(ThyBlackMan.com) One of the common health problems in dogs is gastrointestinal (GI) upset, also known as diarrhea. Many pet owners panic and rush their dogs to the hospital when they find their dog has the runs. While the concern for your pet’s health is a good sign, you must not panic. Here are five effective ways to control dog diarrhea.
- Fasting
The best thing to do when you see the symptoms is giving your dog’s gastrointestinal tract some rest. Avoid giving any food for some time. This will provide the GI tract with much-needed rest and also give enough time to recover. With no food in your dog’s stomach, there should be less diarrhea.
The fasting period may change with the dog’s age. A 24-hour fasting period would be ideal for a dog suffering from gastrointestinal upset. For puppies suffering from diarrhea, a 12-hour fasting period would be perfect. If your dog is diabetic or you have a toy breed dog, consult your vet before following any dog fasting period.
- Give Your Dog Lots of Liquid
While solid food can be avoided during dog diarrhea, make sure the dog is well hydrated. Just like humans, diarrhea causes huge loss of fluids in the dog’s body that can make things more complicated. If the dog shows less interest in drinking water, you can add some beef broth or chicken to the water and encourage your dog to drink fluids.
- Give Pure Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a good source of fiber and works to cure the upset gastrointestinal tract of your dog or puppy. You can get a can of pumpkin and give them as treats at regular intervals to cure dog diarrhea.
Pumpkin is a superfood that can cure constipation and diarrhea in dogs. Just make sure you buy 100% pure pumpkin and not pie filling.
- Feed Your Dog a Bland Diet
Recurring diarrhea makes your dog weak, and you can consider feeding your dog with a bland diet that will provide the dog’s body with essential nutrients and energy by putting stress on the GI tract. Some of the diet options during dog diarrhea include boiled chicken with rice. You should never give regular dog food when your dog is suffering from diarrhea. You can provide a bland diet after the fasting period. If you are feeding chicken, make sure it is skinless.
Also, the rice should be the bulk part of the bland diet, and add only a small amount of chicken. You can also give your dog a boiled hamburger and rice. Just make sure the fat from the hamburger is drained off before feeding it to the dog.
Keep giving this bland diet until you see improvement in the dog condition. In simple words, until you see that stools are better, continue this bland diet.
- Yogurt
Feed your dog plain yogurt. Stay away from sugary yogurt. Yogurt contains good bacteria that can help in curing the gastrointestinal tract problem. You can also feed cottage cheese to ensure good bacteria returns to your dog’s gut and make things right.
These are some of the effective ways to control dog diarrhea. Keep an eye on your dog’s condition while following home remedies. If you do not see any improvement, take your dog to the vet clinic.
Staff Writer; Calvin Love