Canned pumpkin is good for doggie diarrhea.

Can you connect something that your dog ate to cause the loose stools, like a change in a food, grass, a particular doggie treat, people food, rawhide chew? You might want to keep track of what your dog is eating and see if you can link it to the loose stools?

An occasional loose stool shouldn't be something to be alarmed about. If a dog is still eating regularly and drinking plenty of water, it is probably some type of irritation as joepyeweed mentioned.

I don't see why your vet is making you bring the dog in to have a fecal sample run....they just need the sample, not the dog.

Anyway...I think you can give them Pepto Bismal (spelling?) but check on the bottle for children's dosage. (according to weight)

Joepyeweed is correct. If they eat some human leftovers, try to isolate the offending item and eliminate it from the extras, some things just upset the stomach. Getting rid of those rawhide chews is good also, get a nylabone or something like that instead. And last, but not least, cooked white rice mixed with the food helps tighten up the stools.

Goldy, how old is your dog and how long has he had loose stools? Does your dog have anxiety problems?

The reason why I'm asking is I have a 13 year old who has had loose stools all his life. No matter what I feed him. He has separation anxiety which contributes to a nervous stomach. Once in a blue moon he has a firm stool.

If this has been going on just recently I would suggest experimenting with new dog food. The vet office should carry a brand for such cases. I would avoid table scraps all together if that's something you do. I give my boy yogurt or cottage cheese as a treat. When he takes his pills I use peanut butter or cream cheese.

Edna

You can mix a tablespoon or two of psyllium husk (the natural, not the flavored kind) into his food. It'll bulk things up.

Plain nonfat yogurt keeps the good bacteria going in the intestinal tract.

No need to take him to the vet for an occasional loose stool as long as he seems healthy otherwise.

If it's just occasional, I'll add a teaspoon of carob powder to my dog's food. It works fairly quickly. I also agree with giving yogurt on a regular basis to keep the beneficial bacteria going.

my dog is five years old.He does have a sensitive stomach.I do think I give him too many rawhide treats.When he looks at me with those big brown eyes I always cave in.Thanks for you concern I will try the can pumpkin.I think he will enjoy that and if it helps I have "killed two birds" with one stone.(He thinks he has treat but it's really medicine")

Goldy, rawhide treats are extremely dangeous to dogs for 2 reasons. Many are chemicaly treated, and 2 they can cause a blockage in the digestive track, sometimes quite seriously. It is not uncommon for a dog who eats rawhides to have bouts of loose stools due to the fact it caused a tempory block of digestion. Most educated dog nutritionists will tell you to never serve rawhides or pig ears etc.

I agree with cindyx...that has to be the problem...in fact many rawhides are preserved with formaldehyde...AAK!

You know, if you go to the meat department at your local grocer, they should be happy to give you some real bones for your dog...when they start to dry and split, toss them out and go get some more. You can keep them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

Ditto to what Cindyx said. NO RAWHIDES! Steer clear of those nasty things. I don't know why they haven't been banned. Dogs can chock on those things also.

Having 3 dogs I keep a bag of low residue food on hand for that very issue. It is available from your vet and beats cooking chicken and rice when you least expect it. I start it as soon as I see a loose situation since I don't want a middle of the night surprise:-) It works the same way and all you have to do is feed it like regular dog food. Of course, if it continues the vet can test a stool sample to see what's going on.

One of my Rottti used to have loose stool alot.
My vet sayed that i should put more fiber in his food.
Since then i boil carrots, green beans and cauliflower,
mashed with a fork and mixed under his dry food.
He loves the cauliflower. He eats a different veggie
every day. No more loose stools.

Christine

We roll psyllium fiber capsules (e.g. Metamucil) in vegetable oil and drop them on the back of the tongue with half a cookie on the front of the tongue. It's the classic treatment for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

My dog has loose stools.. Practically the consistancy of water. We just got him from my brother in law about a week ago. WE did change is food and expected an upset stomach but not to this extent. He started with stools that were "soft serve" consistancy for a few days and for the last 3 days or so its like water. Any clues as to why and how to fix it?

rjarman- what kind of food are you feeding the dog?

rjarman- liquid diarrhea is definitely a big problem and could even be an emergency if your dog has parvo. Regardless he could dehydrate very rapidly and die. Please take him to a vet immediately. Changing foods should not cause liquid diarrhea.

rjarman, watery stools could be a parasite or something more serious. I'd definitely get that checked right away.

