Diarrhea
Boxer Dog Diarrhea
Overview
Diarrhea is a word that puppy and dog owners don’t want to hear. It’s instant stress for all Boxers of any age and their owners. It can cause a lot of discomfort and can lead to dehydration, which is a greater risk for Boxer puppies.
Let’s cover the details you need to know if your Boxer puppy or adult has loose stools or diarrhea.
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About Diarrhea
Stomach issues start with digestion. With most foods, it takes about 8 hours for the food to pass through to a canine's small intestines. During the trip, most of the nutrients and about 80% of the water is absorbed and used by the dog's body. The rest gathers in the colon and leaves as a well-formed, solid, stool.
A wide-range of possible issues can disrupt this process. Fluid passes out of the body before it can be absorbed by the intestines, resulting in loose or runny stools.
Many times, diarrhea runs its course as a dog’s body corrects itself naturally; but, since some possible causes are serious and all dogs need some help with staying hydrated and easing back into eating during this time, it’s vital to know how to react if your Boxer has a bout of diarrhea.
Acute vs. Chronic vs. Intermittent Diarrhea
Acute diarrhea
is a short-lived episode, typically lasting 2 to 5 days that responds to at-home treatment and does not reoccur again within the next 3 months. Steps seen here may help.
Chronic diarrhea
lasts more than 5 days. A dog may seem to improve with treatment from home, but the diarrhea kicks in again soon afterward. Veterinary diagnosis and treatment is needed for this.
Intermittent diarrhea
is bouts seen often throughout the year. It comes and goes, with anywhere from a week to a month between episodes. Veterinary diagnosis and treatment is needed for this.
Signs of Diarrhea
- There is suddenly a lot more stool.
- The stool is runny, liquid, or loose.
- Frequently needing to go to the bathroom, and your Boxer may have the ‘squirts.'
- Flatulence
- May be accompanied by loss of appetite and/or lethargy
Red Flag Signs That Require Immediate Veterinary Treatment
- Diarrhea along with violent, projectile vomiting
- Explosive diarrhea – Almost pure water, shot out with force
- Bloody diarrhea
- Diarrhea along with blood seen in vomit
- Severe weakness
- Refusal to drink
- Bloated stomach
- Excessive drooling
- Any signs of distress - pacing, restlessness, panicked behavior
- High fever - anything above 103.5 F (39.7C)
- Trouble breathing
- If moderate to severe diarrhea lasts for more than 24 hours or mild diarrhea is not improving after 3 days
- If you suspect any form of poisoning
Causes of Diarrhea with Boxer Puppies and Dogs
A Reaction to food:
It's not always a food allergy. Sometimes, a dog just doesn’t digest a certain food easily. Allergies can cause additional symptoms, such as dry flaky skin, and hot spots. Sometimes ‘simple' foods aren't easy to digest for some dogs. A few Boxers have had issues with chicken, beef, fish or eggs. Even that could have a deeper cause if the meats were fed hormones or antibiotics that aren't compatible with a dog’s digestion. In addition, certain spices can trigger an allergy, as well as soy, wheat, or other grains.
Intestinal parasites:
Here's something we never want, but it happens. Giardia or Coccidia can cause diarrhea.
Giardia
is a small parasite; kin to an ameba and this protozoan is not friendly. It's typically transmitted through water, in a puddle or other contaminated water. Even river or lake water on a hiking trip, and on rare occasions tap water can carry this parasite. Humans can get giardia, and it has been called ‘Montezuma’s Revenge,' although sometimes that is a different bacterium.
This parasite causes gas and lots of diarrhea. Because the parasite runs in a cycle; it can seem to go away, and then come back, over and over again with almost IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) type symptoms. It has a treatment available by the veterinarian if your dog has contracted it.
Coccidia, which also causes diarrhea in dogs, is a different parasite and has a different treatment than giardia. Canines can contract this parasite via contact with infected feces, or sometimes from their mother. That doesn't mean the breeder or shelter wasn't clean, just that coccidia is a sneaky and resilient parasite. Coccidia is often carried by birds and passes in their droppings onto lawns, parking lots, and other areas of the flyover.
Approximately 50% of all puppies have contracted coccidiosis or guardia at least once. It's highly recommended to watch what your Boxer is doing. Don't let them eat feces, sniff or lick at it. Protect them from puddles and melting ice.
A few other parasites that can cause diarrhea in puppies, or in some cases adult canines, are roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, and threadworms.
Ingesting something they are sensitive to:
A canine's palate isn't the same as ours. Some dogs think that garbage, trash, decaying leaves, dead mice or birds, plants, and grasses are all things meant to be eaten. And, these can all upset the digestive system or be mildly to severely toxic.
Infection and diseases:
A lot of acute cases of diarrhea with dogs are caused by a minor bacterial infection that runs its course over a couple of days and then resolves. However, there are other more serious issues that can be at play. This includes:
- Campylobacteria, seen most often with young pups up to 6 months old. About half of all dogs carry this (can be carriers that are healthy, but can pass this on). It's most often picked up when a dog eats the feces of another dog. While the top sign is diarrhea, there can also be straining during bowel movements, fever, vomiting, and enlarged lymph nodes.
