Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs

Causes

Diarrhea commonly results from gastroenteritis caused by viral infections, parasites or bacterial toxins.[5] In sanitary living conditions where there is ample food and a supply of clean water, an otherwise healthy patient usually recovers from viral infections in a few days. However, for ill or malnourished individuals, diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration and can become life-threatening without treatment.[6]

It can also be a symptom of more serious diseases, such as dysentery, cholera, or botulism, and can also be indicative of a chronic syndrome such as Crohn\'s disease or severe mushroom poisoning syndromes. Though appendicitis patients do not generally have violent diarrhea, it is a common symptom of a ruptured appendix. It is also an effect of severe radiation sickness.

Symptomatic treatment for diarrhea involves the patient consuming adequate amounts of water to replace that loss, preferably mixed with electrolytes to provide essential salts and some amount of nutrients. For many people, further treatment is unnecessary. The following types of diarrhea indicate medical supervision is required:

Diarrhea in infants
Moderate or severe diarrhea in young children;
Diarrhea associated with blood
Diarrhea that continues for more than two days;
Diarrhea that is associated with more general illness such as non-cramping abdominal pain, fever, weight loss, etc;
Diarrhea in travelers, since they are more likely to have exotic infections such as parasites;
Diarrhea in food handlers, because of the potential to infect others;
Diarrhea in institutions such as hospitals, child care centers, or geriatric and convalescent homes.
A severity score is used to aid diagnosis in children

Diagnosing and treating chronic diarrhea in dogs can be a difficult and arduous task. There are many potential causes and isolating that problem can take time and effort, however it can be vital for your dogs overall health to correctly manage chronic diarrhea.

As opposed to acute cases of diarrhea, where intestinal upset occurs suddenly and with treatment will resolve within several days, chronic diarrhea has a pattern of occurring over weeks or even months. Chronic diarrhea in dogs is considered when there is a change in the frequency, consistency and volume of fecal material for more than three weeks. Such occurrences may have an episodic pattern, where the stool may become firm for a period, then become soft and unformed again, without any obvious cause.

The most common symptom of chronic diarrhea in dogs is diarrhea of varying severities. Chronic diarrhea in dogs can be broken down into two main categories- diseases of the small bowel, and diseases of the large bowel.

Symptoms of small bowel intestinal disease:
Larger volume of feces than normal
Dogs will pass feces more frequently than normal (2-4 times a day)
Weight loss
Feces may appear darker than normal, or tar colored
Dogs may have excessive gas
Dogs may also have episodes of vomiting
 

Symptoms of large bowel intestinal disease:
Smaller volume of feces than normal
Dog will pass feces significantly frequently than normal (4 or more times a day)
Dogs will strain to defecate, appearing urgent
Feces may appear to contain flecks of blood
Feces may contain mucous
Veterinary care is necessary for any dog suffering from chronic diarrhea. Based on your dogs symptoms and physical exam, your veterinarian may recommend various tests to help determine the underlying cause of the intestinal disease.

Some common causes of small bowel intestinal disease in dogs include:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)- In affected dogs, the intestine is taken over by inflammatory cells, eventually leading to scar tissue throughout the lining of the digestive system. Dogs with this condition often have a bad hair coat, due to poor absorption of nutrients. Diagnosis of IBD can be difficult to confirm. Treatment is aimed at reducing the inflammation, as well as dietary changes to provide a more easily digestible food source.

Parasite infection, such as that of Giardia, can be a source of chronic and acute diarrhea dogs. Fecal examination and antigen testing can diagnose the presence of intestinal parasites, and treatment is generally curative in these cases.