Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

Dog diarrhea from medication? What home remedies or products can help?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Siberian Husky | Male | neutered | 2 years and 11 months old | 45 lbs

My dog is having diarrhea from taking cephalexin for a skin infection. Are there any home remedies I can try? Can I give him pro-pectalin tabs?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on March 3rd, 2020

A veterinary probiotic, FortiFlora, ProStora or ProViable, may help. You can get any one of them from your veterinarian or in the local Petco. A teaspoon or two of plain yogurt along with a bland diet may also help.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on July 30th, 2019
I suggest you try a probiotic like Fortiflora. This should help balance the normal bacteria in his GI tract. One sachet on food daily. It comes as a box of 30 sachets so I would give all 30 days.

( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purina-Fortiflora-Canine-Nutritional-Supplement/dp/B001650NNW )
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on December 27th, 2017
Yes, I would have recommended a probiotic. Which one are you using? It needs to be one made for dogs. Human probiotics or dairy products will not work and may actually make the diarrhea worse.

I know you already got a probiotic but my favorite is Fortiflora. It has the most extensive testing so we know it works well.

http://www.allivet.com/p-1130-purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets-fortiflora-dog-supplement-box-of-30.aspx

Hope this helps. Best wishes.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 16th, 2020
She could have colitis but that is pretty unlikely in a puppy. I suggest you just put her on a probiotic for a couple months to see if it helps. You can use any probiotic made for dogs but I prefer Fortiflora as it has had the most testing. Do not use human probiotics. You can buy it on Amazon - no prescription needed. One packet on her food daily.

( https://www.allivet.com/p-1130-purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets-fortiflora-dog-supplement-box-of-30.aspx?SearchTerm=fortiflora+Auto )
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

Dog has watery diarrhea for a week, still active. Home remedies?

A bland diet such as a specialist intestinal diet such as hills i/d stress or boiled chicken and brown rice can be helpful - I would recommend adding a probiotic/fiber supplement such as fortiflora and also a natural calming aid such as zylkene given the recent move as stress can definitely contribute

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog's diarrhea worsened on meds. Can I give Loperamide or Flagyl?

It would be best to consult with your veterinarian before changing treatment or giving other medications. Legally, we are prohibited from recommending medications or dosing information in the absence of a physical exam and a patient-veterinarian-client relationship. You can try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or an unflavored electrolyte replacement beverage. Resume feeding a bland diet in small frequent amounts until symptoms resolve. Transition slowly to the regular diet afterwards. A stool sample should be submitted to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. A veterinary probiotic such as Prostora, FortiFlora or ProViable may promote gut health.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

Why does my dog still have diarrhea after antibiotics & on wet food?

When my patients have diarrhea after antibiotics I will usually prescribe a canine specific probiotic to help get the good bacteria loaded back up in the GI tract. My favorite is Proviable and it also comes with a paste to help firm up the stools. My second favorite is Fortiflora. I would encourage you to call your veterinarian and discuss the possibility of using one of these products. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog's diarrhea is worse after probiotics. What should I feed her?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Sammi. Poor girl. I can give you a home remedy for her to see if that helps. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, she refuses to eat the bland diet, she starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Food & Nutrition

My dog has diarrhea after switching food too fast. What helps?

Typically if you give your pet probiotics this will help with the diarrhea. I would recommend giving Culturelle over the counter to the food daily and hopefully this is enough to get things back to normal. However some pets will have severe bacteria dysbiosis (imbalance) which requires an additional antibiotic to get things to clear up completely. Typically I prescribe Metronidazole and this does great to get pets back to normal fast.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has colitis. What diet changes and remedies can help him?

Usually the first line approach would include a bland diet as you already started. A probiotic can be given as well (like pro-kolin) to help to re-establish normal intestinal bacterial flora. Usually this helps to speed up recovery. No other meds are needed for mild and uncomplicated colitis cases. Remember to gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitely recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has diarrhea from her pain medication. What should I do?

I would recommend calling your vet. They should be able to prescribe a different pain medication that may not upset her GI tract so much or they can give you medication to help treat the diarrhea and that will help her tolerate the meds better. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share