My dog isn't eating, has diarrhea, eats grass. Should I give Imodium?

Poor Ace! The diarrhea could be due to many conditions including eating something he shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, parasites or other even organ disease. It's likely the diarrhea and the not eating are related. If the diarrhea has continued beyond 24 hours, I recommend to have him 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 him 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. A good diet in general is Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible. Since Ace will not eat anything you offer, he needs treatment and medication to get and feel better. When pets don't eat well, they often don't drink as much as they should and can become dehydrated. Have him examined today. I hope Ace starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions!

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.

I would avoid loperamide hydrochloride at this point especially if she is vomiting. withhold food for 12 hours then offer Sadie boiled boneless chicken and rice every 6 hours in small portions. if she is eating and not vomiting, continue with this diet for 2 days. After 2 days, you can put her back gradually on her normal food. If she continues vomiting or is not eating, take her to the vet to get treatment.

Grass eating is one of those annoying habits that some dogs just tend to have. The cause of this is not really known, although there are a couple of theories as to the reason. You have already mentioned possible dietary deficiencies (or at least Rino might think he has one) or assistance with digestion. So long as Rino is not eating grass constantly, it is not likely to cause any serious digestive issues. You will likely continue to see occasional diarrhea and/or vomiting. It is preferable that he eats grass over unknown shrubs, as there are many toxic plants that grow in the wild. I would consider adding a probiotic to the diet in an attempt to try and make the stool a little firmer. I usually recommend Fortiflora as a good choice. It is a packet of powder that you sprinkle on the food once a day. Hope this helps work things out.

I typically don’t recommend any specific treatment for soft stool or mild diarrhea as long as there is no blood, vomiting or a decrease in appetite. You could try a probiotic or a bland diet like chicken and rice (as long as there are no dietary restrictions) for a few days. I don’t recommend Pepto or Imodium for dogs, and while pumpkin won’t hurt in my experience it doesn’t help much. If the diarrhea lasts more than 3 days or you see other symptoms I’d recommend seeing your vet.

Imodium can safely be tried only if a bacterial and parasitic infection has been ruled out or treated for simultaneously. It is possible they are all having an adverse reaction to the dewormer you used. In which case getting them with an antibiotic and probiotic would benefit them more than just the Imodium. I would consider taking 1 puppy out of the litter to the vet to get them tested for any remaining intestinal parasites, and then the recommended treatment above should be considered. In the meantime I would recommend feeding them all a bland diet of boiled plain chicken and rice or cottage cheese to help settle their stomachs. Also over the counter probiotic Culturelle can be started to see if this makes a difference with their stools. Best wishes Witt your pups and I hope you get their loose stool resolved soon. Take care.

You don't mention how many tablets he ate, or how much he weighs. Like all toxicities, Imodium toxicity is dose-dependent, meaning the severity of signs is related to how much was ingested. Dosages of 1.25 – 5 mg/kg can cause vomiting, depression, and salivation. The best way to help him is to get him in to see a vet who can give drugs to control nausea and administer activated charcoal to absorb the rest of the drug in the GI tract. Fluids will likely help him feel better as well.