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| Diarrhea |
Diarrhea, one of the most common problems of cats and dogs. If the stool is loose, but your animal is acting as though he or she feels fine and is eating and drinking normally, you probably can handle the problem at home. If you see any worsening of symptoms or see no improvement within 24 hours, seek veterinary assistance as dehydration can rapidly occur.
Sometimes diarrhea can be a sign of a more serious condition such as colitis, inflammatory bowel disease or hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. As a general rule, any vomiting or diarrhea with blood should be treated as an emergency—rush your animal to the veterinarian if you see any of these signs.
Begin home treatment with a 12- to 24-hour meal skip to rest your animal’s digestive tract. Then give your animal this special bland, home-cooked diet for a few days. Combine 1 lb lean meat, 1 cup uncooked white rice and 1 quart water. Cook until the rice is done and the meat is fully cooked. The fat from the meat will be floating on top: skim it off, then pour off the extra water into a separate bowl.
Start with just a spoonful or two. As long as no diarrhea recurs, continue offering small amounts at two-hour intervals, gradually increasing the amount of food until it’s about half your animal’s usual meal size. At alternate hours between solid food feedings, offer your animal a small amount of the reserved cooking water. If he or she drinks it all, continue rationing the juice in small amounts offered every two hours, until the thirst seems to be satisfied—at that point, water can be made available free-choice. (It’s wise to limit water intake at first because the highly irritated gut tends to move too quickly, eliminating larger volumes of liquid before they can be absorbed. This not only fails to help prevent dehydration, it also perpetuates the inflammation in the bowel.)
Continue this special diet for up to three days, depending on how your animal seems to be doing. When he or she is well again, gradually re-introduce the regular diet over a two- to three-day period. |
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| *The Runs is a medicinal herbal combination that contains chamomile, slippery elm and white oak bark and is quite effective in settling down irritated intestines and helping to control simple diarrhea. Remember, when diarrhea persists, it can lead to dehydration. Keep in touch with your veterinarian, and be sure to report whether your animal is able to drink liquids without losing them in continued diarrhea. |
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| Slippery Elm Syrup or Kaopectate will place a protective coating on your animal’s intestines so they can heal. The dosage is the same for either product: |
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Cat/Small Dog (1-14 lb) 1 tsp |
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Medium Dog (15-34 lb) 2 tsp |
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Large/Giant Dog (35-84 lb) 1 Tbsp |
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| Give every four hours for 24 hours or until diarrhea stops, whichever happens first. (If, after 24 hours, your animal’s diarrhea is continuing or any other signs have shown up, contact your veterinarian.) |
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| Another one of our favorite remedies is Dia-Relief from Dr. Goodpet. This homeopathic remedy is absorbed through the tongue and works quite well. The homeopathic remedy Arsenicum is sometimes used to help restore energy after fluid loss. |
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| Diar-Relief (Twice daily, orally apart from meals) |
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