Gastrointestinal virus in dogsJust like us humans, our dogs are not immune to digestive problems. The wrong food, a treat not meant for the dog at all, a find from the trash or the street are often enough to upset digestion.
A gastrointestinal virus causes particularly fast unrest in the gastrointestinal tract and can be hard on your dog. Usually all these causes lead to diarrhea.
Diarrhea is a condition that you as a dog owner should not take lightly. Due to the loss of fluid, diarrhea can quickly become life-threatening.
Symptoms of a virus infection
Our Maui comes from Spain and I don't even want to know exactly what he fed on as a young dog.
Actually one should think that he is used to some things. But exactly the opposite is the case. Sometimes a little thing is enough. Maui suffers from diarrhea. For these cases we have a diarrhea preparation from the vet at home.
Recently, however, everything was different. Neither the diet nor the remedy helped. The stool was suddenly even quite liquid. Maui hardly wanted to eat. Was very depressed.
Since the following day was a holiday, I went to see my vet to be on the safe side. The examination did not give any special result. The cause remained unclear. Blood was also taken to rule out poison.
While I was waiting for the result of the blood test, the little guy had to go outside. The shock was great because the stool was bloody and thin. A sample was examined.
A virus caused the diarrhea
The doctor concluded that Maui had obviously caught a virus.
Two other patients with similar symptoms were being treated at the veterinary clinic. Maui had to stay in the clinic for the afternoon. He was immediately hooked up to IV fluids. Provided with appropriate medication. By the time we picked him up, he was feeling much better. However, he was not allowed to eat anything that day to empty the intestines.
In addition, we got a lot of medication, which he had to take regularly.
Among them were an antibiotic, a remedy to calm the digestive tract. And a remedy to balance minerals and nutrients. For this purpose he was given a week's diet. The causes for diarrhea are various. Not always clearly traceable.
Besides the wrong food, diarrhea can occur when the dog steals household waste or is fed from the table.
Chocolate, sweets or special plants can cause the disease as well as a virus that is transmitted from dog to dog. Another possible cause is a worm infestation. Even more, the symptoms are different for each dog.
In addition to diarrhea, dogs may react with vomiting, may be dull and listless, or may refuse food. The stool may be mushy, soft or runny. Sometimes the animal can no longer control bowel movements.
What to feed when the dog has diarrhea?
In any case, you must make sure that your pet drinks enough, because diarrhea always leads to fluid loss and this can quickly become life-threatening.
For this reason you should visit your veterinarian in case of diarrhea. He can immediately take the necessary measures to help the animal.
Prevent gastrointestinal diseases
Make sure you feed your dog the right food. If you notice that your dog does not tolerate one type of food, do not change it overnight.
Continue to give the old food and mix in a little more of the new food each day until you can change the food.
Make sure that your dog does not pick up anything from the ground while walking or that he does not come into contact with any food or plants in the house that could harm him. Make sure your dog is dewormed regularly.
If there are still digestive problems, you can try to use home remedies.
When do home remedies help?
In the dog pharmacy should not be missing a probiotic powder. Ideally, a day of food deprivation, which ensures that the digestive tract is immobilized.
Cook round grain rice with a lot of water the next day, so that it becomes really nice and slimy. With a little bit of chicken or low-fat fish, it makes the optimal diet for diarrhea.
Make sure your pet has fresh water available at all times. If all these remedies do not bring success, take your animal quickly to the vet.