And one of the health issues your Yorkie will eventually face is diarrhea.
In a small dog like the Yorkshire terrier, a bout of diarrhea can be deadly serious. Your dog can quickly become dehydrated and even die.
That is why you need to know what to do when your Yorkie has diarrhea.
Quick and correct action can save your dog’s life.
Keep reading to learn what you need to do when your Yorkie has diarrhea. We’ll also cover the common causes and how to prevent it in the first place, since not having it at all is better than curing it.
Contents
My Yorkie Has Diarrhea: What Can I Do?
As mentioned, diarrhea can quickly become dangerous in a small animal like the Yorkshire terrier. If your Yorkie is suffering from runny stool, follow these guidelines to remedy the issue.
Fast
The first step to treat an acute non-severe case of diarrhea is to stop giving your dog any food for 12 to 24 hours. You should also limit your dog’s water intake.
Once the diarrhea shows signs of slowing down, stat giving it water again. Small dogs like Yorkies should get a few teaspoons every few hours. Use spring or filtered water, if possible.
Note that limiting water is only a good idea if the diarrhea is caused by something your dog ate. If it is caused by another medical issue like dehydration and weight loss, you should do the opposite and give your dog lots of water to drink.
Similarly, you should only fast your dog if it is older than 6 months. Do not withhold food from a younger puppy.
Finally, if your Yorkie suffers from low blood sugar, give it a small amount of honey to lick every hour. This is also a good idea if your pup is especially small. Do this more often, if your dog seems weak and trembly.
Once the diarrhea has subsided and your dog has been consuming nothing but water for 6 hours, you can start giving your dog small amounts food. Stick to bland foods.
Bland Diet
When your Yorkie is ready to start eating food again, it is best to start with bland foods. A low salt chicken broth or bone broth is a great option. You can also feed your dog mashed potatoes.
But bone broth is generally the best choice. It is rich in essential nutrients and is easy on your dog’s stomach.
Once your Yorkie is ready to move on to something more substantial, you can give it tiny pieces of boiled chicken breast and unsalted and unseasoned white rice. Mix them together before feeding.
You could also consider adding a little pumpkin flavor to help with constipation or diarrhea, helping the stool normalize. Read “My Yorkie Is Constipated: What Can I Do?” for more on this. Maintain this kind of diet for about two weeks.
Probiotics And Prebiotics
Probiotics and prebiotics combine to keep the digestive system moving and to promote optimal gut health.
Probiotics help to restore and build the gut lining. You can feed your dog some yogurt, but a probiotic supplement would be better. You vet can recommend one and this is always the best option. But this supplement available on amazon is good.
Prebiotics turn into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) once in the colon. They provide energy to colon cells, prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and preserve electrolyte balance.
Natural Remedies
There are a number of great natural remedies to help your dog recover from a bout of diarrhea. For a list of the best, read our article on Yorkie diarrhea treatment.
Veterinarian Help
If your Yorkie is suffering from moderate (or worse) diarrhea, it is highly advisable to seek a veterinarian’s help. Signs of moderate diarrhea are bloody diarrhea, vomiting, extreme weakness, and fever.
The veterinarian will run some tests to identify the cause, so that they can give your dog the proper treatment. Here are some more signs to look for that indicate you should contact your vet.
- Severe diarrhea
- Eating less than usual
- Drinking less than usual
- Vomiting as well as having diarrhea
- Constant diarrhea
- Blood in their diarrhea and/or mucus in their diarrhea
- Diarrhea as a young puppy or an elderly dog
- Sleeping more than usual
- They’re taking other medications, especially anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Painful stomach
- Diarrhea that’s been coming and going for a while
- Diarrhea and other health issues
Prevention Of Diarrhea On Dogs
Keeping your dog happy and healthy is the best way to prevent diarrhea. And the most important step to achieving that is a healthy and balanced diet and daily exercise. You should also stay up to date on your dog’s vaccinations.
Try to keep your dog’s environment as stress-free as possible. When your dog is in a kennel with other dogs, make sure that it’s washed and disinfected.
