Once you have been around dogs for any length of time you have the unfortunate experience of seeing sick dogs & puppies. Diarrhea is one of the most common give a ways to a problem with dogs and puppies. There are different types of stools and they can mean different things. This information is to help you understand stools, but not meant to replace a Veterinarian’s instruction. Stool can be a great tool for gauging the health of dogs and puppies.
KINDS OF STOOL
1- Solid Poop
2- Soft, Formed Diarrhea
3- Liquid Diarrhea (brown)
4- Brown Liquid Diarrhea with blood
PARASITES AND DIARRHEA:
If a dog gets diarrhea as a result of parasites, the most common causes are Coccidia or Giardia as well as different types of worms. Each can cause diarrhea, but each requires different medication.
All dogs have some level of Coccidia in their system. When a dog is stressed (i.e. being shipped, moving into a new environment etc ) the stress can cause the Coccidia to flair up causing diarrhea. The solution is to give the dog ALBON (direct oral) or CORID (drinking water treatment). Dosage is based on weight. Take your puppy to the your Vet to determine the best treatment.
When dogs get Giardia they need to be treated with METRONIDAZOLE or SAFEGUARD/PANACUR. Giardia can be missed by stool samples unless taken by the vet directly from the dog's rectum. Fresh samples give a more accurate diagnosis of Giardia. Your Vet will diagnose the appropriate dosage of medication to eliminate the Giardia. There is also a vaccine available for Giardia.
SOFT, FORMED DIARRHEA
This type of diarrhea is typically a minor thing but dogs and puppies should be monitored until their poops are normal again.
Some possible causes may be:
If your dog is experiencing this type of diarrhea try adding a little pumpkin to their food. You can also try Kaopectate or Imodium or Diaback, a homeopathic remedy used to treat; e-coli, salmonella, diet or water changes, environment change, stress or food allergies.
LIQUID DIARRHEA (BROWN)
This is more serious and often means a sick puppy. This diarrhea should not be ignored as it can cause a puppy to rapidly dehydrate. A simple way to monitor a puppy's hydration is its skin; if you pick he skin up and it regains it's shape quickly the puppy is hydrated. If however, the skin is tight and slowly returns to its original form the puppy is dehydrated.
It is important to rehydrate the puppy at this stage. Puppies can die from dehydration in as little as 24 hours.
Take your puppy off solid foods; they will only upset tummies further. Make sure the puppy has plenty of water but pedialytes and beef or chicken broth also helps. If a puppy isn't drinking you may need to spoon or syringe liquid into their mouth (but very small amounts at a time). If you cannot get your puppy to drink then it is time for a trip to your vet.
LIQUID DIARRHEA (BROWN WITH BLOOD)
This is a medical emergency and an immediate trip to the vet is necessary. Your vet will accurate diagnose the puppy and the correct treatment.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
PLANT |
TOXIC AREA |
Aconite |
root, foliage, seeds |
Aloe |
|
Amaryllis |
bulbs |
Andromeda |
entire plant |
Apple |
seeds |
Apricot |
pits |
Asian Lily |
|
Asparagus Fern |
|
Arrowgrass |
leaves |
Atropa belladona |
entire plant |
Australian Crocus |
|
Autumn crocus |
entire plant |
Avocado |
skin, flesh, pits |
Azalea |
entire plant |
Baneberry |
berries, roots |
Bittersweet |
|
|
|
Bird of Paradise |
pods |
Black locust |
entire plant |
Bloodroot |
entire plant |
Boxwood |
entire plant |
Branching Ivey |
|
Buckeye |
sprouts, nuts, seeds |
Buddist Pine |
|
Buttercup |
entire plant |
Caradium |
entire plant |
Caladium |
|
Calla Lily |
|
Carolina jessamine |
flowers leaves |
Castor bean |
entire plant |
Ceriman |
|
Charming diffenbachia |
|
Chinaberry tree |
berries |
Chinese evergreen |
|
Chokecherries |
leaves, cherries, pits |
Christmas berry |
leaves |
Christmas rose |
