Dog straining before diarrhea, but eating and playing. Is this normal?

You can continue the bland diet, however with the stool color changes and other issues Athena has had, I would also recommend bringing in a stool sample and Athena into your vet for testing of parasites and other common conditions that could be causing her issues especially since there was a large amount of blood and mucus in her stool.

While diarrhea is not normal, dogs will often strain to defecate when they have diarrhea due to all of the inflammation in the colon and rectum. I would take Mick to your vet so they can treat the diarrhea, then he'll likely stop straining after that.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Diarrhea resolving can take a few days, so it is normal that it isn't as solid as normal. The straining however isn't normal. I would recommend checking to make sure around her anus looks ok (no bleeding or wounds), and if you can feel under her anus at the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions, does it feel like hard marbles are under the skin. If this is the case she could have full anal glands which can be making her uncomfortable in her back end. This would require a vet visit to empty them before they burst. Otherwise, as long as she is eating/playing, I would just monitor her to see if the behaviour continues. If she is still straining tomorrow I would take Riley to the vet to make sure she isn't constipated, but it might just be a one-off episode. If her next poop is normal without straining then I wouldn't worry about it. Best of luck with Riley!

The brownish red anus is likely due to the underlying gastritis/inflammation of the gut and the repeated defecation due to the diarrhea. The straining to defecate is probably because Tango is empty from having so much diarrhea. (Poor guy!). You should follow the bland diet directions provided by your veterinarian. There is no need to go to the ER vet now. However, if the diarrhea does not resolve within the next 24 hours despite the bland diet, you will need to take Tango back to your veterinarian or to the ER vet if your regular vet is unavailable.

Poor Dharma, I'm sure you are very worried, but you will be able to get her sorted. So with diarrhoea by far the most common cause is gastroenteritis. This is inflammation of the gut and can be caused by many reasons ranging from eating something rancid to infection. Usually it takes a mild form where the dog will feel poorly for a day or two, but it will resolve by itself. In other cases they will need veterinary treatment as there can be more severe infections etc. My general advice in the first instance of diarrhoea, is to starve the dog for 24 hours as long as it is drinking and keeping water down. This allows the guts a chance to rest as if they do eat it will simply run through them. Then following this feed plain chicken and rice until faeces return to normal. Now, if Dharma is in a lot of pain, bearing in mind some will be expected as it is uncomfortable, or she starts to vomit or experiences blood in her diarrhoea, I would take her to the vet as it could be a more serious issue. Alongside starving her make sure she is up to date on wormer. Many vets sell an over the counter paste which helps to restore good bacteria in the gut, you could give this a go also. Similar to a human it can take a few days to get over diarrhoea so don't worry overly. However if she is not improving within another 24 hours, or starts to deteriorate, please take her in for an examination.

Bones can dissolve in the stomach with enough time. It sounds like Kyro had a bout of pancreatitis that caused the vomiting and diarrhea. If Kyro is now acting normal, I would continue to feed the bland diet and see what happens. It may take a day or two for there to be enough food ingested to create solid poop. If he stops eating, starts vomiting again, or seems lethargic, he should be re-examined by a vet.

There are many reasons why dogs develop diarrhea. Some of these reasons are that they are something they shouldn't like trash, fatty foods, or possibly ate something that isn't food at all, such as a piece of a toy, stick, or stone. A dog may also develop diarrhea from parasites, ingesting a toxin, or some sort of infectious disease, among many other possibilities. My general cutoff if a dog is eating and drinking well and acting normally is 36 hours without the diarrhea resolving likely warrants a trip to the veterinarian. Your vet will examine Natty Boh and may recommend abdominal radiographs and possibly some bloodwork. The vet may prescribe an antidiarrhea medication and because diarrhea can lead to dehydration, they may offer to give her some fluids either under her skin (subcutaneously or in an IV). Until you can get Natty Boh to the veterinarian I would recommend making sure she is drinking well. You can also try a bland diet of plain boiled boneless skinless chicken breast and white rice to help settle her GI tract until she can be examined by her vet. I hope this was helpful!