"I am also working with a vet, but have not received any good answers. Our dog is a 12.5 year old spayed female choc. lab. Weighs in at about 45 pounds. Very slender. Suffers from liver disease (unknown origin) that caused her to lose 30 pounds about 2 years ago when she stopped eating prepared foods. Struggled with foods. Finally worked up 1 cooked 1/3 pound hamburger, some veggies, apple sauce, cheerios, rice or pasta. Bagels and bread also. It is an incredible juggling act to get nutrients into a dog who is disinclined to eat. Lately I tried some Kirkland (lamb abd rice, chicken and rice) dog food as a lark, to see if she would eat. She devours it. She started to put a little weight on, BUT now she has a hard time holding her bowels overnight and even for more than a few hours. Same for her bladder. This, by the way, is a dog that was housebroken at 9 weeks and never had an accident in the house. I am approaching my wits end. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated."

Hello, my little toy fox terrier has been having diarrhea for about a month now. It has ranged from loose and bloody to pea soup like in color. She is under the care of a vet, but it does not seem like she can pinpoint the exact cause. She was diagnosed with a bacterial overgrowth about 6 months ago and did great with a treatment of antibiotics and bland diet. She again was diagnosed about a month ago and the same treatment seemed to work, but her diarrhea returned about 3 days after her antibiotics ended. Now she is on another round of antibiotics, a bland diet with low residue food, and a probiotic. It still does not seem to be helping much and we cannot afford to have a ton more tests done. Someone PLEASE help me. Any advise you have would be wonderful. Thank you.

My 7 month old labradoodle recently started having loose stools. It started out watery and really runny, but now it's a bit thicker, but not solid like it was before. He cleared up right after I took him to the vet of course. The vet suggested keeping him on a round of antibiotics and something for diarrhea. He went right back to loose stools while on the meds. I think I have read before that some antibiotics, like Metranodazole can cause diarrhea in dogs. Also don't let your vet give your dog an antibiotic and a probiotic at the same time. The antibiotic will kill off the the good bacteria in the probiotic and you'll be paying for nothing, and possibly doing more harm to your dogs immune system in the long run. An antibiotic course and then a probiotic course would make more sense. I got my dog a new bag of food (same kind/brand etc), no more rawhides, sensitive stomach treats and one-two teaspoons of plain yogurt a day. I'm giving it a week of this treatment and seeing if it clears up. I think he got backed up from too many treats and rawhides in a short period of time.

My lil 5lb chorkie had loose stools that really scared me becuase he's always so healthy, he was withdrawn, wich was a 1st he's going on his 2nd day now only like 3 times his stools dont seem to be too loose, i called the vet for advice because at this time i cant aford to take him in she adviced me to cook him some white rice and cottage cheese i was kind of weary about it but, i gave him the rice and i was relieved that he ate some because he didnt want to eat anything,now he's throwing up but, a few times so i will be watching him to see if he gets better he is drinking water so relieved about that to.
Thanks for this site, will monitor and e-mail results on my baby Skippy, Thanks, Sylvia

i have 2 small dogs. first one started with loose stools. about 3 days later the other started. i am feeding them chicken and rice with unsalted chicken broth added to their regular food( but less of it). also i am adding pectillin diarrhea medication for dogs to their food. it is not really doing much. the older one has not gone since this morning this is good. the younger one who just came down with the same symptoms a few days ago. just presented and it was yellowish and loose.

I had a kitten once with unstoppable loose stools. The vet had tried everything to no avail. I called a young woman fresh out of veterinary school and she told me to switch to Iam's food. They had been told in vet school that although they didn't know why this works, it does. Sure enough, after one meal of Iam's the kitten's stools became normal. A few years later I tried switching her to a different food, and her stools became loose again immediately.

We adopted a Chi-Weenie named Ollie 6 months ago. He developed very loose stools, and again, nothing my vet recommended worked. I called the young veterinarian again and asked her if Iam's also worked for dogs with loose stools. She said yes, that it did. I switched Ollie's food and had the same miraculous results as I'd had with the kitten.

I really would prefer to feed a higher quality food to my pets, but I have to stick with what works. Loose stools are miserable.

Anyone with a pet who has been experiencing diarrhea for more than 48 hours should go see a Vet. There are so many different things it can be, it's not a good idea to just guess. Stool tests are not ball breaking expensive and the test should be done to ensure the right treatment is prescribed. When our puppy got it, it was obvious it was affecting her tummy too and the cause ended up being a bacterial infection in her intestines. The Vet said it's not uncommon because of the things puppies/dogs like to eat in the yard.