5 BEST Dog Diarrhea Home Remedies

As a dog owner, one of the most difficult times is when your beloved pooch has diarrhea. Dogs get diarrhea for any number of reasons and most of the time you can treat it at home. I hope that these 5 Dog Diarrhea Home Remedies will help you get through this trying time!

My rescue pup, Roxy, was 10 months old when we got her from the Humane Society. Sadly, she had a rough life up until we got her, she had a skin allergy and was underweight.

The Humane Society warned us that Roxy might experience some diarrhea due to the change in environment. Oh boy, did she! I’ve owned dogs for many years, but until we bought Roxy home, I had no idea a dog could produce so much… well… poop!

Roxie the Rescue had dog diarrhea when we first got her

We were patient with her, cleaned up the messes as they happened, and did our best to settle her in. It seems that Roxie’s upset stomach was the result of a few different factors: change in diet, change in environment, and medication. These are also the 3 most common causes of doggy stomach woes, so it’s no wonder she was unwell!

Within a few days, the watery diarrhea had stopped but Roxie still had very loose stools and had to go frequently. After checking with the vet that there was nothing seriously wrong, I looked for dog diarrhea home remedies to help her. Below are a few of the best that I found worked for her then, and since.

Common Reasons for Dog Diarrhea

You might be looking for a dog diarrhea home remedy for any number of reasons. Below are some of the most common causes of mild dog diarrhea. Always check with your vet if you are unsure or the symptoms are severe!

Change of Diet

Dog diarrhea home remedies for when your dog has an upset stomach

Dogs have very sensitive digestive systems (although they don’t seem to know it, judging by the junk they will eat!). Any change in their diet, even a minor one can result in diarrhea.

Also, our beloved fur babies will sometimes eat things they shouldn’t! That moldy sandwich they find on the ground during your walk could have long-lasting effects! Check out my ultimate list of foods that dogs can and can’t eat!

Some dogs are more susceptible to it than others. This is a time when dog diarrhea home remedies will really help.

Change of Environment or Stress

This is another common factor that causes diarrhea in dogs. Depending on the dog and its disposition, even the smallest changes to its environment or routine might bring about an episode of loose stools. These dog diarrhea home remedies will definitely help in this case. You will also want to look at what is causing the stress and minimize it.

(Learn about baby-proofing your dog, so a new baby doesn’t stress them out.)

My cute little Roxy often gets an upset stomach when our routine changes. When my dad came to stay with us for a few days, Roxy developed a terrible case of diarrhea! Not a fun way to entertain guests!

Medication

As with humans, there are some medications that your vet might prescribe for your dog that have the nasty side effect of diarrhea. It is always best to check with your vet in this case, as it could mean that your dog isn’t absorbing the medication properly.

Dog Diarrhea Home Remedies

1. Water

Make sure your dog drinks a lot of water when it has diarrhea

When your dog has diarrhea, the first thing you want to do is fast her. You want to wait at least 12 hours before reintroducing bland food (see below) to give their intestinal tract a rest. Even when they aren’t eating, you need to make sure they get enough water.

Diarrhea is any animal (humans included!) can cause dehydration. So the most important thing is to make sure your dog has access to fresh, clean water. If your dog gets dehydrated then you will be dealing with a whole different set of problems. If your dog doesn’t seem to want to drink, you can always mix in a tiny amount of no salt added chicken or beef broth to encourage drinking.

2. Rice

Rice is an excellent for helping your dog get better from an upset stomach

Rice can help in two ways – re-hydration and then bland food once they are recovering. During their fast, you can give them rice water to help with hydration. Rice water is the white liquid that you get when you boil rice.

Make sure to use white rice, not minute rice, or brown rice as they won’t help. To make rice water, boil 1 cup of white rice in 4 cups of water for 20-25 minutes. Drain the rice and keep the liquid, allowing it to cool, and you can then offer it to your dog. If he doesn’t seem interested you can add a small amount of no salt added chicken or beef broth.

After 12-24 hours you can gradually reintroduce food to your pet. Plain boiled white rice, is a good food to start with. You can also mix the rice with low-fat cottage cheese, plain yogurt, or pumpkin (see below).

3. Probiotics

Plain yogurt is a great dog diarrhea home remedy

You’ve probably heard that probiotics are good for you and maybe you’ve even taken some. But they are also good for your dog, especially when they have diarrhea.

Probiotics help repopulate the good bacteria in the intestinal tract after a bout of diarrhea or vomiting. You can buy probiotic tablets or you can give your dog plain yogurt (especially the type with lactobacillus acidophilus). You can mix the yogurt with rice, chicken broth, or cottage cheese as you are reintroducing foods after the fast.

Just make sure that it is plain yogurt. No added flavors or sugars.

4. Human Anti-Diarrhea Medication

You can try giving your dog human anti-diarrhea medication that you can buy at any local pharmacy. Imodium and Pepto Bismol are the main ones you want to look for, however, you should check with your vet first. Please be very careful with the dosing, as it’s easy to overdose a small dog. Your vet may advise different dosing, but generally 0.4mg of Imodium for every 10lbs of dog, twice a day.

I’ve given my dogs Imodium and Pepto Bismol in the past. However, it is always a last resort for me as I normally have better luck with the other dog diarrhea home remedies listed here (especially #5!).

5. Pumpkin

Pumpkin is great for dog's stomach health

I left this one to last because it is my all-time favorite home remedy for dog diarrhea for all kinds of doggy digestive issues!

Pumpkin is the wonder-food for dogs as it will help them when they are constipated as well as diarrhea. The high fiber content absorbs excess water in the intestinal tract, therefore helping with the symptoms of diarrhea. The dietary fiber will also help get things moving when your dog is constipated. The perfect food for most doggy digestive issues!

You can buy canned pumpkin at most grocery stores, just make sure you get the 100% pumpkin and not the pumpkin pie filling. At my grocery store, it is in the baking aisle. It’s affordable and fast working so it’s worth keeping a can in your pantry, just in case!

I regularly mix 1 or 2 teaspoons of pumpkin into my dog’s food. I especially like to use it when I know that there will be a change in routine that might upset their stomach. As a tasty treat, I mix a teaspoon of pumpkin and a teaspoon of plain yogurt with their regular dry dog food. They love it and it helps their tummies during times of stress.

Cuddles and Rest

Just like humans, when dogs feel unwell they need a little bit of extra love and attention. Hopefully, with these dog diarrhea home remedies, your fur-baby will be feeling better quickly, but until they do make sure to give them extra cuddles and help them rest.