rootstock, leaves |
Chyrsanthemum |
entire plant |
Clematis |
|
Cordatum |
|
Corn plant |
|
Common privet |
leaves, berries |
Corn cockle |
seeds |
Cowbane |
entire plant |
Cow cockle |
seeds |
Cowslip |
entire plant |
Cutleaf philodendren |
|
Cyads |
|
Cyclamen |
|
Daffodil |
bulbs |
Day lily |
|
Daphne |
bark, berries, leaves |
Death camas |
entire plant |
Delphinium |
entire plant |
Devil's Ivy |
|
Dieffenbachia |
entire plant |
Dracaena |
|
Dumbcane |
entire plant |
Dutchman's breeches |
foliage, roots |
Easter Lily |
|
Elderberry |
entire plant |
Elephant's ear |
entire plant |
English Ivy |
entire plant |
Emerald feather |
|
Emerald fern |
|
European Bittersweet |
entire plant |
False flax |
seeds |
False hellebore |
entire plant |
Fan weed |
seeds |
Field peppergrass |
seeds |
Flamingo plant |
|
Flax |
seeds, pods |
Florida beauty |
|
Foxglove |
leaves |
Fruit salad plant |
|
Geranium |
entire plant |
Glacier ivey |
|
Gladiolas |
|
Glory lily |
|
Gold dieffenbachia |
|
Gold dust dracaena |
|
Golden pothos |
|
Green gold nephthysis |
|
Hahn's English ivey |
|
Heartleaf Philodendren |
|
Heavenly bamboo |
|
Holly |
berries |
Horse-chestnut |
nuts, sprouts |
Horsehead philodendren |
|
Horse nettle |
entire plant |
Hurricane plant |
|
Hyacinth |
bulbs |
Hydrangea |
|
Iris |
leaves, roots |
Japanese show lily |
|
Japanese Yew |
|
Jerusalem Cherry |
|
Jack-in-the-pulpit |
entire plant |
Jasmine |
berries |
Jerusalem cherry |
unripe fruit, foliage |
Jimsonweed |
entire plant |
Jonquil |
bulbs, leaves, roots |
Lace fern |
|
Lacy tree |
|
Laburnum |
entire plants |
Larkspur |
young plants |
Laurel |
leaves |
Lily of the Valley |
leaves, flowers |
Lupine |
sap, fruit |
Macadamia nut |
|
Madagascar dragon tree |
|
Marble queen |
|
Marigold |
entire plant |
Marijuana |
entire plant |
Matrimony vine |
leaves, shoots |
May apple |
entire plant |
Mexican breadfruit |
|
Milk vetch |
entire plant |
Mistletoe |
berries |
Monkshood |
entire plant |
Mother-in-law |
|
Morning glory |
seeds, roots |
Mountain Mahogany |
leaves |
Mushroom |
entire plant |
Mustard |
seeds |
Narcissus |
bulbs |
Needlepoint lily |
|
Nephthytis |
|
Nicotiana |
leaves |
Nightshade |
leaves, berries |
Oak |
shoots, leaves, acorns |
Onion |
|
Oleander |
leaves |
Orange day lily |
|
Panda |
|
Peace lily |
|
Peach |
pits |
Philodendron |
entire plant |
Plumosa |
|
Poinsettia |
entire plant |
Poison Hemlock |
entire plant |
Pokeweed |
roots, seeds, berries |
Potato |
shoots, sprouts |
Precatory bean |
|
Rattles box |
entire plant |
Red emerald |
|
Red lily |
|
Red-margined dracaena |
|
Red princess |
|
Rhododendron |
leaves |
Rhubarb |
leaves |
Rosary pea |
seeds |
Rubrum lily |
|
Saddle leaf philodendren |
|
Sago palm |
|
Satin pothos |
|
Schefflera |
|
Spotted dumb cane |
|
Striped dracaena |
|
Swiss cheese plant |
|
Sweethearet ivey |
|
Stargazer lily |
|
Skunk cabbage |
entire plant |
Smartweed |
sap |
Snow on the mountain |
sap |
Sorghum |
leaves |
Star of Bethlehem |
entire plant |
Sumach |
entire plant |
Sweet pea |
seeds, pods |
Taro vine |
|
Tiger lily |
|
Tomato plant |
|
Tree philodendren |
|
Tulip |
bulbs |
Tropic snow dumbcane |
|
Velvet grass |
leaves |
Walnut |
entire nut |
Wild black cherry |
leaves, pits |
Wild radish |
seeds |
Wood lily |
|
Wisteria |
pods, seeds |
Woody aster |
entire plant |
Yellow jessamine |
entire plant |
Yellow oleander |
entire plant |
Yellow pine flax |
entire plant |
Yew |
bark, leaves, seeds |
Yucca |
|
Coccidiosis is a very contagious infection, especially among young puppies. Entire kennels may become contaminated, with puppies of many age groups (between 4 to 12 weeks and in some cases older) simultaneously affected. Loose stools in this age group are often cause by Cocci. Stools will vary from mild to severe diarrhea with severe often containing blood and mucous and causing vomiting, dehydration, loss of appetite and sometime death. Your veterinarian can detect the cysts with a simple exam.
