Diarrhoea in animals

Diarrhoea in animals can affect at any time and usually, it is not a serious condition and it will clear up on its own.

Diarrhoea can be caused by many different things and it will affect different animals in different ways.

Some common causes are:

• Changes in diet
• Viral infections
• Bacterial infections
• Foreign object has been eaten
• Poisons or poisonous plants
• Intestinal Worms
• Pancreatitis
• Liver disease
• Kidney disease
• Food allergies

Signs of Diarrhoea are loose, watery stools, changes in the colour of stools, increased frequency going to the toilet, straining, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, pain, increase of thirst and they become lethargic. They may also not always make it to the garden or tray and mess in the house.

In many cases, diarrhoea will clear up on its own, in a day or so but it could be a sign of an underlying medical problem so be ready to take them to the vet. Times, where it is worth going to a vet, are if they are very old or young, the condition has gone on for more than a day or two, there is blood in the stools, they are also vomiting or they are in distress.

It is a good idea to take pictures of the diarrhoea to show your vet and also they may want a sample so they can run tests on it.

One thing you should not do is give them human diarrhoea treatments, you will give the wrong dose and often it is best just to let nature take its own natural course and human medications could cause constipation.

If a mild case, you can help them by ensuring they have plenty of fresh water as they will get dehydrated. With-holding food for a day can help them get over the problem or feed them bland food like cooked chicken and rice.

If there is blood in the faeces, this can be a serious concern or it could be something not so serious like animal haemorrhoids. If the blood is fresh, it could indicate a problem in the large intestine or rectum.