Ask Dr Claire

My dog has diarrhoea. What do you reckon is the cause of that? She is a 17 months old. I feed her dry food. So I don’t know what it could be.

Diarrhoea is just a symptom and can be the result of many underlying causes.

In this case, we need to find the cause of the diarrhoea so that we can treat your puppy’s problem (not just the symptom). This will help us reach the best treatment plan too.

Some of the underlying causes of diarrhoea in a young dog might be:

♣ Infectious disease (bacteria, viruses, parasites)
♣ Parasites (intestinal worms)
♣ Gut problems (inflammatory bowel disease, tumours, obstructions, food intolerance or food allergies)
♣ Dietary change (pups need gradual transitioning to new foods)
♣ Dietary indiscretion (aka what many puppy owners know all too well – they will eat anything and everything!)

If your dogs diarrhoea continues for more than a day, if she is lethargic, vomits, has a reduced appetite, or has dark coloured or blood in the stool, a hands-on examination from your local vet would be a great place to start, and as soon as possible.

Young dogs can become dehydrated and go down hill easily, so always better to lean to the side of caution.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon, 

Dr Claire