Stress is a huge component of cocci in puppies. Puppies can go home healthy and within days develop diarrhea from cocci. The incubation period for cocci is 13days; puppies are not born with it but are often exposed to the shedding cysts in their mom’s feces. Coccidiosis is treatable with drugs such as sulfadimethoxine (Albon®) hoprim-sulfadiazine (Tribrissen®). The treatment DOES NOT kill the cocci organism; it simply impairs their reproduction ability. This allows the puppy to develop their immunity and remove the organisms.
The best way to prevent the spread of cocci is to remove all fecal matter regularly. Feces are the carrier of the cysts so it is important to keep fresh water and food in an area that cannot be contaminated by fecal matter. Coccidia can with stand freezing and not all disinfectant do not help against it. Incineration of fecal matter works, steam clean or pressure washing with hot water and disinfectant, or a 10% ammonia solution are the best methods to inhibit the spread of cocci.
Giardia are one-celled organisms that live in the small intestine of dogs. it is believed that infection with Giardia is common but disease is rare.
A dog becomes infected by eating the cyst form of the parasite when it is passed in the feces. Giardia in the feces can contaminate the environment and water and infect other animals and people. Once again acute, intermittent, or chronic diarrhea is the usual sign of Giardia. Loss of appetite isn’t usually a factor, however weight loss is. Stools tend to be pale, smell awful, and look greasy because the intestine cannot absorb nutrients properly.
Giardia can be treated with Fenbendazole (safeguard) and Metronidazole. Metronidazole may only be 60 – 70 % effective and cannot be given to pregnant moms. Treatment for Giardia often has to be done in stages because the cysts may not be killed in the intestine.
The cysts can live several weeks to months outside the host in wet, cold environments. So lawns, parks, kennels, and other areas that may be contaminated with animal feces can be a source of infection for your pet. You should keep your pet away from areas contaminated by the feces of other animals. This is not always easy.
As with other parasites of the digestive system, prevention of the spread of Giardia centers on testing and treating infected animals and using sanitary measures to reduce or kill the organisms in the environment. Solutions of Lysol, bleach, and quaternary ammonium compounds are effective against Giardia.
Hookworms
There are 2 varieties of hookworm; A. caninum is the most common hookworm and causes the worst disease and prefers warm climates. North American dogs are more likely to be infected with U. stenocephala as it prefers cold climates and A. caninum prefers warm climates.
Hookworm infestation in dogs can lead to severe anemia, especially in puppies. These hookworms have big appetites and attach to the intestine and feed on the dog's blood. Signs of hookworm infection include weight loss, pale color, black or tarry looking stools, weakness, anemia and death. In areas in which hookworms are prevalent there can be skin disease in pets associated with exposure to the larval worms as well.
Hookworms can be acquired from the mother's milk, from penetration of the skin by hookworm larvae in the environment and from eating hookworm larvae. Some vets think that it may also be transmitted during pregnancy from mothers to puppies but this is controversial.
Hookworms can infect humans, picked up from areas contaminated by dog feces. The worms penetrate the skin just as it would a dog’s. They don’t belong in humans so they do form into adults but will cause sores and swelling until they die.
