Diarrhoea
Courtesy of www.chai-online.org
What causes diarrhoea?
Diarrhoea is not a disease; rather, it is a symptom of many different diseases. Many mild cases of diarrhoea can be resolved quickly with simple treatments. Others are the result of fatal illnesses, such as cancer. Even diarrhoea caused by mild illnesses may become fatal if treatment is not begun early enough to prevent severe fluid and nutrient losses.
How serious is diarrhoea in dogs?
Your veterinarian will attempt to determine how sick the dog has become as a consequence of the diarrhoea. When the dog is systemically ill (that is, more than one body system is involved), some of the following may be notes:
Vomiting
Dehydration
Loss of appetite
Abdominal pain
High Fever
Lethargy
Bloody and/or watery diarrhoea.
What types of tests are performed to find the cause?
If diarrhoea is associated with several of the above signs, your veterinarian will perform a series of tests in the hope that a diagnosis can be made. This permits more specific treatment. Diagnostic tests may include radiography (X-rays) with or without barium, blood tests, stool checks, biopsies of the intestinal tract, and exploratory abdominal surgery. Once the diagnosis is known, treatment may include special medications and/or diets, or surgery.
If your dog does not appear systemically ill from diarrhoea, the cause may be less serious. Some of the minor causes of diarrhoea include stomach or intestinal viruses, intestinal parasites, and dietary indiscretions (such as eating garbage or other offensive or irritating materials).
A minimum number of tests are performed to rule out certain parasites and infections. These cases may be treated with drugs to control the motility of the intestinal tract, drugs that relieve inflammation in the intestinal tract, and, often, a special diet for a few days. This approach allows the body’s healing mechanisms to correct the problem.
Improvement is expected within 2-4 days. If this does not occur, a change in medication of further tests are done to better understand the problem.
Diarrhoea Questionnaire
· How long has the diarrhoea been present?
· Is the diarrhoea more severe now than a few days ago?
Circle the description of each item that applies:-
Consistency
· Watery stool
· Stool is the thickness of pancake batter
Blood
· Very bloody stool
· Only sporadic blood present
· Blood not present in stool
· Bright red blood present
· Dark, tarry blood present
Degree/Frequency
· Entire stool is soft or watery
· Only portions of the stool are soft or watery
· Diarrheal with each bowel movement
· Diarrheal is sporadic (some bowel movements are normal)
· Only 1 or 2 bowel movements per day
· More than 4 bowel movements per day
Color
· Stool is dark brown in color
· Stool is very pale in color
· Stool is black and tarry in appearance
Miscellaneous
· Thick mucus or pieces of tissue present in stool
· Loss of bowel control (defecates in the house or on the floor)
· Severe straining when having a bowel movement
· Is your dog’s appetite normal?
· If not, is he or she eating at all?
· What have you been feeding your dog during the last week? (Include dog or cat foods, treats, table foods, mild, and anything else that he gets on a daily basis. Also state what percentage of the diet is each item or category.
· Does your dog have access to foods other than what you feed him? If so, what?
· Has there been a significant diet change in the last few weeks?
· Is so, does that correspond with the onset of the diarrhoea?
· Is your dog as active as normal?
· Describe any change in water consumption (up or down).
· Has vomiting been occurring?
· If so, how frequently and for how long?
· Does your dog go outside the house?
· Does your dog go outside the yard?
· Does your dog have access to garbage cans, either within your house or yard or outside the yard?
· Does your dog have toys that he plays with that could have been swallowed?
· Does your dog have access to sewing materials, such as thread or needles, or rubber bands or string?
· Do you have other dogs or cats who live with this one?
· If so, does the other pet have diarrhoea?
· Do any of the members of your family currently have a diarrhoea problem
Diarrhoea is not a disease; rather, it is a symptom of many different diseases. Many mild cases of diarrhoea can be resolved quickly with simple treatments. Others are the result of fatal illnesses, such as cancer. Even diarrhoea caused by mild illnesses may become fatal if treatment is not begun early enough to prevent severe fluid and nutrient losses.
How serious is diarrhoea in dogs?
Your veterinarian will attempt to determine how sick the dog has become as a consequence of the diarrhoea. When the dog is systemically ill (that is, more than one body system is involved), some of the following may be notes:
Vomiting
Dehydration
Loss of appetite
Abdominal pain
High Fever
Lethargy
Bloody and/or watery diarrhoea.
What types of tests are performed to find the cause?
If diarrhoea is associated with several of the above signs, your veterinarian will perform a series of tests in the hope that a diagnosis can be made. This permits more specific treatment. Diagnostic tests may include radiography (X-rays) with or without barium, blood tests, stool checks, biopsies of the intestinal tract, and exploratory abdominal surgery. Once the diagnosis is known, treatment may include special medications and/or diets, or surgery.
If your dog does not appear systemically ill from diarrhoea, the cause may be less serious. Some of the minor causes of diarrhoea include stomach or intestinal viruses, intestinal parasites, and dietary indiscretions (such as eating garbage or other offensive or irritating materials).
A minimum number of tests are performed to rule out certain parasites and infections. These cases may be treated with drugs to control the motility of the intestinal tract, drugs that relieve inflammation in the intestinal tract, and, often, a special diet for a few days. This approach allows the body’s healing mechanisms to correct the problem.
Improvement is expected within 2-4 days. If this does not occur, a change in medication of further tests are done to better understand the problem.
Diarrhoea Questionnaire
· How long has the diarrhoea been present?
· Is the diarrhoea more severe now than a few days ago?
Circle the description of each item that applies:-
Consistency
· Watery stool
· Stool is the thickness of pancake batter
Blood
· Very bloody stool
· Only sporadic blood present
· Blood not present in stool
· Bright red blood present
· Dark, tarry blood present
Degree/Frequency
· Entire stool is soft or watery
· Only portions of the stool are soft or watery
· Diarrheal with each bowel movement
· Diarrheal is sporadic (some bowel movements are normal)
· Only 1 or 2 bowel movements per day
· More than 4 bowel movements per day
Color
· Stool is dark brown in color
· Stool is very pale in color
· Stool is black and tarry in appearance
Miscellaneous
· Thick mucus or pieces of tissue present in stool
· Loss of bowel control (defecates in the house or on the floor)
· Severe straining when having a bowel movement
· Is your dog’s appetite normal?
· If not, is he or she eating at all?
· What have you been feeding your dog during the last week? (Include dog or cat foods, treats, table foods, mild, and anything else that he gets on a daily basis. Also state what percentage of the diet is each item or category.
· Does your dog have access to foods other than what you feed him? If so, what?
· Has there been a significant diet change in the last few weeks?
· Is so, does that correspond with the onset of the diarrhoea?
· Is your dog as active as normal?
· Describe any change in water consumption (up or down).
· Has vomiting been occurring?
· If so, how frequently and for how long?
· Does your dog go outside the house?
· Does your dog go outside the yard?
· Does your dog have access to garbage cans, either within your house or yard or outside the yard?
· Does your dog have toys that he plays with that could have been swallowed?
· Does your dog have access to sewing materials, such as thread or needles, or rubber bands or string?
· Do you have other dogs or cats who live with this one?
· If so, does the other pet have diarrhoea?
· Do any of the members of your family currently have a diarrhoea problem
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