22. Treating Diarrhea in Dogs Naturally

I decided to blog on this topic because a friend told me her dog was having an issue with diarrhea. I asked some questions & gave her some suggestions of things I have done. I realized she is probably not the only person unaware of natural options, so I felt led to share some suggestions.

These are for dogs with acute not chronic diarrhea, if it is chronic you need to find out the reason or cause. I am a firm believer that low quality foods or ingredients in some foods lead to a lot of issues. Dogs are lactose intolerant & many are allergic to chicken (mainly due to how the chickens are raised & processed), fish in dog food & treats is usually farm raised (I won’t eat farm raised fish, only wild caught).

From the Complete Book of Home Remedies for your Dog by Deborah Mitchell https://amzn.to/4hKNUpb She lists the danger signs that you need to take your dog to the Vet, & not just doing home remedies for diarrhea:

1. You suspect your dog has eaten something toxic

2.Your dog has a fever

3. Your dogs gums are pale or yellow.

4. Your dog looks bloated

5. The diarrhea is black, looks tarry, or is bloody

6. Your dog seems to be in pain

7. Your dog is vomiting.

8. The diarrhea continues for more than 24 hours

9. Your dog is dehydrated.

If your dog has worms or intestinal parasites this can cause diarrhea (a stool check should be done by a Vet yearly to check that your dog doesn’t have worms). If none of these apply then you should be good to try some home remedies as diarrhea is a common issue & most pet owners will have to deal with it at some point.

The first thing to do is put your dog on a fast from food, but not from water. Diarrhea can dehydrate some dogs so be sure your dog has access to plenty of clean fresh water. The food fast should be for 24 hours, then you can slowly try food again. When the diarrhea stops you can slowly start to feed your dog again. One diet idea is: A 50/50 mixture of boiled ground turkey, mashed sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin. Feed small amounts 3-5 times a day. Continue for 3 days then slowly mix in a high quality dog food.

I have also used Organic Psyllium (Whole Husk) adding a 1/8 tsp to small meals. Always be sure you go outside with your dog while you’re treating the dog to be sure you can be sure no diarrhea or your dog is not straining to go. Once stools are back to normal you can start adding in more high quality dog food to the previous mix, increasing dog food & decreasing 50/50 mix. Amazon has Organic Psyllium husk: https://amzn.to/4kAS31S

Slippery Elm is an herb that helps soothe the intestinal lining. Slippery Elm home remedy tea can be made by mixing 1 teaspoon of Slippery Elm Powder https://amzn.to/3FA52kl with 1 cup water, bring to a boil, & let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Let it cool & give to your dog 4 times a day based on size: 1 teaspoon for small dogs, 1-2 Tablespoons per dose for medium size dogs, & 3-4 Tblsp per dose for large dogs. Give at times of feeding.

From: Roger Dehaan DVM: Nux vomica 30X (is a homeopathic) Twice daily, if severe episode is occurring give hourly for 4 hours & then 3-4 times a day as needed. Don’t give with food and don’t touch the pearls with your bare hands (due to natural oils in our skin). https://amzn.to/3Fy35Vo

Bentonite Clay: Small dogs: 1/2 tsp of powder mixed in food. Medium dogs: 1 tsp. Large dogs 2 tsp & Giant breeds; 1 Tbls https://amzn.to/3FBB1Rf

The above two suggestions came from one of my favorite natural remedies books. I have used this book for years & highly recommend it. I have tried many of the things listed in this book for my dogs as well as foster dogs Here is a link to that book. https://amzn.to/42a7FlA

Another author I like is CJ Puotinen which is where I got this next suggestion. Blackberry Powder can stop most diarrhea almost immediately. Add to food 1/4-1/2 tsp powder per 10 lbs of body weight. Repeat several hours later if needed. Link for blackberry Powder: https://amzn.to/3FCNfsG

Dr Marty Goldstein DVM has been a Vet for a long time. Link to his book on The Nature of Animal Healing https://amzn.to/41txuvs He states he has seen great success (with people as well as pets) with an old remedy called the potato diet. 50% white potatoes, 50% sweet potatoes, a slice of turnip, a slice of leek, all boiled & mixed with lamb or turkey for favor.

I have given you quite a few suggestions & don’t want to overwhelm, so I am going to give you a few book suggestions in the next two paragraphs. I have about 10 natural remedy books in my library to reference for help when needed. They have come in very handy over the years.

The link below is to a book that has been a great help to me in many ways. It will give more homeopathic remedies & acupressure points to help with diarrhea issues. I am not going to try & explain it as you need to see exactly where these pressure points are on a dog so need to see the diagrams laid out in this book. https://amzn.to/3Y0qy83

This book in my library of natural books for pet is from Dr Shawn Messonnier DVM & has other suggestions in this book for treating Diarrhea & many other pet aliments https://amzn.to/42cuPI3

Once your dog has gotten past the diarrhea, then it’s a good idea to add back in Probiotics to your dogs gut. I have used this & product as it was recommended by my Integrative Vet. I do not recommend giving yogurt as it is dairy & with many dogs being lactose intolerant this could worsen things in their gut.

I hope you found this helpful and informative, if you did I would appreciate it if you would like it, comment, share it, subscribe to my blog & help spread the word about my blog.

If you have questions please contact me thru comments or email me at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks, Debbie