Diarrhea in pets can be caused by a wide variety of problems. Some of these causes can be relatively minor, but others are much more serious and can even be life threatening.
Understanding the possible causes of diarrhea can help you determine when you need to seek veterinary care.
Possible causes of diarrhea.
- Dietary indiscretion. Many pets are known for eating things that they should not. This can often result in minor GI upset and diarrhea. In most cases this is relatively minor and can be treated with supportive care options.
- Food sensitivity/allergies. Just like humans, some pets have food allergies or intolerances. This can sometimes present as diarrhea. In this case doing a diet trial to help figure out which ingredients in your pet’s food they are allergic to can help provide relief.
- Many infections can cause GI signs such as diarrhea. This is a particularly important consideration if your pet is a puppy that has not finished their puppy vaccine series. These infections commonly cause other symptoms (vomiting, fever, lethargy, dehydration, etc) in addition to diarrhea.
- Foreign body ingestion. Although the most common complaint for a foreign body obstruction is diarrhea, this condition can also cause diarrhea as well.
- Organ or metabolic dysfunction. Liver disease, kidney failure, pancreatitis, or metabolic diseases like Addison’s or diabetes can potentially cause vomiting. Many of these problems can be diagnosed with the help of a blood panel.
- If your pet is exposed to a toxic substance, or even a very high dosage of a non-toxic substance they may experience diarrhea. If your pet has ingested something and you are concerned that it is either toxic or was too much of a non-toxic substance a
great resource to help determine how urgently your pet needs to be seen by a veterinarian is calling a toxicologist.
Diagnosing the cause of diarrhea.
- A thorough physical exam and good history can help point your veterinarian in the right direction to diagnose the cause of diarrhea. It is important to let your veterinarian know if your pet is up to date on vaccinations or if you are aware of any specific things they have ingested.
- Blood panels. This will help confirm an infection as well as to screen for organ dysfunction. A routine blood panel can also help make your veterinarian either more or less suspicious for endocrine problems such as diabetes or addison’s disease as well.
- Fecal testing. A fecal test can diagnose intestinal parasites such as worms or giardia.
- Parvo testing. This is a particularly important test to run if your pet is a puppy experiencing diarrhea.
- X-ray or abdominal ultrasound. Used to diagnose obstructions, tumors, or other abnormalities within your pets GI tract and abdomen. Biopsy. Taking a small sample of tissue from your pets GI tract can sometimes provide a diagnosis for why your pet is having diarrhea. These samples can either be taken with an endoscope, or during abdominal surgery.
When to seek veterinary care?
It is important to consider the overall appearance of your pet when you are deciding whether they need to be seen by a veterinarian. A single episode of diarrhea with no other concerns can often be treated with supportive care, but if there are other problems in addition to diarrhea it may require more immediate treatment. We recommend seeking veterinary care if any of the following apply to your pet:
- They have a known history of ingesting a toxic substance, or even a large amount of a non-toxic substance such as a medication.
- They are experiencing other GI signs such as vomiting, lethargy, or if there is blood in the diarrhea.
- If the diarrhea has not resolved after monitoring at home for a day or two.
Treatment options for diarrhea.
Some milder cases of diarrhea can be responsive to a probiotic and a brief diet change. If the cause of your pets diarrhea is more serious then medications such as dewormers or antibiotics may be needed. If your pet is diagnosed with a more chronic condition then there may be other medications or treatments performed to help alleviate your pet’s diarrhea.
