My dog is straining to poop and has liquid stool. What should I do?

Hello. Shiro may just be having some digestive upsets that are still messing with him. Are his gums nice & pink? If so, & there is no vomiting, then you can probably let him rest this evening. Starting tomorrow, if he feels like eating, start him on a bland diet of 25% white chicken breast & 75% plain white rice or low fat cottage cheese. Small amounts fairly often should be offered throughout the day tomorrow. If he is feeling better & his stool seems to be subsiding, you can slowly transition back to his regular food Sunday or Monday. But if he continues to act distressed by refusing to eat, continued diarrhea, retching or vomiting, you will need to see your vet as soon as convenient. I hope Shiro is feeling better soon & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes, probably a bout of colitis. I would not be overly worried. Just do as you normally do by withholding food for a 6-8 hours. The only other thing I would suggest is a 30 day course of a probiotic. You can use any probiotic made for dogs but I recommend Fortiflora. One packet on food daily. It is very palatable so dogs usually eat with no problem. This will not hurt anything and may help to balance the normal flora (bacteria) in his GI tract. ( 1800petmeds.com/Purina+FortiFlora-prod10376.html ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

By your description, it was likely mucus. This happens during times of GI stress or inflammation. Try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte. Resume feeding a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with one tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount as long as your dog not vomiting. Feed until the stool is normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. See your veterinarian if symptoms persist, worsen or if your dog begins vomiting or has diarrhea, lethargy, loss of appetite or abdominal pain.

It sounds like Sheila may be suffering some GI distress. If this has been ongoing for a while, it would be best to bring her into your vet for a full exam to rule out issues such as parasites, constipation, GI inflammation, food allergies, or issues such as blocked anal glands, etc. Until you can get to the vet, you can try offering a bland diet of boiled rice and chicken to help settle her stomach, but it is best to bring her into your vet if her symptoms continue.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Trigger. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. Being such a small dog, I am concerned that he is dehydrated by now. His veterinarian will examine him and determine if testing is needed such as fecal testing and possibly bloodwork. From there, treatment will be started to make him feel better. He may need fluids, anti-nausea medication and/or antibiotics to stop the diarrhea. I hope this information helps!

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that Peanut isn't feeling well. It sounds like he has soft stool or diarrhea, which makes dogs strain to defecate as the irritation and inflammation of the rectal area makes them feel like they have to go. This can also cause the rupture of tiny blood vessels in the rectal area, which may cause the red liquid you are seeing. I don't recommend giving him anything over the counter, but if he is acting okay otherwise and not vomiting, you might consider withholding food for the evening and then try feeding him boiled chicken with rice to see if his stool will firm up. If he still has the soft stool and straining tomorrow, I highly recommend bringing him to the vet. At the vet's office, they will examine him, take his temperature, and likely check his stool for parasites, which can cause soft stool. They may also recommend an abdominal x-ray. I hope Peanut feels better soon!

Poor girl. This is a classic case of colitis (inflamed colon) which can be caused by intestinal parasites, stress, or eating something she shouldn't have. You will need to take Kita to your local vet for a short course of antibiotics to resolve this. You can start probiotics now (over the counter Culturelle works well!) until you can get her seen. Sometimes probiotics alone can resolve mild cases of loose stool, but in most cases and antibiotic is also needed. Keep an eye on her and make sure she isn't ingesting things that she shouldn't, and also make sure not to make any abrupt brand foods changes (i.e. always over the course of a week or two) with her in the future, since she has a sensitive stomach/intestines. I hope that Kita feels better soon! Best wishes and take care.