Diarrhea

Purpose

You're doing a walk-through and a dog has left a loose, watery stool in the yard. Mild diarrhea like this shows up often, usually from stress, excitement, or a change in diet, and most of the time it resolves with basic home care. This is the sequence to follow from that first observation through to a possible vet visit.

At a Glance

• Range: mild diarrhea can look anywhere from loose, to mucus-covered, to fully watery.
• Common causes: stress, excitement, or a change in diet.
• First move: notify the manager or lead person for the day, and record it in the kennel system under the dog's medical notes.
• Home care: withhold food for up to 24 hours, keep water available at all times, then move to a bland diet. Pumpkin and rice are a common soothing option.
• Over-the-counter aids like Imodium or Pepto Bismol are usually fine if you already know the dog's health history.
• Vet timeline: by default at 48 hours if it hasn't resolved, moved up to before 24 hours for a puppy, a senior, a very small dog, a dog with a pre-existing condition, or other symptoms like vomiting, a lot of blood in the stool, or lethargy.
• See Vomiting and Food Refusal for the adjacent GI issues that share some of this same home-care logic.

Steps

1. Notice the loose, mucus-covered, or watery stool during a walk-through or a routine check.
2. Notify the manager or lead person for the day.
3. Record the diarrhea in the kennel system, under that dog's medical notes.
4. Withhold food, for up to 24 hours, while keeping water available the entire time.
5. When the dog is ready to eat again, start with a bland diet. Pumpkin and rice are a common option to help settle the stomach.
6. If you already know the dog's health is otherwise clear, an over-the-counter aid like Imodium or Pepto Bismol is usually fine to use.
7. Watch the clock against the risk factors: a puppy, a senior, a very small dog, a dog with a pre-existing condition, or any sign of vomiting, a large amount of blood in the stool, or lethargy moves the vet visit up to before the 24-hour mark.
8. If none of those risk factors apply and the diarrhea is still present past 48 hours, that's the point where a vet visit should be considered regardless.

Edge Cases

• Any dog that's a puppy, a senior, very small, or already has a pre-existing condition doesn't get the full 48-hour window; the vet visit moves up to before 24 hours.
• Vomiting, a large amount of blood in the stool, or lethargy alongside the diarrhea is itself a reason to move the vet visit up, independent of how much time has passed.
• Withholding food is a 24-hour measure, not an open-ended one; water stays available the entire time regardless of the food decision.

Who to Ask

The manager or lead person for the day is your first call the moment you spot it, not after you've already started home care.

What is the process for deciding between home care and a vet visit?

Start with home care (withhold food up to 24 hours, water always available, then a bland diet) unless the dog is a puppy, senior, very small, has a pre-existing condition, or shows vomiting, a lot of blood in the stool, or lethargy, any of which move the vet visit up to before 24 hours. Otherwise, 48 hours without improvement is the point to get the dog seen.

Most mild cases resolve with the basics: withhold, hydrate, then bland diet. The risk factors above are what tell you this case isn't most cases.