Diarrhea is a disease that is often experienced by dogs and cats. When you have diarrhea, your pet’s condition is easily recognized: pooping more often, runny poop, lethargy, loss of appetite, and upset stomach. Diarrhea can occur when the digestive system digests food too quickly into the body.

Reported by Immodium, in normal digestion, food consumed will be absorbed by the nutrients in the digestive system in the form of water, salt, and other ingredients. However, in the case of diarrhea, food comes out faster without going through the process of absorption. This is why diarrhea can cause dehydration for sufferers, including pets.

Causes of diarrhea in pets

Most cases of diarrhea are caused by bacterial infections from food foods, considering that pets such as dogs often insert various objects into their mouths. However, diarrhea can also indicate a more serious health problem. According to a report from Petmd, diarrhea in healthy pets is often caused by errors in eating food (such as eating leftovers or stale food), changing types of food without a transition period, viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections.

While chronic diarrhea in animals can be caused by food allergies, stress, parasites or worms, pancreatic disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, liver failure, to heart disease. Some cases of chronic diarrhea in animals are accompanied by vomiting to blood in the stool. In these conditions, immediately bring your pet to the doctor to get a diagnosis and treatment immediately.

How to treat mild diarrhea in pets

 

If your pet has mild diarrhea, home remedies can still be done. Here are some ways to treat diarrhea in pets:

• Make sure your pet consumes enough water to prevent dehydration.
• Change the type of food. Petmd recommends giving boiled chicken and chicken stock in food for dogs with diarrhea. While for cats it is recommended to include pumpkin cans. Both types of food function to normalize fecal conditions.
• Be sure to make a transition when changing food. The transition period runs for at least one to three days.
• Give antibiotics in pet food if diarrhea is caused by a bacterial infection.

How to prevent diarrhea in pets

 

The good news, diarrhea in pets can be prevented by the following steps:

• Make sure the dog or cat has been vaccinated and given worm medicine
• Keep the pet toys clean. In dogs, it is better to give rubber toys rather than bones.
• Keep your pet from eating food carelessly
• Do not feed leftover food pets on the dining table.