The Charlesworth

Veterinary Surgery
 

VaccinationWormingFleas, Ticks, Mites and LiceRabbit husbandry First AidThe Whelping BitchThe Fitting DogVomiting and diarrhoea

Vomiting

Can be caused by a variety of factors and it is important that if persists for longer than 24 hours or is particularly frequent or severe then we should examine your animal.

Please note that if your dog is going through the motions of being sick and NOT producing ANY vomit then you should contact us straight away.

Diarrhoea

It is important that we should see the animal if:-

 It has lasted longer than 2 days
 Has blood present in diarrhoea
 Is black and tarry looking
 The animal is depressed and unresponsive
 Has started vomiting with increased frequency
 The animal is very young

The following symptoms should be noted:-

 Frequency of diarrhoea? How many times per day?
 How long has your dog had diarrhoea for?
 Are there secondary symptoms such as vomiting, straining?
 Does your dog appear bright, or collapsed?
 Is there blood or mucus in the diarrhoea?
 What colour is the diarrhoea; brown, orange, green?

The general rule is that if the diarrhoea has lasted less than 48 hours and if your dog is reasonably bright, then probably there is not too much to worry about. In these cases we recommend the following treatment for diarrhoea:-

1. STARVE FOR 24 HOURS. Only water or an electrolyte solution such as Lectade® should be given by mouth. Only give small quantities at a time, and this should be at body temperature. This means that the bacteria which are over-multiplying in the gut are starved of further food on which to grow.

2. RE-INTRODUCE FOOD SLOWLY. Initially you should start with a LIGHT DIET such as Hills I/D or Royal Canin Digestive diet which are obtainable from us, and are specifically designed for diarrhoea cases. They contain all the correct nutrient requirements for your pet, and save you the bother of preparing fresh food for each meal. Alternatively, you can feed a white meat diet (chicken or fish, steamed or boiled, and fed with plain boiled rice) can be fed. Regardless of which diet you choose, it is important to feed little and often. As long as the diarrhoea continues to lessen, the size of the meals can be slowly increased and the normal food reintroduced after about four or five days. Again, do this gradually over several days, mixing the normal food in with the bland diet. If you try and short-cut this procedure you may well upset things and be back where you started! We also recommend using PROBIOTICS for cases of diarrhoea – using probiotics replaces the natural bacteria found in the gut: We recommend a product called Protexin that has a mixture of bacteria suited to the dog’s bowel. It works much better than natural yoghurt and should be given in the food for at least two weeks after any acute diarrhoea.

3. GIVE ANY MEDICATION DISPENSED. The aim of medication will be to control the symptoms and control the cause of the problem. It is important that the course of medication is finished otherwise you may find the problem will not completely clear up or may recur.

4. MAINTAIN A ROUTINE WORMING PROGRAMME. Keeping your pet worm free helps prevent digestive upsets and other problems for your pet. Some wormers are more effective and/or more suitable than others. We recommend worming your pet two to four times a year. More frequently if you have young children or if your cat is a good hunter! Please feel free to ask us for advice on the most effective treatment for your pet.

5. DIET. One of the most common causes of diarrhoea is diet. It may be due to dietary overload or simply to a change of diet (e.g. changing food brand suddenly or all the leftover scraps from the table!), eating rubbish (e.g. anything found out on a walk!), or due to infectious diseases contracted from other animals (e.g. Parvovirus in dogs, salmonella or even campylobacter infection from humans). However, dietary sensitivities can occur at any age and if your pet suffers from repeated episodes of diarrhoea or soft faeces this could be the cause, even if the animal has been on the same food for years.

It is important that if the animal is not responding to treatment, or you find any further signs developing (e.g. vomiting) you should contact us. We may need to alter the treatment or take blood samples, X-rays or examine a faeces sample to investigate cause of the problem.