- Inflammatory bowel disease which is catch-all term that is given if a dog has ongoing, chronic diarrhea linked to one of several conditions including allergies, parasites, lowered immune system, and some diseases including colitis. Signs include persistent diarrhea, low-grade fever, weight loss, lethargy, and/or vomiting.
Diagnosing this includes blood testing, urinalysis, stool testing, and other tests. Antibiotics, corticosteroids, and medications to protect the lining of the intestines may be given. In many cases, a change to a different food which includes a switch in both protein and carb sources can help.
- Other less common but possible reasons for diarrhea include kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, lymphangiectasia, pancreatitis, and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
Elements to Help Decipher Diarrhea Issues
Color, smell, and consistency are all clues:
- Tarry, sticky black stools can point to upper GI bleeding and warrants an immediate vet visit.
- Red or red spotting in stools often points to bleeding in the lower GI tract. A few dogs with excessive diarrhea can basically have ‘hemorrhoids' or extreme irritation to the anal area. In those cases, the blood can be coming from small tears or rips in the anus.
- Yellow or green loose stools. With a puppy, yellow can point to coccidia. Otherwise, yellow or green indicates that food is passing through too quickly to digest completely. This means a parasite or food intolerance, or a food that triggers your Boxer’s stomach.
- Gray can point to a liver-related issue.
- Foam seen in the diarrhea tends to point to a bacterial infection.
- Greasy diarrhea can mean the pancreas is having a problem.
Treating a Boxer Dog at Home for Diarrhea
If, after reading all this, you have decided that your Boxer isn’t at risk if you don’t see the vet, then here are some at home treatments.
1. Give the stomach a break.
If diarrhea is moderate to severe, you can withhold food for 24 hours. Do give supplements; see below. If a Boxer’s diarrhea is slight, 12 hours without food should work.
2. Keep your Boxer hydrated.
A lot of water is lost even with one episode of diarrhea. When the ability to drink fluids fast enough to compensate for the water loss is insufficient, dehydration can result. This is of particular concern for Boxer puppies and senior Boxer dogs, but is applicable to dogs of all ages.
If your Boxer doesn’t seem to be drinking enough, you can:
- Offer some clear colored Pedialyte either straight or diluted by half with water.
- Try some organic chicken broth.
- For a pup, if you have ‘nutra-cal' or another brand of high-calorie anti-sugar crashing supplement, put that on the gums and see if it makes them thirsty within 15 minutes.
3. After 12 to 24 hours, start your Boxer on a bland diet.
This is typically just 1 protein and 1 starch. One of the most tolerated combinations is plain, white, skinless chicken breast diced small and plain white rice or plain oatmeal. However, lean beef and sweet potato are other good options. If you offer chicken, the broth from boiling the chicken is good for your Boxer to drink after it cools to a warm temperature.
4. After 3 days, start to transition back to a regular diet or a new, better food if that was decided. By then, the body should be well-rested.
Extra Tips
What about Pepto Bismol?
This is safe to give to most dogs. However, check with your vet. Some recommend not giving this, in order to allow the body to expel stools as it needs to. But, in some cases, if a dog, especially a puppy, is overwhelmingly stressed, and this can help control diarrhea to some degree. Do not give this to a Boxer that is pregnant or to any dog that is allergic to silicates.
The typical dosing is 1 teaspoon for each 20 pounds. You can use this every 6 hours for up to 48 hours. Your vet may suggest a slightly stronger dose.
Altering sleeping or living arrangements.
When you have to go, you have to go, and your Boxer can't always get there in time. If that is happening to your Boxer puppy, pee pads placed over the floor of a pen or gated off area are a blessing. Alternatively, moving your Boxer’s bed closer to the exit door can help. And/or you may wish to move your dog over to a more easily washable floor for sanitation purposes.
During this time avoid additional stress for your Boxer.
At this time, Boxers don't need playtime with small children; it burns energy, and their reserves are low when dealing with diarrhea. Also, discontinue walks or exercise until the vet gives the ‘all clear’.
Sore Rear-ends.
Puppies and dogs can have red, irritated behinds from the change in acidity from diarrhea. They may lick their behind due to the irritation which only exacerbates the problem.
If this happens or to prevent it in the first place, spray the area with Vetericyn Plus Wound & Skin Care
. This product is healing, disinfecting and completely safe to use. It doesn't hurt or sting. After cleaning the area with this product, organic coconut oil can be applied. It melts quickly and is a natural antibiotic, and it is very soothing. If you put it on first, then you can't use the Vetericyn afterward as the coconut oil also acts as a bit of a seal.
. This product is healing, disinfecting and completely safe to use. It doesn't hurt or sting. After cleaning the area with this product, organic coconut oil can be applied. It melts quickly and is a natural antibiotic, and it is very soothing. If you put it on first, then you can't use the Vetericyn afterward as the coconut oil also acts as a bit of a seal. Alternatively, you can cut open a Vitamin E gel tabs. The contents are liquid and slightly sticky. Apply the vitamin liquid to the irritated skin. It's a good idea to try to keep your Boxer’s attention elsewhere for a while, so they don't lick this off all at once.
If you don't see some improvement in 24 hours, broken skin around the anus may have developed an infection. The good news is that if you used Vetericyn, that risk is somewhat mitigated. Otherwise, you may need your vet to prescribe an antibacterial gel, sometimes an antibiotic shot, and occasionally a cone if you have a persistent licker.