My lab puppy has diarrhea and strains. What should I feed him?

Poor Prieto. Feed him a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away.

It's actually normal to see some straining after diarrhea. Odie still feels the urge to do, but nothing comes out making it look like straining. I can give you a home remedy to see if that helps. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away.

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.

Start Diamond on just boiled chicken and rice (with no oil or seasonings) for the next 3 days. If the stool doesn’t firm up within a day or so, your friend’s vet can run a fecal exam for intestinal parasites and prescribe metronidazole (flagyl), an anti-inflammatory antibiotic for the gut that shortens the duration of diarrhea as well as a probiotic such as VetriScience Fast Balance. Good luck!

Poor Benzo! Sometimes after they have diarrhea it takes a little while to build up a full bowel movement so he could be straining simply because he has the urgency to go but there isn’t much there. On the other hand, with the hair he could be constipated. Either way fiber will be beneficial. You can give him 1/4 teaspoon of canned pumpkin twice a day to help balance his GI tract. If the chicken and rice, has any chicken broth or water in it then that could be why he is having decrease water consumption. If not, you could certainly add some water to his meal to help him drink more water. I am concerned that he is more lethargic. Since he is so small, I would have your vet take a look at him to assess his hydration and make sure he doesn’t have any parasites or anything more serious going on like parvo. Your vet will be able to give him some fluids if needed and prescribe his some medicine to help make him feel better. I hope this helps and he feels better really soon.

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!

Hi there. My first thought is that Pavi needs checked for internal parasites like coccidia that will change the color of their stool and cause then to strain. Second, feeding a good quality food for digestive health is key if your pup often has an upset tummy. Purina Pro Plan EN is a good one, or Hills Science Diet GI. Both are available in canned and dry foods. Some dogs do best when this is what they are fed exclusively. Another thing would be to have Pavi's anal glands checked so that this is not giving her any pain. Hope this helps!