Diarrhea in Dogs, Cats – Natural Home Remedy

• Anxiety and stress;
• Drugs – side effect of allergic reaction to the drug; 
  • i.e. Antibiotics, Metacam, Rimydal, Prednisone, etc.
• Ingesting indigestible substances;
• Ingesting too much of a food that would otherwise be good for the dog or cat;
• Ingesting food that is not good in any amount – i.e. margarine;
• Poisons/toxins – by absorbing, ingesting and/or inhaling;
• Sudden change in food or addition of new types of food to the diet;
• Vaccinations;
• Virus (i.e. Distemper, Parvo). 

• Allergyto food…ingredients in many commercial kibble can be a source of allergic reactions;
• Compromised immune system;
• Diseases such as colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, liver and kidney disease, stomach cancer, etc.
• Parasites (i.e. infestation of worms or parasites such as Giardia);
• Poisons/toxins – by absorbing, ingesting and/or inhaling;
• Poor quality food;
• Poorly functioning GI tract;
• Too much fat in diet and /or the wrong type of fat;
• Medications such as chemical-based veterinarian prescribed and off-the-shelf heartworm, flea, tick preventatives can cause diarrhea;
• Over-feeding;
• Vaccinations and over-vaccination.

• Your dog is either standing at the door anxiously, or anxiously trying to get your attention to let them outdoors at a time when they would normally not be asking;
• Your dog starts to ask to go out multiple times (to eliminate) within the space of an hour or several hours;
  • In either case let your dog out and watch what he/she does;
  • If he/she eliminates take a quick look to see if his/her stool is normal (firm, brown) or loose;
• Your dog or cat is straining to eliminate – although this may be a result of constipation, it is often also a result of repeated bouts of diarrhea;
• Diarrhea causes disruption of normal muscle contractions in the GI tract…thereby giving the sensation that elimination is required even when there is nothing left in the GI tract to eliminate; 
  • Other symptoms include:
  • Bloating;
  • Dehydration;
  • Lack of appetite;
  • Listlessness;
  • Fever.

• If your dog or cat seems normal after a bout of diarrhea (he/she is behaving normally, has normal energy) – just keep an eye on him / her.
• Make sure that your dog/cat has access to fresh drinking water; watch to see if they are drinking. If they are not follow the instructions provided below under ‘Dehydration’.
• If the diarrhea occurs just once you can continue to feed your animal as you normally would.  
• If the diarrhea is occurring repeatedly within the space of an hour or several hours:
  • Withhold food for 12 hours, and;  
  • Then proceed to feed your dog/cat as per the instructions provided further below

• Severe diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours;
• Diarrhea continues to occur for more that 3 days;
• Blood in your dog’s, cat’s stool;
• Fever;
• Sluggishness;
  Weakness;
  Or any other sign of debilitation.

 To ensure your dog or cat does not get dehydrated…

• In order to avoid dehydration make sure that your dog and cat have access to fresh drinking water and gently encourage them to drink. 
• Do not, however urge them from an anxious state of mind or you will further compromise their well-being by creating additional stress.
• If you see your dog or cat is not drinking, to entice them to drink you can offer them a clear broth;
  •  You can use one of these homemade broth recipes for dogs and cats;
    • If your dog or cat is not drinking on his/her own make sure that you offer the broth to him;her 3 or 4 times a day;
  • Don’t give your dog or cat a commercially made broth as it can include a lot of sodium (salt) which will cause further dehydration, it may also contain additives such as food colouring, spices such as pepper, and other dangerous food stuffs such as onions and sugar – sugar feeds bad bacteria which will make diarrhea worse.

• Pull up gently on the skin at the back of the neck;
  • If, when released the skin bounces back quickly, your dog’s or cat’s hydration level is fine.
  • If the skin does not does not go back in-place or goes back slowly, your dog or cat is dehydrated and needs medical attention right away;
  • Don’t waste time trying to hydrate the animal yourself – get the animal to a veterinarian who will probably give them a fluid injection shot right away and may put them on a saline drip;
  • Severe dehydration is very dangerous and can lead to organ shut down and death. 

• Do not feed your dog or cat his/her ‘normal’ food.
• Do not feed your dog or cat rice and ground beef;
  • Many allopathic veterinarians will recommend that you feed your dog or cat plain rice and lean cooked ground beef…
    • Rice can ferment in theGI tract, create gas and make the diarrhea worse;
    • Also, rice moves through the digestive system quickly, and is very difficult to digest – it will only add to the next bout of diarrhea);
• Even lean ground beef has enough fat to cause more/worse diarrhea.
• Do not give your dog or cat Pepto Bismal as it contains salicylates – a compound found naturally in foods and manufactured synthetically for use as a pain killer – i.e. salicylates are an active ingredient in aspirin;
  •  Salicylates will make your dog‘s, cat’s condition worse.

