This is Part 3 in our series of articles on preventing the most typical beagle health problems. In part 1 and part 2, we covered ear infections, skin allergies, and skin infections such as Pyoderma, also known as hot spots and vomiting. In part 3 we are going to deal with another common beagle health problem, diarrhea.
Diarrhea
Common Causes: There are several causes of diarrhea in dogs. According to Pet Web MD, these are the most typical causes of diarrhea:
The two most common causes of diarrhea in dogs are dietary indiscretion and intestinal parasites. Many canine infectious diseases are also associated with acute diarrhea.
Food intolerance can also cause rapid transit. Foods that some dogs seem unable to tolerate can include beef, pork, chicken, horsemeat, fish, eggs, spices, corn, wheat, soy, gravies, salts, spices, fats, and some commercial dog foods. Note that food intolerance is not the same as food allergy, which causes dermatitis and possibly vomiting, but rarely causes diarrhea.
Diarrhea is a common side effect of many drugs and medications, particularly NSAIDs, which include aspirin. Some heart medications, some dewormers, and most antibiotics also can cause diarrhea.
Dogs can experience diarrhea when they’re excited or upset, for example, when they’re going to the veterinary hospital or a dog show. In fact, any sudden change in a dog’s diet or living circumstances may cause emotional diarrhea.
What signs to watch for: Diarrhea can be a sign of disease or an upset intestinal tract. You should search in diarrhea for blood, mucous, visible worms or parasites as well as for “unnatural” colors. It is also a good idea to bring a stool sample to your vet.
Other signals of disease to watch out for include: depression, dehydration, loss of appetite (beagle love food so this must be a really big deal) and vomiting.
What to do:
Watch for the symptoms and report to your vet. If your beagle doesn’t show any other symptoms apart from diarrhea, don’t feed them any food for a day. Water should be available to avoid dehydration, though.
On the following day, start with a simple diet of homemade rice and chicken. If this is enough to bring your beagle back to normal, you have probably found what caused diarrhea in the first place. If not, consult with your vet.
If you don’t normally prepare homemade food for your beagle, you should GRADUALLY go back to their dry food to give the digestive system a chance to settle and adjust itself.
How to Prevent Diarrhea
These are some steps you can take to prevent diarrhea in the first place:
- Feed your beagle food that fits into a dog’s normal diet.
- Avoid table scraps. Human food is not dog food.
- Prevent your beagle from eating trash and dog poop (I know sometimes it is easier said than done with beagles).
- Avoid changing your beagle’s diet too suddenly.
