Accepted Answer

Hi,
Your dog's diarrhea could be from a number of things. Certainly different plants he might eat outside could bring it on, as could different minerals in the water. It is possible for him to also get Giardia, coccidia, or other intestinal parasites from the dog areas at rest stops or in parks. Hopefully you have brought along his regular diet to feed him on the trip.

But it may also be the stress of the trip--the change in routine, etc, that has brought on the diarrhea. I see it pretty frequently in dogs that are boarding. When they get stressed, the whole bacterial flora of their intestines can change and they can have "bad" bacteria overgrow the good ones and cause diarrhea.

Since you are traveling, I would first recommend trying some Pepto-Bismal to help stop the diarrhea. Since he is such a little guy, you don't want to give too much--about 1 mg. You will need to look on the bottle and determine how many mg/ml (if you have some, I would be happy to figure it out for you).

You might be able to find something for him at a pet store, too. I like FortiFlora, but am not sure you can find that OTC. FortiFlora contains high amount of "good" bacteria and can help with diarrhea. Might be something to get from your vet before your next travels.

Finally, when you get back to your vet (or sooner, if the diarrhea doesn't clear up), I would have a stool check done. If there are no parasites, your vet will likely prescribe an antibiotic, like metronidazole, to help with the diarrhea.

Good luck!
Dr. Scarlett

Expert:	vetlori
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	3/25/2009

Dog Veterinarian

I am a practicing small animal veterinarian with 13 years experience.