• Once you have waited-out the 12 hour no-feed period:
  • You can offer him/her a little plain cooked chicken and broth – see recipe here;
  • If after eating this your dog or cat does not experience additional diarrhea you can start to offer them a little meal of pumpkin or squash or sweet potato mixed with some more chicken – see the recipe below;
• This food should be fed to your dog or cat 3 to 6 times a day in small amounts for up to 3 days (72 hours), by which time the diarrhea should subside
• If your dog or cat still has diarrhea after 72 hours it is time to take him/her to the veterinarian;
• Along with the food you can add one of the herbs provided further below. 

• Don’t use processed chicken or turkey meat;
• Use real whole breast meat cooked and cut in small pieces or cooked ground-up breast meat or;
• Use the chicken or turkey from making broth;
• If you are using whole breast meet rather than ground – make sure you trim all fat prior to cooking. After cooking drain the meat to remove any remaining  fat – the same is so for making broth for dogs or cats with diarrhea.

• Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) has been used as an herbal remedy for centuries. It is used in healing salves to treat: boils, burns, skin inflammation and ulcers. It is also used as an oral mendicant to relieve coughs, sore throats, diarrhea, and stomach problems.
• Slippery Elm contains mucilage. Mucilage is a substance that when mixed with water, turns into a lubricating gel. It works to coat and sooth the mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines. It also contains antioxidants that help relieve inflammation. In addition, Slippery Elm triggers reflux stimulation of nerve endings in the GI tract, thereby promoting increased mucus secretion. This helps protect the GI Tract against excess acidity and ulcers.
• Slippery Elm powder is available at most health food stores and through on-line herbal suppliers.

• One – Mix it With the Pumpkin/Poultry Food
  • The dosage is ½ tsp of slippery elm bark powder for every 10lbs of body weight – just mix the slippery elm powder with the dog’s pumpkin/poultry food.
• Two – Make a Liquid Infusion 
  • If you want to make a liquid infusion to administer to your cat or dog via a dropper or syringe…
  • Combine one teaspoon of slippery elm powder with one cup of cold water;
    • Bring the mixture to a boil and stir;
    • Turn the heat down and let the mixture simmer for 2 to 3 minutes;
  • Remove from heat;
  • Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature;
  • Administer the Slippery Elm infusion to your dog or cat 4 times per day using the following dosage for each treatment:
    • Small dogs – 1 teaspoon, four times a day
    • Medium dogs – 1 to 2 tablespoons four times a day
    • Large dogs – 3 to 4 tablespoons four times a day

• The history of Colloidal Silver;
• How Colloidal Silver:
• Kills virus, fungus and bacterium;
• Speeds healing;
• How to apply it;
• How to select a quality product.

Weight	Dry Powders	Teas	Capsules/Tablets	Tinctures
1-10 lbs	a small pinch up to 1/8 tsp	less than 1/4 cup, 1-3 times/day	1/2 capsule, 1-3 times/day	1-3 drops, 2-3 times/day
10-20 lbs	1 larger pinch – 1/8 to ¼ tsp	1/4 cup, 1-3 times/day	1/2-1 capsule/tablet, 1-3 times/day	3-5 drops, 2-3 times/day
20-50 lbs	2 pinches – 1 teaspoon	1/4-1/2 cup, 1-3 times/day	1-2 capsules/tablets, 2-3 times/day	5-10 drops, 2-3 times/day
50-100 lbs 10-	2 pinches – 2 teaspoons	1/2-1 cup, 1-3 times/day	1-2 capsules/tablets, 3-4 times/day	20 drops, 2-3 times/day
Over 100 lbs,	up to 1 tablespoon	up to 1 cup 3 times/day	adult human dose	adult human dose

• Anti-inflammatories (e.g. Rimadyl)
• Aspirin
• Antibiotics
• Cardiac drugs
• Central Nervous System drugs (e.g. phenobarbital)
• Chemotherapy agents
• Diabetic/hypoglycemic drugs (e.g. Insulin)
• Diuretics (e.g. Furosemide, Diazide)
• Hormones (e.g. thyroxine)
• Steroids