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Diarrhea Due to Diet in Dogs
Written By hannah hollinger
Published: 04/26/2017Updated: 03/28/2023
Veterinary reviewed by Michele K.
What is Diarrhea Due to Diet?
There are instances when your dog will suffer from bouts of loose stools or diarrhea. Often,  diarrhea will be the result of an illness but there are also instances when diarrhea is caused by your dog’s diet. This can be from eating too much, eating spoiled food or eating out of the garbage. A food intolerance or allergy can also cause your dog to experience diarrhea.
Changing your dog’s diet can also cause your dog to develop diarrhea. When you change your dog’s food it can take a few days for your dog’s digestive system to fully adapt to the new food. It is recommended that you slowly change your dog’s food from one source to another by mixing the two together equally and then slowly decrease the amount of the first food.
When your dog eats, the food will travel down the esophagus quickly and enter the stomach in large pieces or chunks. Their salivary enzymes are not designed to break down the food but to kill bacteria. The acids within the stomach will break down the food, disperse the nutrients and rid the body of waste in the form of well-formed stool and urine.
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Symptoms of Diarrhea Due to Diet in Dogs
When your dog is suffering from diarrhea they will likely have frequent bowel movements that are loose or watery. There are other signs to watch for that will indicate that your dog has diarrhea. Diarrhea can quickly become a concern because your dog can become dehydrated. Call your veterinarian for an appointment if you suspect your dog has diarrhea. Other symptoms of diarrhea to watch for include:
  • Anxiously needing to go outside quickly
  • Having bowel movements in the house
  • Straining
  • Stomach ache
  • Fever
  • Lethargy
  • Loss of appetite
  • Dehydration
Causes of Diarrhea Due to Diet in Dogs
Diarrhea can occur for many different reasons in dogs. Commonly it is illness that causes your dog to develop diarrhea. However, diarrhea due to diet should not be ruled out. Many times your dog will get into something that they should not have eaten and that can cause stomach upset and diarrhea. 
Changing your dog’s food can cause diarrhea if not done slowly so their digestive tract can adjust to the new food. Allowing your dog to eat too much or eating garbage can also cause diarrhea. A food allergy or intolerance can cause gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea.
Diagnosis of Diarrhea Due to Diet in Dogs
When you bring your dog to your veterinarian, a stool sample will need to be given. If you are unable to collect one, your veterinarian can do so. Your dog’s medical history will need to be given as well as a detailed list of what your dog eats or might have eaten. 
The stool sample will be used in a fecal exam to look for internal parasites. Internal parasites can cause diarrhea in dogs. A urinalysis, complete blood count and biochemistry panel may also be recommended to rule out other illnesses or conditions. A hands-on physical examination will be conducted by your veterinarian. They will palpate your dog’s abdomen, check their vitals and take their temperature.
Your veterinarian will need to know how quickly the signs came on and if there were any changes in the environment. Once all the tests have come back and the physical examination is completed, your veterinarian will be able to narrow the cause of your dog’s diarrhea to their diet; either overeating, intolerance or allergy, or change in food.
Treatment of Diarrhea Due to Diet in Dogs
Many cases of chronic diarrhea may require fluid therapy to stop dehydration from occurring. This may require a stay in the animal hospital until the diarrhea is stopped and the threat of dehydration has passed. Anti-diarrhea medication may also be prescribed.
Food may need to be withheld for at least 24 hours. Small amounts of water will need to be given frequently to keep them hydrated if they are not already dehydrated. A bland diet can be given after 24 hours. If there is no more diarrhea your dog can slowly be changed back to their regular diet.
In the case of your dog having an allergy or intolerance to an ingredient in their food, their diet will need to be permanently altered to avoid the ingredient that is problematic. Your veterinarian can suggest a food that will not have the ingredient that is causing diarrhea in your dog.

