Causes of Diarrhea in Dogs

Pet messes are a fact of life that many pet owners would prefer to ignore. However, if your dog appears to be suffering from diarrhea, as well as lacking in appetite and feeling listless or inactive, he may have worms. Although dogs are quite resistant to most conditions and diseases, they can easily pick up infestations of intestinal worms. This is because dogs are curious and hard to dissuade from eating anything they find on the ground, as well as prone to cleaning themselves with their mouths. It's impossible to completely keep your dog from having some danger of worms. However, you can keep an eye out for the symptoms of infection by these parasites and take your pet for treatment quickly.

Dogs can suffer from several different kinds of worms. Among them are roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and whipworms. Generally, these parasites or their eggs are picked up from the ground. Eggs can stick to the fur and be ingested when the dog cleans himself. They can also turn up in the droppings of other dogs, and every pet owner knows how hard it is to keep their dog from giving them at least a sniff.

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The most annoying kind of worms that your dog can pick up is the roundworm. The eggs can be very easily transmitted, even from mothers to puppies. Pups are especially in danger from these parasites, as their little bodies aren't able to handle the infestation. It is possible for the roundworms to migrate out of the intestines into other body tissues when they infest very young puppies.

Hookworms can also be a problem. If you see blood in your dog's droppings, it could be from hookworms. These creatures attach themselves in the intestine and draw out blood. In small numbers, there will be no symptoms, but large numbers of hook worms can cause serious anemia and other problems. A dog with a serious infestation of hookworms may eat hungrily, but will still lose weight and appear to be weak.

The most visible infestation of worms that occurs in dogs is the tapeworm. They can cause diarrhea in your pet, but other signs of this parasite are the obvious worm segments that turn up in droppings. You may also see them attached to your dog's fur near the hindquarters.

If your dog is suffering from loose bowels, but does not present any other symptoms, poison could be the cause. This doesn't happen as frequently as worm infestation, because dogs are generally good at detecting hazardous substances and avoiding them. However, if your dog has recently consumed chocolate in any form, onions, grapes, macadamia nuts, or raisins, he could be suffering from mild poisoning. Onions can be a particularly bad culprit if you allow your pet to eat "human food" since they are a popular flavoring agent and ingredient. They don't' have to be visible to hurt your dog. This is one of the reasons that veterinarians generally recommend against giving your dog anything but specially designed pet food.

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