Should I take my senior Yorkie with yellow diarrhea to the vet?

If he has gone several times in 24 hours, I would recommend a vet visit to determine the cause. They may need to check a stool sample for parasites, or run blood work and x-rays to check for other problems. If not, they can at least get Bojangles on some medications to stop the diarrhea and make him more comfortable. Kisses to Bojangles!

It sounds like it may inflammatory bowel disease but he would need biopsies of his GI tract to diagnose. You could try a hypoallergenic diet like science diet z/d ultra and talk to your vet about low dose steroids (budesonide is a good choice for GI issues) if you haven't tried this already. Also I would have him dewormed with a broad spectrum dewormer if you haven't already. I have had good success with this regimen in some of my IBD patients. It sounds like y'all have ruled out everything else. I hope this helps! if this doesn't work then I think intestinal biopsies are the next step.

Yes it would be best to have her seen. Decreased appetite and lethargy are very common symptoms of many diseases, many of which may be treatable. The best way to know what is going on (diagnosis), how serious it is, and how to help her feel better is to have her seen. Most likely your vet will recommend some senior bloodwork and xrays to start. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Given that Duke has had diarrhea for a couple of days now, yes I would take him into a vet. Because he is acting normal, eating normally, and gaining weight, I wouldn't rush him into an ER vet. See if you can find a vet open for normal business hours on Sunday, or take him into the vet first thing Monday. Do rush him into a vet asap if he stops eating, becomes lethargic, starts vomiting, you see blood in his feces, and/or stops drinking water. I hope this helps!

Continue giving the rice and boiled chicken for the next 4-7 days and then slowly transition him back to his normal diet. You can also try adding in 1-2 tsp of canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in to his food daily to see if this helps also. If he is still having diarrhea after 2-3 days, then it’s best to get Harley seen by your local vet for a proper exam, fecal exam (to check for intestinal parasites), and bloodwork should be considered if he hasn’t had any in the last 6 months to a year. Underlying liver disease and gallbladder disease can cause subtle signs like loose stool in pets, so it’s best to get things checked out if things don’t get better. Best of luck with Harley and I hope his diarrhea improves soon. Take care.

Hi there and thank you for using `Pet Coach to address your concern. I would recommend that Stella be seen by the vet and tested for Parvo just to be on the safe side as she is immunologically immature at this age and is at high risk for contracting viral infections like parvo virus. If she is negative, I would initiate a bland diet as outlined below and feed until the stool returns to normal. I would also have the poop tested for intestinal parasites. Coccidia is a common parasite we see in puppies and is easily treated with the right medication. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available for consult if needed. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

I would recommend a vet check up for Duke. He could have intestinal parasites such as hookworms, coccidia or giardia. None of these can be seen in the stool. The vet will likely get a stool sample to check for parasites or eggs under the microscope. Good luck and hope he's better soon.