My dog has had diarrhea for 4 days, should I take him to the vet?

If Chaco is otherwise still active, playful, eating, drinking, and has not been vomiting, I think it is ok to just keep an eye on him for a couple more days. Offer a bland diet (such as plain cooked chicken and white rice) and monitor his appetite and activity level. If he hasn't been dewormed in the past 4 weeks, that would also be advisable. If his stools are not looking more normal in a few days, or if at any point he starts vomiting, acting like he doesn't feel good, or the stool becomes bloody, take him to your vet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Since he is going every 3-4 hours it might be a good idea to take him to the vet to prescribe medications to help resolve the diarrhea, especially since he is going in the house at night. If you wanted to try some treatment at home, you could withhold food for 12 hours and then try a small amount of a bland diet, like boiled chicken and white rice. If the diarrhea has improved then continue the bland diet for a few days and slowly transition back to his normal food. You could also add a dog probiotic to his diet. Proviable Forte Kit has a probiotic capsule and paste for diarrhea. If the diarrhea continues then he should definitely been seen by your vet.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Koko has good appetite, no vomiting and her energy level is high, you can monitor her at home. You should put her on a bland diet (lean, cooked meat with some rice or pasta) for a few days. If she continues to pass diarrhea over the weekend, or if she becomes lethargic or starts to vomit, you should take her to your local vets or call your emergency service.

Poor Morticia! The diarrhea could be due to many conditions including eating something she shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, parasites or even organ disease. If the diarrhea has continued beyond 24 hours, I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. With continued diarrhea, there are often bacterial shifts in the gut that will make matters worse regardless of the initial cause. Make sure to bring in a sample of fresh stool. The doctor will check her for parasites and bacterial over growth. Many times a bland diet can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. I hope Morticia starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, sorry to hear about Rusty. Dietary indiscretions that lead to a decreased appetite, vomiting and even diarrhea may take up to 3-5 days to resolve. You should continue to feed a bland diet consisting or plain white rice, skinless and boneless boiled chicken, and low fat cottage cheese for 5 days to see how his GI tract responds. If the diarrhea continues, then Rusty may need anti-diarrhea medications, probiotics, and to rule out infectious parasites. Have your veterinarian examine Rusty if the he develops bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, or even a severely decreased appetite. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello. I would recommend starting Finn on a good probiotic, as this is very important for returning the gut bacteria back to normal. FortiFlora is an excellent one & is available at PetCo. I would also start him on some Metamucil, 1/2 tablespoon twice a day. If diarrhea continues, please see your veterinarian as Finn may need either a stronger anti-diarrheal or he may need antibiotics at this point. Continue the chicken & rice ( should be 75% rice & 25% chicken ) for another couple of days. The diluted Pedialyte is an excellent idea. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would recommend having Golia get checked out by a vet. I always recommend a quick checkup for any diarrhea that lasts longer than 24 hours. Sometimes it is just a simple upset stomach that will respond to a round of prescription medications. It could also be caused by intestinal parasites. Or it could be an indicator of other illness, such as bacterial or viral infections or IBD. Some dogs will respond to adding 1/2 a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (for fiber) in their food twice a day, but if Golia isn't better tomorrow, it is best to be evaluated by a vet. Since the diarrhea has been going on for a while, I do not recommend OTC medications like Pepto-Bismol ( https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/pepto-bismol/ )