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My dog suddenly has diarrhea, panting, and shaking. What to do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 5 years and 5 months old | 65 lbs

My dog woke up with diarrhea this morning. Has been eating and drinking normally today. I gave her chicken and rice to eat. Now she is panting and shaking a little bit. I'm assuming she's panting because of the pain and the shaking is from her intestinal pain but just wasn't sure if I needed to do something right away for her or see if her poop gets solid from the rice and she feels better tomorrow

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 4th, 2020

Poor Jolene. Good job starting the bland diet! She likely feels poorly from the diarrhea, and it may be she has a fever causing the panting and shaking. If you can take her temperature rectally, I recommend doing that. A dog's normal temperature is between 101-102.5F. If her temperature is above 103F, take her into a vet right away. Otherwise, wait and see how her poop looks while on the bland diet. If she continues to have diarrhea, have her seen by a vet.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on May 16th, 2017
He is having high temperature probably and that, with the diarrhoea episode, would be a sign of gastrointestinal infection or potentially shaking could be due to discomfort/pain. I would recommend a veterinary check up as only a physical examination can confirm these clinical suspicions and set up appropriate treatment.
I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on January 9th, 2017
It's probably related to the diarrhea. the shaking is probably due to pain. she might have eaten something spoiled that is causing this. withhold food for 12 hours then offer Tess 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 the symptoms continues, take her to the vet to get treatment.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Related Questions

My dog is shaking, trembling, and has watery diarrhea. Is he sick?

It sounds like your dog is very uncomfortable or even painful, probably in his belly from your description of his symptoms. The diarrhea could be caused by any number of things; intestinal parasites, a bacterial infection, even being constipated will sometimes manifest as diarrhea because liquid feces is all that will get by the impacted fecal material. It could be as simple as a dietary indiscretion, meaning he might have gotten into the trash and eaten something that didn't agree with him. If he continues to have loose stool, or starts vomiting, loses his appetite, acts lethargic, and/or develops a fever, get him in to be seen by your vet right away as this could indicate a more serious problem.

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Why is my dog shaking and panting after I started making her food?

This is a quite generic but concerning sign. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. None of the ingredients you mentioned are toxic. Unfortunately a check up is required to determine more specifically underlying cause and treat appropriately. 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.

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Why is my dog panting and shivering in bouts, then acting normal?

Hello. Making any kind of assumption or diagnosis is very difficult just based on panting & shivering, but I can tell you this can be typical signs of pain & an elevated temperature. Since he has periods of normal behavior, my concerns is there is some underlying pain that JosLouis is experiencing. It could be from any area, so even if he quits the behavior, I would recommend having your vet check him out, just to make sure. Hope all is well soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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My dog is shaking and panting a lot, but seems normal. What's wrong?

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My dog has diarrhea, shivering, and is less playful. What should I do?

Poor Bonnie! Since she isn't as playful as normal I am a little concerned. You can try to feed her some plain boneless skinless boiled chicken and white rice to see if it helps. If it isn't improving or worsens, I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to determine the cause and get her started on the proper meds to help her feel better. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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