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Recovery of Diarrhea Due to Diet in Dogs
When your dog is diagnosed with diarrhea due to their diet, your veterinarian will discuss with you what foods are best for your dog, whether you small breed food or large breed food. Once the diarrhea is stopped, you should be able to give your dog their regular food. If there is an allergy or intolerance, you will need to switch their food to one that will not cause diarrhea. 
If your dog has a history of getting into the garbage, secure your trash cans away from your dog to discourage him from eating the trash, as potentially fatal toxicities can occur from this behavior. Do not feed your dog leftovers from your own dinner plate. Human food can cause gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea.
Diarrhea Due to Diet Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
pitt bull /german shepherd mix
Nine Months

10 found this helpful

10 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
We've been feeding our 9month old puppy an mixture of wet and dry food. She started to have loose stools. Dont know to do. Help
March 11, 2021
Answered by Dr. Maureen M. DVM
10 Recommendations
Hi, She could be experiencing some food intolerance from some of the ingredients in the food. You could try to figure out which of the two is irritating elimination. Feed on type each week checking for stool consistency. Once noted eliminate from the diet. If nothing changes please take her to the vet for a check-up. Good luck
April 2, 2021
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Labrador Retriever
One Year

18 found this helpful

18 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
We noticed that our newly adopted lab was having some diarrhea/loose stools. History: he was from a kill shelter, had a 3 day trip to the rescue, was there 3 days then we adopted. We had him fast for 12 hours and then did a bland boiled chicken & rice diet for several days, stools got firmer, but when slowly reintroducing the food he had been given at the rescue, a beef based food, he had diarrhea again. He wants to eat and has an appetite. Should we try chicken based food? He was fully vetted at the rescue before we got him (dewormed). Acts fine and has settled in well besides this.
Jan. 8, 2021
Answered by Dr. Linda S. MVB MRCVS
18 Recommendations
There can be many causes of diarrhoea including parasites (some of which may require alternate wormers to the one he had), an abrupt diet change, a food intolerance, an infection, Inflammatory bowel disease etc. I would consider a vet check and stool analysis. I would also start a sensitivity or hypoallergenic diet and some probiotic anti diarrhoea paste. Hopefully we can get on top of things soon!
Jan. 8, 2021
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Maltese
Seven Years

20 found this helpful

20 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
D
Recently switched my dogs food to blue buffalo. I mix the dry food with the wet food.
Jan. 7, 2021
Answered by Dr. Maureen M. DVM
20 Recommendations
Hi, Sorry about that. A drastic change in diet can throw off your pets digestive system. Common signs include loose stool, vomitting or even flatulence. It is usually advised to have a gradual transition when changing your pets diet. This can be done by mixxing a bit of the old diet and a bit of the new over a course of 2 to 4 weeks , while reducing the portion of the old and increasing that of the new diet, over time. These can also be signs of food intolerance . Kindly check the ingredients contained and review if youerdog may be allergic to any of them Good luck
Jan. 7, 2021
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mix breed
One Year

12 found this helpful

12 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Blood In Diarrhea
Adopted him from animal shelter about 1 month ago and for the past few days he has been having diarrhea and blood in diarrhea why is this and what can I do the stop it
Oct. 14, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
12 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. There are many reasons that this may be happening. There may be parasites, infectious disease, or intestinal infections. There may be something that they ate that isn't agreeing with them, or there may be larger things going on. It would be best to have them seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible, as they can examine your pet, see what might be going on, and get treatment for them.
Oct. 14, 2020
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German Shepherd
5 months

1 found this helpful

1 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
I just would like to know what may be causing my dog to have diarrhea
Sept. 25, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
1 Recommendations
Thank you for your question. I apologize for the delay in my reply, this venue is not set up for urgent emails. Puppies can have diarrhea due to parasites, intestinal infection, dietary indiscretion, or infectious diseases. If it is still going on, It would be best to have your pet seen by a veterinarian, as they can examine them, see what might be going on, and get any testing or treatment taken care of that might be needed.
Oct. 20, 2020
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Golden Retriever
Milo
5 Months

