From viral gastrointestinal bugs to disease to ingesting something that doesn't agree with them, humans are bound to experience occasional bouts of diarrhea. The same is true for dogs. Get the scoop on your dog's poop to learn what can cause diarrhea, what you should look for when your dog experiences it, whether or not it can be dealt with at home, and when it should be addressed to your veterinarian at a pet hospital.

Indiscriminate Ingestion

Dogs are not typically selective about what they sample. From grazing on outdoor vegetation to raiding your kitchen wastebasket, dogs are notorious for eating things that are not ideal ingredients of a healthy doggy diet. These unwelcomed snacks trigger your dog's gastrointestinal tract to launch a protest in the form of unformed stool, or diarrhea. If your dog is a repeat offender in crimes of dietary indiscretion, he is said by some veterinarians to have garbage gut. Other triggers can cause diarrhea in dogs, however, including the following:

• Abrupt changes in diet
• Intestinal parasites, such as giardia, coccidian, roundworms, whipworms and hookworms
• Food allergies or intolerances
• Ingestion of toxic substances
• Ingestion of foreign bodies
• Stress or anxiety
• Viral illnesses, such as canine parvovirus or canine coronavirus
• Bacterial infections, such as salmonella or campylobacter
• Diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, liver disease, pancreatic disease or kidney disease
• Certain medications, including some antibiotics

Whenever your dog has an episode of diarrhea, there are a few things that you need to assess as you clean up the mess.

Stool Study

Whenever your dog has diarrhea, you should first determine if he has exhibited any other symptoms of being sick, such as vomiting, lethargy, change in appetite or a fever. Your dog's stool can also provide valuable clues that will be helpful in determining why your dog has diarrhea and how it should be treated. As you pick up the stool, analyze the following aspects:

• What color is the stool? Is it really just brown, or does it lean more toward green, orange, yellow, grey or black? Is it streaked with red?
• What is the stool's shape and consistency? Is it slightly formed, like soft-serve ice cream, or is it a watery puddle?
• Do you see blood, mucous or white bits in the stool?
• How much and how often is your dog defecating?

Make note of your observations, as they indicate if specific organs may be involved or whether the problem is stemming from the large or small intestine. The information that you gather can also help you to determine if you can safely treat your dog's diarrhea at home.

Veterinary Involvement

Dehydration is an immediate concern whenever a pet has diarrhea. Pinch your dog's skin between his shoulder blades, and gently pull the skin upward. If the skin immediately snaps back into place when you release your grasp, his hydration status is good. If the skin is slow to flatten, however, this indicates that your dog is dehydrated and should be seen by your veterinarian without delay. You should also schedule an appointment with your veterinarian under the following conditions:

• Your dog is a small breed, a puppy or a senior.
• Your dog has a pre-existing health condition.
• Your dog is exhibiting other signs of illness or changes in behavior.
• Your dog's stool appears black or tarry, which may indicate internal bleeding.
• Your dog seems fine, but his diarrhea has persisted past two days.

It is always best to err on the side of caution. Your veterinarian can send a sample of your dog's stool to a laboratory for analysis, administer intravenous or subcutaneous fluid therapy to avert dehydration and send you home with a bland prescription diet. In certain cases, drug therapy may also be prescribed. He or she may also perform blood panels and imaging tests to rule out causes that require specific treatment. However, if your dog is otherwise healthy and behaving normally, and if he has just presented his first current episode of diarrhea, it is not unreasonable to first try some therapy at home.

Home Help

Never administer over-the-counter antidiarrheal medications to your dog without consulting with your veterinarian. According to the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, if you choose to attempt a round of home therapy to treat your dog's diarrhea, begin with a period of fasting so that your dog's gastrointestinal tract has a chance to calm down and rest. Withhold your dog's food for 24 hours, but do not restrict your dog's access to water. If your dog's episodes of diarrhea cease, then you can reintroduce food by feeding him several very small meals of bland food. You can offer a prescription intestinal therapy diet from your veterinarian, or you can cook boiled rice with white meat chicken or turkey. Wait two hours after each feeding, and only offer another feeding if your dog has not had a repeat episode of diarrhea. Once your dog has not had diarrhea for two days, you can slowly start to wean him back to his regular diet. Wean gradually over a period of a week so that his system can acclimate to the change.

If your dog's diarrhea shows no improvement or worsens, or if his stool improves only temporarily and diarrhea relapses, gather a stool sample and schedule an appointment as soon as possible with your veterinarian.