Chronic diarrhea is diarrhea that lasts for over a month and tends to be recurrent. The causes are somewhat different from acute diarrhea. They include inflammations of the intestinal lining that are parasitic, allergic or autoimmune in origin, as well as malfunctions in the secretion of digestive enzymes or in the mechanisms involved in the absorption of nutrients by intestinal cells. Consequently, acute diarrhea that has caused severe destruction of the digestive tract lining may evolve into chronic diarrhea. Sometimes, chronic diarrhea indicates the presence of tumors in the body. Finally, as with the previous case, diarrhea may occur intermittently as a result of a particular, repeated stress.
With chronic diarrhea, the general health of the dog deteriorates slowly. The dog progressively loses weight in greater quantities than with acute diarrhea. However, the onset of dehydration is slower and often, abdominal pain is less severe.
As with vomiting, it is important to take the dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible. In fact, the health of the dog may deteriorate rapidly, especially with younger and older dogs. In order to help the veterinarian determine the diagnosis, the owner should note the date when the symptoms first appeared and the frequency, consistency and color of the bowel movements (for example, there may be blood in the stool). Does the stool contain parasites or undigested food? Does the dog show signs of pain? etc.
All of this information will enable the veterinarian to determine the exact cause of the problem, decide which tests to run and prescribe a treatment.
As soon as diarrhea sets in, it is recommended that the dog be placed on a restricted diet and be taken to the veterinarian as quickly as possible.
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