Help! Loose stools now diarrhea, but still active and has an appetite

[ladyjane]

Again, if a dog is tending to be dehydrated we really cannot properly hydrate them at home. Giving extra droppers full of water does nothing but make the owner feel better. If a dog is sick enough that we have to give it extra water, then imho it needs to be seen by a vet. There are many, many reasons that a dog can have diarrhea without other symptoms besides parasites. Always best to have a vet check them out if it is continuing. Sometimes a few doses of metronidazole will fix the problem....but a vet should be consulted first.

And, as someone else said, look for gums to be wet to the touch. The color while important, isn't what you look for in terms of hydration.

Hope all is well with Mocha!

[ladyjane]

For anyone interested in vital signs on dogs, I have found the following to be a vauable resource:

K9 Normal Vital Signs

[kjc]

Just felt the need to add: Even if the dog is drinking normally or even excessively at home, if liquid diarrhea continues, dehyration will still happen, as more fluid is lost in the diarrhea than the dog can possibly regain by drinking water.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

For anyone interested in vital signs on dogs, I have found the following to be a vauable resource:

K9 Normal Vital Signs

If we don't already have something like this in the Emergency Library, we need this to be there as a Sticky or in some form. I've seen this before, maybe from a prior link from ladyjane but this is an excellent resource.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by kjc

Just felt the need to add: Even if the dog is drinking normally or even excessively at home, if liquid diarrhea continues, dehyration will still happen, as more fluid is lost in the diarrhea than the dog can possibly regain by drinking water.

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Again, if a dog is tending to be dehydrated we really cannot properly hydrate them at home. Giving extra droppers full of water does nothing but make the owner feel better. If a dog is sick enough that we have to give it extra water, then imho it needs to be seen by a vet. There are many, many reasons that a dog can have diarrhea without other symptoms besides parasites. Always best to have a vet check them out if it is continuing. Sometimes a few doses of metronidazole will fix the problem....but a vet should be consulted first.

And, as someone else said, look for gums to be wet to the touch. The color while important, isn't what you look for in terms of hydration.

Hope all is well with Mocha!

Couldn't agree more. Bits of water to a dehydrated dog won't help. Won't restore electrolyte balance or possibly pump of the volume that real dehydration requires. A vet visit is the best choice to best ensure the little one's safety.