My dog has night diarrhea for 2 days, chicken & rice didn't work. What now?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Riley. A bland diet such as boiled chicken and rice or plain rice can help with simple cases of diarrhea. If it is going to work, you should see improvement in stool quality within 24 hours. If you have not seen this, then he will need to see his veterinarian as he will likely need fecal testing and a medication. If he is otherwise acting like himself, it is generally safe to withhold food for 24 hours to rest the GI tract. This can help to resolve simple cases as well. If he is acting ill, vomiting or has blood in the stool, then he will need to be seen. I hope this information helps!

Three days of diarrhea is typically when I would recommend seeing a veterinarian. You could try a bland diet like 25% plain, boiled chicken breast and 75% plain white rice for a day to see if the diarrhea resolves, but if it continues, if you see any blood, or if Rust has been vomiting or has a decreased appetite you should see a vet.

Here is a guide on feeding a bland diet. I would feed this until at least 3 days have passed beyond the resolution of the diarrhea and feed the diet twice daily. If there is no improvement, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Lucky so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

I recommend giving Chico a bland diet, boiled chicken and white rice. If he becomes lethargic, there is blood or he isn't eating then I recommend taking Chico to a veterinarian. Also if the diarrhea isn't resolving after another day I would consider taking him to a veterinarian. They can make sure he is not dehydrated and run a stool sample to make sure he doesn't have intestinal parasites. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Waffle. Some GI signs may persist for up to 5 days. In addition to the medication you were given, you may try to feed your dog a bland diet of plain white rice, skinless and boneless boiled chicken, and low fat cottage cheese for 3-5 days. If his signs are not improving, or if he develops bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, or a decreased appetite, then he should be evaluated by his veterinarian again as he may need additional medications. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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, sorry to hear about Benji. There are several causes for this including inflammation of his intestines, an infection with parasites or overgrowth if bacteria, or even a dietary indiscretion. You can try to offer a bland diet of plain white rice, skinless and boneless boiled chicken, and low fat cottage cheese for the next 3-5 days to rest his GI tract. If that does not work fully, you may add fiber to his diet with canned raw pumpkin for a few days. If this also does not work, or if his diarrhea with blood worsens or if he develops other signs such as vomiting, lethargy, and a decreased appetite then Benji should be evaluated by his veterinarian sooner. Hope this helps and best of luck.