If the dog is otherwise well but has diarrhea, then don’t feed them for 24 hours, but make sure plenty of fresh water is available. After a day’s starvation, introduce a bland diet such as cooked chicken and boiled white rice (one third chicken, two thirds rice) and feed this for two to three days until the stools firm up. See How to Prepare Chicken and Rice for your Dog for more information. Any dog that has diarrhea for more that two days should see their veterinarian.
Meat-based diets are best for dogs. Dogs can eat a vegetarian or a meat-based diet. However, they do require high protein levels, and in a vegetarian diet this means providing beans and pulses. These have a tendency to cause flatulence and a soft stool. So if your dog in on a vegetarian diet, consider a change to a good quality meat-based diet.
Choose white meats (low-fat) such as chicken, turkey, rabbit, or white fish. Look for a low number of ingredients, since the food is likely to contain less processed ingredients and preservatives, and contain ingredients closer to the actual food. Look for the carbohydrate in the form of rice, wheat, oats, or barley, rather than soy or soya products. [4] X Research source Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academies Press, Washington DC Although price is no guarantee of quality, expect to pay more for a good quality food than a highly processed, cereal high product simply because you are paying for better quality ingredients.
Take your time to switch a dog over to a new diet. Take at least four to five days, gradually adding the new diet into your dog’s existing food and cutting back on the original food. This gives the bowel flora and fauna that aid digestion a chance to adapt. High protein diets, like beef, chicken, and dog foods with high protein content can also soften stools. By-products of protein digestion also draw water from the intestines. Wheat-based dog foods, or foods that are high in wheat content can also cause soft stools.
Dog foods that promote more solid stools include: Hill’s Prescription Diet i/d, Royal Canin Intestinal, Eukanuba, Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat, and Hill’s Science Diet. [8] X Research source
Dogs do not have the same bowel fauna as people, so feeding them human probiotics at best is thought not to be helpful, and at worst, the lactose in the human products could trigger diarrhea. [10] X Research source Current Topics in Nutrition. Brown. Canadian Vet Journal. 1990, 31 : 308-309 Fortiflora can be purchased without a prescription online or from your veterinarian In general, you should give larger dog breeds at least one small bottle per day for five days, or half a bottle for five days for small breeds.
However, you can have too much of a good thing, so on food packaging look for a crude fiber content at or around 10%. [12] X Research source Small Animal Nutrition. Agar. Butterworth-Heinemann You can add fiber to their diet by mixing in oat or wheat bran. Start with around 1 teaspoon per 10 kg of your dog’s body weight. Also consider giving raw fruit and vegetables; however, avoid canned vegetables, as they often have high salt levels.
Stress causes the physiology of the intestines to become more basic (acidic intestines favor the good bacteria), making it harder for your dog to process foods. [13] X Research source In these circumstances give the bowel less work to do by putting the dog onto a bland, easy to digest diet such as chicken and white rice.
