Getting Through The Weekend: Diarrhea

It’s Friday night, and you’ve had a long week. You’re finally dragging your exhausted self through your door, greeting your Fluffy and looking forward to an evening spent cuddling your fur-child while you catch up on that series you’re three months behind on, when it hits you. The stench of poo wafting through your house. You look down, and there, on your previously cleanish floors, is the dreaded diarrhea.

You check your phone; your vet closed for the weekend 45 minutes ago. What are you supposed to do? Throw Fluffy in the car and run for the emergency vet? Clean it up and pretend nothing happened and hope for the best? Beg your Facebook friends or ask ChatGPT for advice?

The honest answer is, it depends (though, probably don’t trust ChatGPT, and take your Facebook friends’ answers with a grain of salt). Here are some things to think about when trying to decide the best course of action:

How is Fluffy feeling? Is she bright and perky, begging for dinner and acting like herself? Is he moping and quiet, and turning his nose up at food? Do they seem weak or wobbly at all? Is there any sign of vomit? Is the diarrhea bloody? If so, is it just streaked with a few drops of blood, or does it look like something out of a horror movie? Is it black, or another weird color?  Is Fluffy still having diarrhea now? Do you see him straining and not producing much? Does he seem uncomfortable? Do you see any evidence (or have you in the past 24-48 hours) that Fluffy may have eaten something they shouldn’t? This can mean indulging in some delicious bacon supplied by your favorite relative, getting into your chocolate-covered pretzels, vacuuming up dropped medication, gobbling down a mystery something on your walk, helping themselves to the bunny poo that is all over your yard, chowing down on a rogue mouse in your house, or any of a wide variety of other options.  Has Fluffy gone anywhere recently? The dog park, the groomer’s, daycare, a boarding facility, training class, etc? Does Fluffy have any other health problems that you now about? Are they taking any daily medication?

My general rule of thumb with diarrhea is if they’re eating, acting normally, not vomiting, haven’t obviously gotten into anything, have had diarrhea for less than 48 hours, and don’t have any other major health problems, it’s probably okay to try to manage them at home. (We’ll talk about how to do that in a moment.) 

If, on the other hand, you notice your Fluffy showing any of the following signs or history, you should probably call the emergency vet:

Description: Fuzzy brown and white puppy hiding under coffee table
Photo credit: SSidde via Pixabay

Vomiting No (or very decreased) appetite Acting quiet or not themselves Has eaten something they shouldn’t have Seems very uncomfortable or can’t settle Has any sort of serious chronic medical issue

If your furry companion is severely lethargic, weak, unable to walk, has vomited several times, or you find that they have ingested a medication or a significant amount of chocolate or other undesirable item, then call the emergency vet and get Fluffy in the car immediately! 

So, let’s say that your particular Fluffy on this fine Friday night is bouncy, eating, hasn’t vomited, and doesn’t seem uncomfortable. There’s no sign they could have gotten into something, are normally healthy, and while you notice a little mucus and a drop of blood in the diarrhea, it doesn’t seem to be a crazy amount. What do you do?

If your dog doesn’t have any food allergies or sensitivities, you can try a bland diet (see recipes at the end). For cats, I usually recommend staying with their regular diet, especially if that diet is canned or wet food. Probiotics can be very helpful! If you don’t have dog or cat probiotics like Fortiflora or Proviable on hand, the widely-available human probiotic Culturelle has been shown to be effective. Just be sure to buy the regular digestive daily capsules, not the gummies or the ones mixed with a multivitamin. The capsules can be opened up and mixed into food. Fiber can help with so-called large-bowel diarrhea, or diarrhea where there is urgency, straining, blood streaks, and/or mucus.  However, studies have shown that canned pumpkin, while very frequently recommended, does not contain enough fiber to actually help with diarrhea! Psyllium husk, like coarse Metamucil, unflavored Konsyl, or the equivalent, can be of use. Start with ¼ tsp twice daily for cats or small dogs (<25 lb), ½ tsp twice daily for medium dogs (25-50 lb), and 1 tsp twice daily for large dogs (over 50 lb). Cats can be much harder to get fiber into than dogs, but it can still help if they’re willing to take it.

Keep a close eye on your furry companion! Most cases of simple diarrhea will resolve within a couple of days with symptomatic management. If they are getting worse, starting to show new signs, seem to get more lethargic, or the diarrhea lasts more than 48 hours, they absolutely should be seen by a veterinarian, even if that means having to take them to an emergency clinic. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and have them seen—there can be serious conditions that can masquerade as being a “simple” case of diarrhea.

Bland Homemade Diet Options 

Please note, these are NOT balanced diets and should not be continued for more than a few days.

Recipe 1:

• One part boiled white meat chicken, turkey, or very lean (90% or leaner) ground beef, drained well
• One to two parts cooked long-grain white rice. Do not use minute rice or brown rice. You can cook this with broth to improve flavor, as long as there is no onion or garlic in the broth.

Recipe 2:

• One part cottage cheese or plain low-fat Greek yogurt
• One to two parts cooked long grain white rice.

Recipe 3:

• One part meat baby food of your choice, with no onion or garlic powder in it
• One to two parts cooked long grain white rice.

You will notice that we say one to two parts of rice to one part of the animal protein source. This is because some patients will do better on one over the other. Some dogs don’t like the white rice, and are more willing to eat it if there is a higher proportion of animal protein; some may improve faster with the higher proportion of rice. 

If your dog doesn’t like the white rice, you can substitute regular or gluten-free pasta. If you go the pasta route, we would recommend doing 2 parts of that to 1 part of the animal protein. You can still mix in pumpkin if desired.

Feeding guidelines:

• Dogs <20 lb: 1-2 Tbsp every 4 hours
• Dogs 20-40 lb: ¼ to ½ cup every 4 hours
• Dogs over 40 lb: ½ to ¾ cup every 4 hours

Written by Alexis Soutter, DVM

Edited by The Pawsome Vet Care Team