0 found this helpful

0 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
Loose Bowel Movements
We have had our puppy for over 3 months now and he has been on the same kibble diet (Stella and Chewys) and as of 3 weeks ago he has off and on diarrhea. Nothing in his diet has changed and we give him rawhide bones every now and then. The diarrhea will be present for 2-3 days, then stop for ~4 days and then start back up again in cycle. The vet has no answer to this as they conducted a fecal exam twice now and it comes back negative. We still have no answer
Toy Australian shephered
Snickers
11 Weeks

0 found this helpful

0 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Slimy Poop
I have an 11 week old puppy who wouldn’t eat much at all. My friend who has a mini Aussie suggested mixing a little bit of wet food with the puppy’s dry food. I’ve done that yesterday and today but he now has extremely runny diarrhea. Could this be due to the wet food? Because he has had some diarrhea before but not to this extent. He still has the typical puppy poop.
Beagle mix
Winston
3 Years

0 found this helpful

0 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
Bloody Stool
We took our dog to a BBQ on Sunday and people fed him lots of chips and popcorn (and probably various types of meat). Monday morning he vomited once but seemed normal. Monday night he had diarrhea and this morning he is squeezing out some blood it seems. He seems a bit down and out but not too lethargic and walks around just fine. What should I do?
German Shepherd
Cooper
6 Months

0 found this helpful

0 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
Loose Bowel Movements
I was transitioning the food for my Germand Shepherd puppy for almost 2 weeks. I made the transition long because he has a very sensitive stomach. He was on a grain free diet but his stool was not the right color and smelled really bad, most of the time soft as well. The vet cleared him of having any parasite from the stool sample test so he recommended switching the food. I switched him to grain in Fromm Gold because the pet food store owner recommends a more bland diet (oat, barley...etc) and then slowly transition back to grain free in the future once his GI is more stable. During the transition, the stool color and odor improved a lot. Sometimes the stool would be softer than others but overall it's better than his previous food. I put him full Fromm two days ago (a new bag) and he's been having diarrhea. I was trying to figure out if he's intolerant or allergic to peas...etc so we've been careful with his treats as well. No new food is given to him during this transition period. I'm at a lost here.
pocket bully/pitty
Carla
2 Years

0 found this helpful

0 found this helpful

My pet has the following symptoms:
Diarrhea
I rescued my dog about 3 weeks ago, and immediately switched her diet to Natural Balance Vegetarian kibble. She was on heavy duty antibiotics for a vaginal infection, and someone recommended I add pumpkin to her food. I would do the vegan kibble + raw pumpkin and also give her vegan dog treats made from peanut butter and other natural ingredients. I'd also give her occasional treats like broccoli, wild blueberries, carrots, kale and the like. In small amounts of course. Her poop was so great for the first couple of days. A week in she started having diarrhea. She never went inside the house and only pooped 2-3 times a day when we would take her out, but it was brown mush and leaves an awful smear on the grass. It comes out like soft serve. I thought it was from the antibiotics killing all her good bacteria, so I bought her a probiotic. Fast forward almost two weeks and she's still having the diarrhea and was even developing skin irritation issues by licking and knawing and scratching on her paws until raw etc. She has severe separation anxiety, so with the new environment, stress, new diet, antibiotics etc, it's a lot and makes sense she has diarrhea. I chalked it up to stress and food allergies, so two days ago I decided to stop giving her any treats or people food, and only give her the kibble twice a day. The skin irritations went away, yay! But the diarrhea is still the same. Brown soft serve. I also give her organic CBD oil to calm her down in her crate while I'm at work, but don't think that is the cause. She's already taken dronzel for worms, and I haven't seen any in her stool but I'll still give her the second one in another week or so to be safe. It's basically been two weeks of the diarrhea now, and I'm wondering at what point I need to take her in. I really want to figure this out on my own because I can't afford all the vet bills. How long can a dog have this type of diarrhea before you have no choice but to bring them in?
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