Dogs are sensitive to change, so it’s helpful to keep a daily schedule with sleep, food, exercise, and walks. Another thing that can improve is to have a weekly obedience practice.
When out on walks, keep an eye on your dog and make sure it does not ingest random things like trash, puddles, plants or other things that it should not be eating.
Feces can also cause diarrhea. Your dog will want to smell the feces of other dogs, but this is obviously not the most hygienic thing to do.
Basically, exercise common sense in treating your dog and you are already doing a lot to prevent diarrhea. It can also help to know the most common causes.
Causes Of Diarrhea In Yorkies
Diarrhea can come on with no warning, so you need to be ready for your Yorkie babies to experience this at any given time. It helps to know what causes diarrhea, so let’s take a quick look at the most common causes.
Stress
Stress can cause diarrhea and a lot of things can cause your dog stress. Moving to a new home, meeting new people or animals, a lot of noise in the environment are all things than can be overwhelming and cause stress.
Training your dog for socialization can help reduce the effects of some of these changes, so that they do not cause nearly as much stress.
Change In Diet
Whenever you decide to give your Yorkie a new food, do so slowly, because the change may cause stress. This can easily cause diarrhea and vomiting.
Viruses And Infections
All dogs are vulnerable to bacterial or viral infections and many of these cause diarrhea. Puppies’ immune systems are not fully developed, so they are even more susceptible to pathogens.
Plus, they may not have received all of their vaccinations yet. Viral infections such as parvovirus and distemper can infect an unvaccinated puppy and cause diarrhea. They are all dangerous, but parvo is the one you need to look out for the most.
Parvovirus
Parvo is incredibly infectious and is a huge danger to unvaccinated puppies. Parvovirus affects rapidly dividing cells, such as those that line the intestines and those that combat infection.
Not only does parvo cause severe bloody diarrhea, but it also leaves puppies vulnerable to bacterial infection. Dog diarrhea caused by parvo is often profound and painful, requiring intensive hospitalization.
Untreated, the survival rate of parvo is less than 25%. Intensive veterinary treatment, with multiple days of intensive care, including antiviral medications, antibiotics, and fluids, will lead to 75% recovery.
But remember, the healing process is likely to cost you a fortune.
A series of cheap and effective vaccines can cure parvo. Puppies should also drink milk from their mother within the first 12 to 24 hours of birth to receive a dose of natural antibodies.
This should protect the puppy against parvo for the first 2- to 3 months of life. Then, at 6 to 8 weeks, the puppies should receive parvo vaccines.
Remember to boost the vaccine every 3 weeks until the dog is at least 12 to 16 weeks old.
Parasites
Parasites are everywhere. Puppies can even inherit some intestinal parasites, such as roundworms and giardia, from their mothers.
It is also possible to pick them up from dirt or infected water. Your vet can treat most common intestinal parasites. This is important, because some of them can be quite harmful.
Diet
The digestive systems of puppies are still developing, and certain puppies may have weak stomachs. This indicates that they may have had a rough time coping with specific products or styles of food. Most would also respond poorly to a sudden shift in diet.
There are a few food disorders that can lead to diarrhea. Check with your doctor to ensure the food you have picked is a proper fit for your puppy’s needs.
There are several different forms of food available, and one is sure to be right for your dog. Get only the best dog food for yorkie poo to be regular.
Besides having delicate digestive tracts, puppies are also curious, and almost all they find fascinating can be eaten or swallowed. This can involve a string, waste, or nearly everything they see on the field.
In some cases, this can be dangerous. Some items can induce intestinal blockages, while others may be poisonous.
My Yorkie Has Diarrhea: Conclusion
The best course of action with diarrhea is to not get it in the first place. Treat your dog well and you can minimize the risks it gets sick. Knowing the most common causes of diarrhea will help with that.
Even if you do everything right, your Yorkie can still have diarrhea. When it happens, you want to be prepared and know what to do. That way, you can get your little furry friend back to feeling 100% as quickly and painlessly as possible.
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