When your pet has problems with loose stools or diarrhea, first you need to confine them immediately and restrict their activity.

A pet carrier is a wonderful thing to have and is always handy at home and especially when traveling. With several animals in your home you will find enough opportunity to justify the purchase, and they'll last many years.

To give that inflamed intestinal system rest, you need to withhold food for at least 12-14 hours, or even up to 23 hours.

As long as the animals are otherwise okay and not dehydrated, even water intake can be restricted provided you rest the animal and keep them in an air conditioned area. Often the owners put the animals in yards and garages where the animals always find something else to drink or eat such as grass, spoiled water or trash. This aggravates the problem even more.

Kaopectate, 1 Tablespoon per 20 lbs. of body weight 3-4 times daily; or Pepto-Bismol, 1 teaspoon per 20 lbs. of body weight 2-3 times daily; or Lomotil, 1 tablet per 20 lbs. of body weight 2 times daily, all have a good response in dogs with mild cases of diarrhea.

Loose stools containing blood should always be taken seriously. Contact your veterinarian right away.

The first meal after a bout of diarrhea should be a rice diet with lean beef or chicken meat in the ratio 3 parts rice and 1 part meat, or a special diet food called I/D or K/D made by the Hills Company and sold by veterinarians only.

Please offer only small amounts of water and food at a time but more often. Many pet owners feel very compassionate for their belly aching pet and worry that Fido or Fluffy would starve to death any time. Therefore, the moment he feels a little better his appetite is tested with all the goodies of the house such as milk bones, treats, chips and dips, you name it. I can only say - good intentions - but bad results!, because Fido's and Fluffy's little belly starts hurting again!

Let me summarize in cases of diarrhea - confine the animals in a proper place, stop the food intake, carefully restrict the access to water, start them on a rice diet or Hills food I/D or K/D and delegate the clean-up work.

 

Dr. Dietrich Steinberg, D.V.M. West County Animal Clinic Ballwin, MO (314) 227-3505

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