Symptoms Of Diarrhoea In German Shepherds
If your German Shepherd is displaying any of the following symptoms of diarrhoea, it is important that you make a note of things like quantities and frequency. Your veterinarian will ask you questions about the symptoms when they are trying to decide on the appropriate treatment.
- Diarrhoea contains blood and is black or dark red in colour.
- Frequent passing of poop. Sometimes your dog might poo up to 5 times in a day or even more often depend on the nature of the diarrhoea.
- Quantity of poo. Large quantities less frequently point to a problem in your dogs small intestine. Smaller quantities more often suggest that the problem is in the large intestine.
- Pain or difficulty when passing the diarrhoea should be noted.
- Your dog might vomit as well as pass diarrhoea.
- You may be able to hear the gases in your dogs stomach
- Loss of appetite can often accompany an attack.
- Your dog may be feverish.
- Bloating and pain from the build-up of gases will cause lethargy.
- Your dog may show signs of uneasiness and have short tempers.
- You might notice your dog drinking much more water than usual.
- The diarrhoea your dog produces might smell particularly badly. The diarrhoea will probably be yellowish in colour.
Viral & Bacterial Infections
Parvovirus, often referred to as simply parvo, is a diagnosis that strikes fear in any puppy owners heart. This virus is highly contagious and wreaks havoc on your puppys immune system and body, causing severe diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, fever, and lethargy. Treatment consists of supportive care to help your puppy fight the disease and target symptoms. A puppy with parvo will likely be admitted to the hospital for intravenous fluids , medications, and round-the-clock supervision from her veterinary team. Parvo is often fatal, especially if treatment is started too late.
Thankfully, there is an effective vaccination for parvo, and it is included in the routine puppy series. Your puppy will receive several rounds of the vaccine depending on her age. Its essential to get your puppy to her booster appointments on time even one missed vaccination can leave her unprotected. Once she has finished her puppy series, the following year she can either get a one-year or three-year vaccine.
Avoid places with other dogs, such as dog parks, boarding kennels, and popular dog-walking spots until she is fully vaccinated. Only allow her to interact with dogs that you know are vaccinated. If your puppy does get parvo, she will need to be kept away from unvaccinated dogs and puppies to prevent spreading it to them.
Some Dogs Eat Poop To Please Their Owner
Harsh potty training techniques may cause some dogs or puppies to eat their own poop in an effort to appease us or to avoid painful punishment.
Remember the antiquated trick of rubbing a dogs nose in their feces when they poop in the wrong place? This can send mixed messages to a dog about getting feces on their mouth.
Some dogs may also see us cleaning up their poop in the house and try to mimic that behavior. This is why many trainers suggest that we do not clean up potty mistakes in front of our dogs.
Consistent feeding times will regulate your dogs digestive system and make it easier to supervise their pooping behavior.
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Dirt Has Health Benefits
Not all dirt is dangerous. In fact, some even has healing benefits.
So dont stop your German Shepherd from eating it just yet.
Lets talk about dirt first. Dirt comes in various types such as mud, soil, sand, clay, etc.
Eating soil and sand could lead to health problems.
But thats not the case for the Bentonite clay. This specific clay has lots of benefits!
Not just for your dog, but for yours too.
Clay-eating is frowned upon by many. But thats only because they do not know its many uses.
Here are some of them:
- Relieves skin irritations.
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Why Do German Shepherds Get Diarrhea An Overview
Just like their people, German Shepherd dogs can develop diarrhea at any age and stage of life.
And just like in people, diarrhea in German Shepherds should never be ignored. It is a sign from your dogs digestive system that something is amiss.
Sometimes the reason is very temporary and passing. But for German Shepherds in particular, sometimes the reason can be an underlying digestive disorder.
German Shepherds, in particular, are prone to digestive disorders ranging from the sensitive stomach to G.I. disease.
As Central Texas Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital explains, symptoms like weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhea can be warning signs of an underlying genetic health condition.
In fact, in research published in the Journal of Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, researchers pointed out that diarrhea was one of the most consistent health issues reported by German Shepherd owners.
Clearly, there are a number of reasons why a German Shepherd might develop diarrhea. These reasons can sometimes be related to age or life stage as well as the environment, which is what we will talk about in the next section here.
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Other Causes Of Diarrhea In German Shepherds
When your German Shepherd is experiencing chronic diarrhea that does not seem to respond to the usual remedies, it is always time to look deeper.
But sometimes diarrhea, like life, just happens and then it passes. When the episode is brief, you may not ever know exactly what caused your GSD to have diarrhea.
As VCA Animal Hospital points out, dietary indiscretion is perhaps the most common cause of occasional bouts of canine diarrhea.
In other words, your German Shepherd ate something they shouldnt have eaten. This may range from garbage to garden mulch, lawn mushrooms to cat poop.
