplements your dog is taking, pet medical records (if your current veterinarian doesn’t have them), and any examples of recent diet changes, such as details about food and treats. In most cases, photos or videos of your dog’s diarrhea are acceptable.

Conclusion

Dog diarrhea is a messy business. We’ve covered causes, treatments, and advice, but there is no better route for pet concern than discussing the problem with your dog’s trusted veterinarian. Contacting a knowledgeable vet, such as those at Paoli Vetcare, is the best way to ensure your dog is happy, healthy, and active. 

Whether you have general concerns over your dog’s bowel movements or there’s a sudden emergency, Paoli Vetcare has decades of experience caring for our furry friends. Reach out to Paoli Vetcare today to schedule your dog’s next veterinary appointment and learn more about what you can do to prevent and treat dog diarrhea.