Okay, so my German Shepherd, Duke, had a nasty bout of diarrhea last week. It was…messy. And scary, ’cause you never want to see your furry buddy feeling bad.
First thing I did was take away his food. I figured his tummy needed a break. No treats, no kibble, nothing. Just water. I made sure he had plenty of fresh water available to stay hydrated, which is super important when they’re losing fluids like that.
My Steps
-
Removed food to let the stomach have rest.
-
Observed my dog.
Then, I watched him like a hawk. I mean, I was checking everything – how often he was going, what it looked like (gross, I know, but necessary!), and if he was acting lethargic or showing any other signs of being really sick. I wanted to collect all of the information.
After about 24 hours of just water, and his poops still looking a little watery, I started him on some bland food. I boiled some plain chicken breast and mixed it with plain white rice. No seasonings, no butter, just plain and simple. This is easy on their digestive system. He ate up happily!
I fed him small portions of the chicken and rice mixture several times a day, instead of his usual two big meals. Smaller portions are easier to digest when their gut is still recovering.
Slowly, over the next couple of days, I started mixing in his regular kibble with the chicken and rice. I started with just a tiny bit of kibble, and then gradually increased the amount while decreasing the chicken and rice. I pay attention to the dog’s poop to adjust the ratio.
It took about three or four days, but Duke finally got back to his normal, solid self. Whew! I was so relieved. Now he’s back to his usual goofy, energetic self, and his poops are back to normal, thank goodness.
If he hadn’t gotten better after a couple of days, or if he’d seemed really sick at any point (like, super lethargic, vomiting, or blood in his poop), I would have taken him straight to the vet. Better safe than sorry with these things!
