Westie Terrier Blog

Every dog comes down with diarrhea sometime, just like people do, just like you do. It may last a day or two and then clear up. The cause is never determined because it passes before there is time to figure out what caused it. Nonetheless, dog owners are often confused when it comes to dogs and diarrhea and treatment.

Occasional loose stools are nothing to be concerned about. A dog’s gut is a marvelous piece of machinery that occasionally goes wrong. Wipe his bum, clean up the mess and carry on.

Do you need a vet?

There are some warning signs that you must know about, though, and if they show up you need to get your dog to the vet.

• blood in the stool could be Parvo
• if the stool has a glassy appearance like it was wrapped in plastic
• explosive diarrhea – just what it sounds like. Completely liquid and flying out.

Those are the biggest indicators that something serious might be going on.

Watch for dehydration

The biggest immediate danger in dog diarrhea is dehydration. It may be necessary to put the dog on intravenous or inject a bolus of saline under the skin to counteract it. You can tell if a dog is getting dehydrated by checking his gums. If they appear chalky and dry then he isn’t getting enough water at the front to make up for what he’s losing at the back.

Combating diarrhea

Dog guts are very similar to ours, so treating diarrhea in a dog is pretty much the same as for people. Don’t feed him for a day, but be sure he has water. Then feed a bland diet until things firm up. A good mix for this is half-and-half hamburger and cooked rice. Keep him on this diet until his tummy gets back to normal. Keep in mind that some diarrhea can be the result of a dog food allergy and you need to track down the particular food that is causing the problem. One dog we took care of for a while was allergic to chicken, but could tolerate turkey quite well. The owner left several cans of very expensive dog food behind and cautioned not to feed him anything else. The dog came down with diarrhea in spite of the high-priced diet. It eventually came to light that the manufacturer had changed the formulation of the expensive food to use chicken instead of turkey and hadn’t changed the label.

If you have some Pepto-bismal in the medicine cabinet, it works on dogs as well as people. Give about one teaspoon for every ten pounds of body weight. You’ll need a syringe to squirt it down his throat, of course.

There is a surprising natural remedy as well. Cooked pumpkin fixes a lot of dogs digestive problems, and they seem to like it. Pumpkin is equally effective for diarrhea or constipation. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling though, because it has spices and other things added to it. You can usually find canned pumpkin chunks at the supermarket, and its cheaper than the pie filling. Just mash some up and mix it into the dog’s food.

One last thing. Don’t forget that dogs feel embarrassment too, so your poor pooch is probably just as upset as you are by the state of his bowels. Remember, he can’t help whats happening any more than you can when it happens to you. That means you have to be as matter-of-fact as possible in dealing with this. Don’t scold him, but also don’t make a big fuss and show a lot of sympathy either. Any excessive display of emotion on your part will mark it out as a big deal in the dogs mind, and that isn’t what you want.

Related articles

• Giving My Dog Pepto Bismol (brighthub.com)

Almost everyone adores dogs. All over the world, dogs are the most popular pets by people. This is the reason why they are termed as a “man’s best friend”. Nevertheless there are still some things that need to be done in order to fully enjoy a dog’s company. For one, dogs should be trained properly. If we come to think of it, dogs actually do have a lot of things to be trained of. They should know when and where to do their wastes as well as the other dos and don’ts inside and outside the house. Another thing that needs to be taught to dogs is the very important puppy leash training. It is indeed a necessary dog conditioning in order to have hassle free dog walks in public areas. That is why it is advisable to take into consideration some of the important points in training a dog on a leash.

One important thing that trainers or owners must put in mind in training their dogs on leash is that is should start at a very early age. This is the only way in making the dogs get habituated to being on a leash. Another thing that owners must bear in mind is that training a dog is not an easy thing to do. This means that it needs a lot of patience and determination. The first thing that needs to be done in puppy leash training is of course getting the dog on a collar. Having a dog wear a color could vary depending on the dog. Some dogs would whole heartedly allow their owners to have collars put around their neck while there are also some who would run around or even bite trying to avoid the owners going near them with a leash. If the latter happens, it is best to first develop a good relationship with dogs in order to avoid having hard times in training. In case the dog would not stop biting the leash, owners could make use of a stronger leash material in order to prevent it from getting easily ruined.

As soon as the puppy is already on its leash, the owners or trainers could now start walking them in small areas such as the backyard or the garden lawns. Having them walk on small areas first would be great idea before having them exposed to larger and more public places. This will avoid trauma and confusion or the dogs. When walking the dog, it is ideal to have them always at the side so as to let them know that they are being watched and guided. Once they get too excited, it is advisable to hold on to the leash firmly in order to avoid the dog from slipping away. It is also good to call them by their name in a firm and strong manner so that the dogs could obey easily. Once they are calmed down, owners could try walking them in a faster pace in order to slowly let them adapt to walking. As soon as the dog is prepared to leave the house, owners could now try exposing them to other people and could try walking them around the neighborhood, subdivisions or parks.

It always necessary for trainers to remember that the first trial in walking the dog is always filled with hardships and obstacles. It is normal for dogs to get excited and frantic whenever they see different people and most especially other dogs. They usually bark, run around and try to smell other dogs but this is actually an expected reaction which need only total control in order to avoid getting the situation out of hand. This way, walking dogs on a leash could really become a fun activity if used with proper puppy leash training tips and guidelines.

Read more short articles filled with tips and advice on our website.

When it comes to buying insurance for your dog, it all comes down to the level of cover you want for your pet. Comparing pet insurance deals will get you a cheap deal, but the cheapest policy is not necessarily the best option for some owners, a quality policy with more coverage maybe the answer.

Many believe that dog owners should self insurer and not bother with an insurance policy at all, and they should just put away some money every month for vet treatment bills, just in case there dog was to ever need such treatment. There is of course much more to a pet insurance plan, such as third party liability cover, advertising and reward cost and cover if the pet dies.

Medical treatment from the vets also differs quiet a bit from insurer to insurer and the amount of cover ranges from £5,000 to £7,000 for vet bills per condition or financially capped treatment. Then there is life long cover, this is the best cover and can offer vet treatment bills up to £12,000 per condition, every year, and for the rest of the dogs life. Limitations do occur a great deal with many of the policies and in particular the cheaper end of the market. You pay for what you get, as it goes. Quality cover will cost you more money that’s for sure, so what type of cover do you want for your dog? Life long or financial capped? The Petplan pet insurance policy, is one of the best policies for offering life long cover, see what they can do for you when you get a quote from them.

Don’t take your time getting your dog insured, if you can get it insured when it is still a puppy. You’ll find the quotes are much cheaper. Older dogs may find it more difficult to get insurance and some insurers may not even insurance the pet at all. Make sure you keep all the dogs vaccinations up-to-date and it has regular heath checks. This will help in proving that you pet is healthy and that all common illnesses have been taken care of. Common illnesses that should have been treated before, through regular vaccines will not be covered on most policies.

Always look at the terms and conditions with these complex types of policies, just to make sure you are happy with the coverage. Get dog insurance as soon as you can, please.