PetMD explains that there are four basic categories of canine diarrhea when it is not related to an underlying disease:
1. Motility issues. With motility issues, the gut pushes the food through too fast.
2. Intestinal exudation. Ulcers in the intestinal tract can cause blood and fluid to seep in or out.
3. Oversecretion. When the intestinal tract is exposed to a pathogen it will secret too much liquid to try to cleanse itself.
4. Osmotic imbalance. When too many food molecules crowd into the intestines together, this draws in water and causes diarrhea.
Parasites, worms, viruses, bacteria, and fungus can cause diarrhea. Liver and kidney disease can also trigger bouts of diarrhea. Ingestion of poisons and toxins may also give rise to diarrhea and other symptoms.
Preventing Stomach Problems In German Shepherd Dogs
There are some things that you can do to prevent your dog from developing any of these conditions. The most common and simple ways to do this are by making sure that your dog is eating a diet thats suitable for it.
To make sure that youre not going to put your dog at risk for developing stomach problems, its important that you make sure you know that youre getting quality food. Quality food, for a German Shepherd, isnt necessarily the same quality food that you might get for another dog.
Of course, youre going to need to make sure that you get a good mixture of protein, fat and carbohydrates. For a Shepherd, this equates to roughly 20% of its calories coming from protein and 5% coming from fat However, more important than the breakdown of nutrients is the quality of the ingredients and the specific ingredients used. Try to go without glutenfree or at least low grains.
In terms of protein, youre going to want to make sure that you choose a high-quality protein source. Good sources of protein for Shepherds would be those that come from whole meats like beef, fish, and other organ meats. Chicken isnt the best food for Shepherds because foods made with chicken often come with a lot of byproducts that arent good for anybody, especially not a Shepherd with a sensitive stomach.
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Why Dogs Eat Poop
The scientific term for the habit of poop-eating is coprophagia.
Dogs eat poop for a variety of reasons. Some are normal and some are signs of an underlying issue. Its normal and somewhat common for dogs to eat the poop of another species, but its uncommon for adult dogs to eat their own poop or another dogs poop.
Have You Checked For Parasites Worms
Worms in German Shepherds are the absolute worst. Some dogs are born with worms, and some get them from other dogs or simply from the environment. The best way to prevent this is to give your dog regular worm treatments and flea prevention treatments.
These are easy to administer and can often just be added to your dogs food. Unfortunately, there are multiple different types of worms and parasites that can cause your dog to get dog diarrhea and other health problems. When you suspect this is the problem, seeing your vet can help fight the infestation your German Shepherd currently has.
Your vet can also help you take precautions to prevent future infestations.
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Supplement Your German Shepherds Diet With Probiotics
Many dog owners report a decrease in poop eating behavior a short time after beginning to supplement their dogs diet with probiotics.
In addition, if your GSD is suffering from diarrhea or related issues, beneficial bacterias in probiotics are a great way to boost them back to normal levels.
These products usually come in different forms, such as yogurt, kefir, powders, capsules, chews, or dog foods.
One probiotic that I have used and would recommend to you is Vetrinex Labs Advanced Probiotic Formula.
Vetrinex Labs Advanced Probiotic Formula for dogs is a probiotic powder that will improve your dogs digestive health in just 2 weeks of regular supplementation.
It comes in powder form so theres no need for hiding pills in your dogs food all you have to do is just sprinkle it on your GSDs food.
This probiotic contains a blend of 7 selected species of live beneficial bacteria with added Inulin.
All ingredients are clearly marked, and there is no misleading claims of a proprietary blend that is all too common in probiotic marketing.
Why Does My German Shepherd Have Digestive Problems
If he ingested something other than dog food, he may be allergic, intolerant, unable to digest it, or even worse, it could have given him an infection. Also, some breeds, such as German shepherds, Great Danes, and Schnauzers, are more prone to digestive issues. Here are seven digestive problems in dogs you should be aware of.
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Dogs That Eat Cat Poop
Even though its considered normal, you might not want your dog to be diving into the litter box for a snack.
For dogs that eat cat poop, make sure you put up a pet gate or door that allows the cat access to their litter box while keeping the dog out of that room. You can also place the litter box on a table that is longer than the box to allow a spot for them to jump up onto.
Keep in mind, dogs usually repeatedly eat things that taste good to them. Poop may just appeal to their taste buds.
There are dog chew products that are made to discourage dogs from eating poop that may change the taste of the poop.
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Your German Shepherd Dog’s Health
We know that because you care so much about your dog, you want to take good care of her. That is why we have summarized the health concerns we will be discussing with you over the life of your Shepherd. By knowing about health concerns specific to German Shepherd Dogs, we can tailor a preventive health plan to watch for and hopefully prevent some predictable risks.
Many diseases and health conditions are genetic, meaning they are related to your pets breed. There is a general consensus among canine genetic researchers and veterinary practitioners that the conditions weve described herein have a significant rate of incidence and/or impact in this breed. That does not mean your dog will have these problems it just means that she is more at risk than other dogs. We will describe the most common issues seen in German Shepherd Dogs to give you an idea of what may come up in her future. Of course, we cant cover every possibility here, so always check with us if you notice any unusual signs or symptoms.
