5 Tips to Help New Dog Owners Cure a Dog's Diarrhea

One of the top problem experienced by a new dog owner is diarrhea. Dogs suffer from loose watery bowel movements after a day it moves to its new home. The new owner gets attached too quickly with the dog and gets very worried. It causes much distress to new dog owners. If the situation does not resolve in a day, the new dog owners tend to panic. This is especially true if the dogs show outward sign of shivering and refusal to eat or drink. New dog owners tend to think of treating diarrhea like how humans deal with this problem.

Many new dog owners surrender their newly acquired pet to the pound after a bout of diarrhea. The dogs, new to its new home, will have accidents on the clean carpet of the new owners. The first time an accident happens, the new owners sigh with disbelief. Reality is setting in but many will rationalize the accident that it will not occur again. However, a dog that is new to its surrounding may be experiencing a certain level of stress that affects the normal functioning of its digestive tract. The new dog may naturally poop in one part of its new home. The new accidents will generally aggravate the new owners. This may make them focus more on how to prevent further accidents from happening in the house rather than trying to understand the dog's problem.

5 Tips to Cure Diarrhea in Your New Dog

1. Note what the dog ate prior to the diarrhea and other stressful activities.

Most dogs in new homes will likely have diarrhea if they can access the toilet bowls to quench their thirst. Many dogs go to the trash cans and take interesting food leftovers. Further, new dogs may jump in your kitchen counters and dining table and steal some human food. Inquisitive dogs may also play around with other dog's feces in the park and contract some virus. Poor quality of food can cause diarrhea too. Food allergies and overeating are another common causes of diarrhea.

Dogs brought to new homes will also experience a considerable amount of stress from traveling from their old home to their new home. The new surroundings and new owners can agitate these dogs. New feeding patterns, routines and new food may also add their stress and affect their gastrointestinal tracts.

2. Dog fast for 24 hours

While most dogs should fast for 24 hours, puppies should not fast for more than 12 hours. Offer water several times a day. Pediatric unflavored Pedialyte may be poured to the fresh water bowl to add electrolytes to its drink. Take away its normal food temporarily so the dog's stomach can rest and recover.

3. Check dog for dehydration

An article from Hubpages.com entitled "Home Remedies for Dog's Diarrhea" suggests doing a hydration check with your dog. Grab some skin from your dog at the shoulder blade in a tent-like manner. If the skin goes back immediately, there is no problem with hydration. Another way is to check the gums in the mouth. The normal color of the gums should be pinkish. If it turns pale, whitish, grayish or purple, the dog is seriously dehydrated.

4. Get a notebook and observe dog's activities.

If the dog's diarrhea is simply due to food changes and stress, the dog's behavior is observed to be normal. Log into a notebook the dog's activities including water intake, bowel movements, urination, walks, frequency of stools, abnormalities in stools like blood, mucus, signs of worms, odor, color. Recording your observations will help your vet immensely in making a diagnosis if the problem worsens.

5. Feed a bland diet for 3 days.

After the 24 hours fast, feed the dog a bland diet consisting of 1 part of skinless boiled chicken and 3-4 parts of boiled rice. The chicken broth is also very healthy for your dog. Another meat substitute is ground beef. Brown the ground beef with no oil, wash it and serve it with rice. Some dogs can tolerate boiled eggs well but other dog's stomachs react to it negatively. Feed these to the dog about 4 small meals throughout the day.

Add two tablespoon of canned pumpkin for big dogs and two teaspoonful for small dogs. Coconut flakes can also be added to their bland diet.

Conclusion:

Your dogs stool will normalize after following the above steps for 2 to 3 days. Slowly introduce the dog's normal food or switch to homemade meals for your canine friend. With the commercial dog food scare, it is important to research on alternative food for your dog. It is important to understand what constitutes healthy nutrition for your dog. Avoid the foods that are toxic to your dog such as chocolates, avocados, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, onions and large amount of garlic, caffeinated beverages. Vegetables should be pureed, grated so it becomes easily digestible. Raw meats and bones are gaining advocacy in the dog nutrition world.

The decision on what to feed your dog needs research on your part. Do not take your dog's nutrition for granted or you will find them experiencing not only chronic diarrhea but other unexplained illnesses. The thrill of new dog ownership loses its attraction once an owner is beset with high expensive bills for frequent visits to veterinarians, laboratory fees for blood work and prescriptions.

Sources:

"Home Remedies for Dogs", Hubpages.com

"Diarrhea in Dogs", Natural-dog-health-remedies.com