Monthly heartworm prevention medication can provide protection and control of hookworm.
Roundworms
Roundworms are found in the intestine of dogs and are a major hygienic concern because they are transmissible to people. Because people get infected by ingestion of dirt contaminated with the feces of infected dogs, roundworm elimination should be the concern on every responsible pet owner.
Concerned pet owners should collect their pets' feces every day and place them in the garbage or burn it. Flushing the feces down the toilet is inappropriate because many eggs survive sewage treatment. There is some fear that roundworms may be passed by a puppy licking the owner. Also, Humans should clean vegetables grown in the garden before eating them. For most people, these preventative measures are just normal procedures but it is good to know there is a reason for all this caution!
Because pups may start passing eggs as early as day 21 of life, the first treatment must be administered before this age. Since reinfection is common from the environment as well as in the mother's milk, treatment must often be repeated every two weeks until the pups are 49 days old. In practical terms, this means treating pups at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of age. Mothers should be treated at the same time as the pups since they are most often the source of the pups’ infection. All Mothers should be presumed to be carriers of roundworms even if they have had negative fecal prior to whelping since the worms often persist in her system in a resting stage. Mothers should be wormed before breeding, during the last week of gestation, and each time the pups are wormed.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms are found in the intestine of dogs and are a major hygienic concern because they are transmissible to people. Dog-rabbit tapeworms have a life cycle that starts with them living in the small intestines animals where they produce eggs that are shed in the feces and subsequently contaminate the local environment. Through the natural eco cycle of animals eating other animals and investigating feces they pick up the eggs. Adult worms latch onto the wall of the intestines and after about a month, start shedding eggs. These eggs are then immediately infective to other animals, including people. To complicate matters further, these tapeworm eggs can remain infective in the environment for several months.
Infected dogs may seem clinically normal while shedding large numbers of infective eggs. The eggs are generally first seen in your dog's feces or sticking to the hair around your dog's rear. These specialized muscular egg cases are actually segments of the worm that are full of eggs and they look like a small, flattened, grain of white rice that moves. As the egg case wiggles around it is spreading thousands of tapeworm eggs which are too small for the naked-eye to see.
Personal protection and hygiene are important, especially to those individuals that may contact feces from potentially-infected pets. Children are particularly at risk. Fortunately for pets, there are medicines that are safe and very effective for treatment. People are not as lucky and surgery still remains the preferred treatment.
Whipworms
Whipworms are one of the most common parasitic worms of dogs in North America. They live in the lower aspects of the intestines where they latch on to feed. Sometimes they cause no problems at all but they may cause abdominal upset or diarrhea, often tainted by blood and mucus. When eggs are laid in the intestines, they pass into the feces and become infective within 9-10 days. When consumed by dogs the infective eggs hatch in the intestines and the larvae parasitize the intestines and mature further.
Many people do not realize that dogs do not begin to shed whipworm eggs in their stool until about 3 months after being infected. At that time each female whipworm may pass from 1000 to 4000 eggs per day into the stool. Complicating matters further are that female whipworms are long-lived, surviving for months or years in the intestines. The life cycle therefore includes a larval stage in the small intestine, an adult stage in the large intestine, and infective eggs that pass into the feces.
Diagnosis is not always easy since it depends on finding whipworm eggs in the feces. Remember that animals are infected for 3 months before they begin to shed eggs and you can appreciate the problem. Once females begin shedding eggs, they are usually recoverable by direct smears and centrifugal flotation. They are not as easily found with standard fecal evaluations. In some instances, the adult worms are actually seen attached to the lower bowel during endoscopic procedures.
Treatment is also not straightforward because of the peculiar life cycle of this parasite. Although many medicines are effective in removing adult worms, the larvae are less reliably cleared. Therefore treatment must often be repeated in 3 weeks and often, in 3 months as well, when the larvae have evolved into egg-producing adults. The biggest hindrance to effective treatment is that animals are often re-exposed to environments in which whipworm eggs are plentiful, and are thereby re-infected.
It can be difficult to control exposure to whipworm eggs on lawns or soil but concrete can be effectively disinfected. Proper disposal of egg-containing dog feces is critical.