Ask Dr. Jenn: What Is Causing My Dog's Diarrhea?

Dogs can have food allergies to chicken and other proteins. However, food allergies most often cause skin issues, not diarrhea. Your pet’s diarrhea is likely due to a different underlying cause. It could be one of the following:

Dietary Indiscretion

Diarrhea is caused by irritation and inflammation within the GI tract. The inflammation makes it hard for the intestines to absorb nutrients and water. The most common reason a dog develops diarrhea is dietary indiscretion, meaning he eats something he shouldn’t, such as garbage, a carcass found outside, plant material, or dirty water. Diarrhea from dietary indiscretion usually comes on quickly and will often resolve on its own within a week or so.

Parasites

Intestinal parasites are another cause of diarrhea. The parasites live within the small intestines where they steal nutrients and release eggs that are passed into the stool. Most of the time you won’t know if your pet has internal parasites because you are not going to see the worms in the stool. The eggs are microscopic and not visible to the naked eye. Your veterinary team can run tests to determine if your pet has internal parasites. It is recommended to have your pet’s stool sample checked for parasites every six to twelve months, even if the stools appear healthy.

Pancreatitis

Ingestion of high fat foods can cause pancreatitis. The pancreas secretes enzymes to digest food. When it becomes inflamed, often after a high fat meal, the pancreas releases large amounts of its digestive enzymes, leading to abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Pancreatitis is a much more serious condition and often requires medical treatment.

Inflammatory Bowl Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) causes chronic diarrhea that lasts three weeks or more. The GI tract becomes so inflamed that it cannot absorb nutrients. The pet often loses weight, and they may have a dry hair coat or a potbellied appearance. The cause of IBD in dogs has not been determined but may be triggered by certain foods or environmental factors.

How to Treat Diarrhea in Dogs

If your pet develops diarrhea suddenly, veterinarians often recommend a bland diet to rest the GI tract and give it time to recover. A bland diet often consists of a low-fat protein and an easily digested carbohydrate, such as boiled chicken and rice. You did the right thing by feeding this to your dog. However, because the diarrhea continues, I recommend you bring your dog to your veterinarian.

The veterinarian will likely do some tests on a diarrhea sample to see if there is an underlying parasitic cause. Depending on how sick your dog is, the vet may also do some blood tests. Blood tests can check for pancreatitis, measure protein levels to help determine if protein levels are low (which can be due to severe inflammation inhibiting absorption), and assess your pet’s overall health. Once your vet determines the underlying cause, they can advise you on the best way to treat it.

Regardless of whether or not your dog’s diarrhea clears up, I must caution you on his diet. You said your dog’s main food source is chicken, either from the store or air fried. A homemade diet of mainly chicken is not a balanced meal for your dog. It does not provide the proper balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber. It may also be lacking in important vitamins and minerals.  The diet may be the main factor in causing your pet’s diarrhea – not because of a reaction to chicken but because of an unbalanced diet.

Dog food has to meet certain standards to make sure it has all the nutrients your dog needs and in the right proportions. If you can have your pet eat a high quality over the counter dog food, this would be best.

Some people enjoy cooking for their dog or their dog absolutely refuses kibble. If you want to continue to feed your dog people food, I strongly recommend you speak with a veterinary nutritionist. The nutritionist can give you recipes of balanced meals for your pet and recommend necessary supplements, such as a pet multivitamin.

If you have additional questions about what to feed your dog, I am confident your veterinary team will be happy to help you. Our goal is to help your pet live a long and healthy life.