Q. I have a three-year-old female French Bulldog, an eleven-month-old terrier mix and a twenty-week-old deaf American Bulldog. Diarrhea started in the American Bulldog eight weeks ago. Two days later, I noticed it in the terrier. My vet thought it might be viral and prescribed Flagyl. About ten days later, the French Bulldog started having diarrahea too. The stool test results showed nothing but the diarrahea continued. An alternative doctor determined they do have parasites and prescribed shiitake mushroom. Almost two weeks later, sometimes their stool appears well-formed and at other times very soft or liquid. The American Bulldog also started scratching and this has intensified over the last couple of days.

 

A. First thing to consider – were your dogs vaccinated prior to the onset of the diarrhea? Mild cases of inflammatory bowel disease are auto immune-derived and are related to vaccines. The first thing I would recommend is the potato diet in my book, which can work overnight to stop diarrhea. Also, the supplement Acetylator from Vetri-science works phenomenally well for this. As far as herbal formulas, look for one that contains slippery elm, which soothes the intestinal tract and works for both constipation and diarrhea. Finally, as a more intensive measure, you could put your dogs on a two-day fast. How does this help, you may ask? It directly addresses the gastro-colic reflex. As soon as the stomach fills with food, it sends a neurological message to the colon to empty. The colon’s job is to absorb water back into the body before it eliminates the waste but if the colon is hyperactive, the water passes through unabsorbed. The result is diarrhea. Fasting for a couple of days can break the cycle of diarrhea and help the body “calm” itself. After the fast, slowly introduce your dogs to a diet consisting of bland foods.