The most of pet parents of senior dogs will, at some point, encounter the same problem: old dog diarrhea. While dogs at any age can suffer from the occasional bout of diarrhea, the situation can be especially concerning with regards to senior dogs who may be struggling with other health problems.
There are many explanations why a mature dog could potentially struggle with senior dog diarrhea. Try not to panic if, for instance, your 10-year-old dog has diarrhea: Fortunately, there are several ways to address this embarrassing, messy, debilitating and frequently uncomfortable problem.
Types of Dog Diarrhea
First, dog diarrhea is divided into three main categories: large bowel diarrhea, small bowel diarrhea or a combination of both. The affliction will be further categorized into chronic diarrhea, acute diarrhea or intermittent diarrhea. This is important because different diseases cause various kinds of diarrhea, need different types of tests and require various kinds of treatment.
Small Bowel Diarrhea
Small bowel diarrhea develops within the small intestine. A dog who's struggling with small bowel diarrhea can have copious amounts of diarrhea once or twice each day, but there is usually no straining or increased urge to defecate. These dogs may vomit, lose their appetite or suffer weight reduction. If there is blood within the stool, it will likely be black or tarry-looking.
Large Bowel Diarrhea
Large bowel diarrhea comes from the big intestine, which is further down the digestive tract, and includes the colon and rectum. As opposed to small bowel diarrhea, dogs suffering from large bowel diarrhea have raised urge to defecate in most cases pass stool more often. The stool might be covered in mucus and if there is blood within the stool, it is bright red. There's usually no weight loss, vomiting or loss of appetite observed with large bowel diarrhea.
Acute vs. Chronic vs. Intermittent Diarrhea
Large or small bowel diarrhea is classified as acute if it lasts under 2 weeks. An old dog with chronic diarrhea would suffer from the infliction in excess of 14 days. Intermittent diarrhea can happen within the large and small bowel, also it comes and goes.
Causes of Senior Dog Diarrhea
The digestive tract of elderly dogs could be sensitive and react poorly in many circumstances. That's one reason why easily digestible senior dog foods-such as Nutro Ultra Senior Dry Dog Food-are great for older dogs.
Old dogs often have health issues or are on medication, which can upset the total amount from the body and cause diarrhea. Any ailment that affects the body may also cause diarrhea.
If your old dog has diarrhea that appears to be acute and enormous bowel in origin, this condition is known as colitis, and causes can include:
- Eating garbage or spoiled food
- An adverse response to fatty food, drugs or toxins
- Parasites like whipworms
- Bacterial infections
- Inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Irritation from passing foreign bodies
- Irritable bowel syndrome from stress
- Systemic illness, for example liver or kidney disease
Acute small bowel diarrhea can also be brought on by the above conditions.
If your old dog has diarrhea (big or small bowel) that are chronic or intermittent, causes can include:
- Infectious diseases
- Small intestinal dysbiosis
- Food responsive disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Systemic illnesses and cancer
If you know that your senior dog gets diarrhea from stressful situations like veterinary visits, vaccines or boarding, engage with your veterinarian about pre-treating your dog with probiotics, like Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets FortiFlora Probiotic Gastrointestinal Support Dog Supplement, to help prevent this issue.
Most cases of canine diarrhea are self-limiting, that is, nature got its course also it clears up on its own per day or two. If the diarrhea doesn't clean up within 2 to 3 days, then it's time for you to obtain the veterinarian involved.
Senior Dog Diarrhea Treatment
If you notice that the dog has diarrhea all of a sudden, don't panic! Remember that many times, diarrhea resolves on its own. You can help your pet by feeding a bland diet, for example cooked white chicken and rice or Under the Weather Rice, Chicken & Pumpkin Flavor Freeze-Dried Dog Food, for a couple of days until the diarrhea resolves.
If time and bland food aren't curing your senior dog's loose stool blues, it's time to obtain the vet involved. Before any treatment is instituted, your veterinarian will want to obtain a history from you, conduct an actual exam of your dog, and run some laboratory tests. Tests may include a fecal exam for parasites (bring fresh poo with you!), bloodwork and urine tests.
Treatment for the majority cases of diarrhea in older dogs includes monitoring, medication, maintaining hydration and feeding morsels which help this enzymatic tract.
Monitoring
As the pet parent, it is your responsibility to make sure your pet eats the right food, takes all their medications and drinks adequate amounts of water. It is up to you to make sure that the recommended therapy is working, your dog is getting better and also the diarrhea is resolving. Know what your dog's normal stool, energy and appetite looks like that will help you recognize when something is not right.
Medication
Medication might be prescribed to solve the diarrhea, reduce pain and intestinal spasms and address any root causes, for example parasites or microbiome imbalances. Give all medications as prescribed and until finished, whether or not the diarrhea resolves before the round of medication is finished.
Maintaining Hydration
Diarrhea is really a leading cause of dehydration in senior dogs. In case your dog is extremely dehydrated, the vet can provide your pet subcutaneous fluids or intravenous fluids. In your own home, make sure to provide fresh, water that is clean at all times. You may also increase fluid intake by feeding canned food or adding water to dry food.
Helpful Food Morsels
Guts suffering from diarrhea have to heal. You are able to help move the process along by exchanging your canine's regular dog food for grub that's gentler on their sensitive stomach. Think: bland, easily digestible pet food. Hill's Prescription Diet i/d Digestive Care Low-fat Original Flavor Pate Canned Dog Food or Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Fat Canned Dog Food are both good dog foods for older dogs who've diarrhea, and are often prescribed by veterinarians. Feed bland food until a few days after diarrhea has resolved to advertise maximum healing from the gut.
If treatment doesn't seem to be helping your pet, enable your veterinarian know immediately. You may want to bring your dog in for multiple rechecks and additional laboratory testing or imaging studies, for example an abdominal ultrasound or X-rays, if therapy isn't working. Patience is helpful: Just like in humans, if your dog's gut is chronically inflamed, it will take some time and testing to determine what is going on.
How to Tell It's an Emergency
Reasons to take your dog to the vet immediately include:
- Diarrhea is explosive and bloody or tarry
- Vomiting that doesn't stop
- Swollen appearance towards the abdomen or belly
- Fever above 103 degrees Fahrenheit
- Your senior dog is medically fragile because of other health conditions
If you see that your dog develops diarrhea after taking a medication that's prescribed by your veterinarian, call your veterinarian immediately to report it and get recommendations.
Even though they often require an extra dose of the tender loving care, senior dogs make wonderful companions. Using the right treatment, many instances of old dog diarrhea can be resolved easily with minimal pain.