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Diarrhea From A Medical Point Of View
From a medical point of view, the diagnosis of diarrhea in dogs is actually complicated. It is classified under several headings each with their own list of causes or causative agents. However, one things for certain, DIARRHEA IS THE MOST CONSISTENT MANIFESTATION OF INTESTINAL DISEASE. You can take that to the bank. The teller would really be surprised.
To simplify it all a bit we will classify diarrhea as WHAT YOU SEE and WHAT YOU COULD DO and what your vet might figure out to help your dog with diarrhea.
First though a definition, as if you need one. Here it is anyway.
Diarrhea is a change in one or more of the characteristics of the bowel movement: increased FREQUENCY, increased FLUIDITY or increased VOLUME.
It also might be interesting to note that the amount of water in poop may not change significantly from being relatively solid to the liquid stool we commonly call diarrhea. .
Its A Natural Instinct
This works in two different ways. The first natural instinct of a dog is to be a scavenger. Before German Shepherds were introduced to the family as a domesticated pet, they lived in the wild. Dogs had to find their own sources for food. If they were running low and couldnt find anything else to consume, their own feces was a viable option.
Secondly, momma German Shepherds will eat their puppies feces to protect them from predators. If a predator smells the puppy doo, then they will know there is an easy target nearby for prey. To make sure their puppies didnt become another animals dinner they simply hid the scent by consuming the poop.
Solution: The natural instinct of a German Shepherd cant be modified.
Its best to wait it out as it will stop once the puppies are grown. However, grownup German Shepherds should be trained to leave their feces alone and shooed away. Always make sure your German Shepherd as enough to eat so he does not need to scavenge.
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What Is The Deal In Variations Of Poop Colors
Before we get into yellow poop problems, it is good to understand why stool changes physical properties in the first place.
Color-changing stools are very common. Most dogs experience stability and color changes at some point in their lives. No matter how small the change, take it as a sign!
As mentioned before, Poop says a lot about your dogs health. The gastrointestinal tract is constantly working to process food. Even when your dog is resting, it works overtime.
It is necessary for a process to throw out the whole process. Various biological functions affect the digestive process, leading to physiological changes in the fungus. Internal bleeding darkens the poop and causes redness.
Meanwhile, yellow and green colors often cause liver and bile production! Food and waste go through many steps before you make it on your lawn. When one of those stages is changed due to health issues, the stool reflects it.
Visiting your vet is always a good idea when big changes are behind their bizarre heads. One-off problems do not require immediate care. But if the problem persists, it is a good idea to take your puppy to the vet for some in-depth analysis.
How To Treat Your Gsds Diarrhea At Home
If you notice the first signs of diarrhea in your German Shepherd, it is very important that you stop giving her food for 12 hours to prevent further upsetting her stomach.
However, always provide plenty of fresh water nearby to avoid dehydration.
After the 12-hour fast, feed your dog a bland diet. Opt for skinless, boneless boiled chicken and broth.
You can mix in a few small spoonfuls of mashed pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or potatoes, but make sure that they are unseasoned and unsalted.
Rice can be added, too, as long as your GSD is not sensitive to it.
These foods will help to firm up the stool.
Start with small meals every two hours, then gradually increase the amount of food and the time in between meals.
Be very cautious when transitioning your GSD to her previous diet. The transition should be spaced out and gradually done over a few days.
Start mixing your GSDs regular food into the bland food diet and then gradually increase it to a 50-50 proportion.
If this successfully resolves the diarrhea, you can get her back to her regular food.
Here is a simple recipe that you can follow to get your German Shepherd back on track in as short of a time as possible:
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Useful Tips For Cleaning German Shepherd Diarrhea
While diarrhea can be unpleasant for your GSD, it can be just as stressful for you.
A dog with diarrhea may spray uncontrollably inside your house, so you need to be prepared for cleaning large amounts of very messy poop.
If youre uncomfortable with the smell, wear a face mask. Be sure to wear gloves as well when cleaning.
If your dog is outside when going to the bathroom, the fastest way to clean the mess is to spray the poop with water from a hose. A pooper scooper will have little to no effect.
If your dog is inside the house when she is experiencing diarrhea, confine her to one area with a tile or an otherwise non-carpeted floor. This way, you will only have to clean that single space with a flat non-absorptive surface.
For watery stool, get a paper towel and use it to absorb the poop. Clean the remaining mess with disinfectant such as Pine-Sol .
Dont worry too much about the toxicity of a cleaner like Pine-Sol veterinarian Tina Wismer mentions that residue from commercial cleaners is too minimal to be toxic for dogs.
Just make sure that you allow it to dry thoroughly a second rinse with water wont hurt either.
If youre still in doubt, you can opt for a natural alternative, such as this floor cleaner from Better Life.
If your GSD has an accident on carpeted floor or on furniture, cleaning the mess is an entirely different story.
Some bacterial infections that your GSD can pass to you through poop are: