Common Causes of Dog Diarrhea

People that own dogs usually know how diarrhea in dogs works, since it’s quite common. The real reasons of diarrhea, the causes and the different varieties are known by fewer people.

A diet change is one of the things that causes diarrhea. If you give your dog food that is especially made for him, and then you change his diet and you give him table scraps, he will probably get diarrhea as a result. Another possible cause for diarrhea is changing the type of water he gets, especially if you’re travelling.

Dietary changes are especially problematic for puppies, since they have sensitive intestinal tracts. If the puppy was bought from a breeder, he probably told you that he should be fed similarly to what he got in the past. You should find out what the dog ate before, if you were not told when you bought him, especially if you got him from a friend or from a newspaper ad. Either way, you should talk with a vet about the diet of the dog, so you’re sure that the puppy gets the proper food for his breed and age.

If your puppy received a diet of raw meet in the past, and you are going to give him food that is commercially available, you need to make a gradual transition, from the old food to the new one. For starters, you can put some commercial food in the raw meat, mixing it up a bit. Each day, increase the amount of food you put in the meat, while reducing the old type of food. Gradually changing the diet will prevent diarrhea in dogs.

Underfeeding and overfeeding are two other possible causes for diarrhea. Both dogs that get too much or not enough food can be susceptible to illnesses. A dog that doesn’t eat enough, will stuff himself when he finally finds food. Chances are that dogs are less susceptible to diarrhea if they get fed twice each day, instead of getting all the food in a single meal. Both veterinarians and breeders will recommend that you use self-feeding, which means that dogs get a dish full of food, which he chooses when to eat. You do this with dry food usually, so the diarrhea is quite rare.

Drinking too much water is another possible reason for diarrhea in dogs. If it happens when it’s not warm outside, overdrinking of water can point to another issue, so visit a vet to find out what the problem is.