How to Treat Gastrointestinal Problems in a Dog

Canine digestive problems have many causes.

Anyone who owns dogs know they can eat all manner of unsuitable things, from raiding the cat's litter box to getting in the trash. Dietary indiscretion can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea or vomiting. Other causes, according to the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, include internal parasites, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Gastrointestinal problems that persist for more than a day or two warrant veterinary treatment, but there are some things you can do to treat them at home initially.

Things You'll Need

• Bland food
• Probiotics

Instructions

1. Contact your veterinarian, especially if you have a puppy with a gastrointestinal disorder, or if your dog or puppy is acting depressed and lethargic as well as having digestive problems. Young puppies can become dangerously dehydrated very quickly, and diarrhea or vomiting can indicate potentially lethal diseases such as distemper or parvovirus.

2. Stop feeding your dog for 12 to 24 hours. This allows its system to "rest" and allows undigested food to pass through. Let it have water.

3. Let your dog drink some low-sodium meat or vegetable broth after fasting it. If it does fine with broth, offer it a small amount of bland, low-fat food such as boiled meat with cooked white rice or cottage cheese. A tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin can help with diarrhea.

4. Feed your dog small, frequent meals instead of its customary one or two larger meals per day.

5. Give your dog probiotic powder containing Bacillus coagulans and Enterococcus faecium. Most pet stores carry probiotics for dogs, but probiotics for human use work as well. Probiotics can help normalize the intestinal bacteria and can be used either temporarily or as long-term therapy, according to the Oklahoma State Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.

Tips & Warnings

• If vomiting or diarrhea persists for more than two days (or one day for puppies), you need to bring your dog to the vet to find the cause.

• When you take your dog to your veterinarian for digestive disorders, bring a stool sample if possible. Your vet will check the stool for internal parasites and bacterial overgrowth.

• Never give a dog antidiarrheal medication unless instructed to do so by your veterinarian. If it has a bacterial overgrowth, that could make it worse by preventing the dog from expelling it.

References

• UC Davis: Gastrointestinal Didorders in Cats and Dogs (.pdf)
• UC Davis: Nutritional Management of Gastrointestinal Disease
• Oklahoma State University: Probiotics

Resources

• Dog Aware: Digestive Disorders in Dogs