Icky or Effective? This for Puppy Diarrhea Treatment Is Both

If you have a puppy, you might have experienced how terrifying it is when diarrhea wracks his tiny body. Recurrent diarrhea is a common problem in puppies from kennels. Sometimes, even lovingly home raised litters are susceptible to the bacteria that causes this troubling, and all too common, gastrointestinal problem. Now there is a new puppy diarrhea treatment the is providing hope to our furry best friends.

Unfortunately, the bacteria that causes diarrhea spreads easily from puppy to puppy. Until now, the usual treatment was with antibiotics, which often come with their own set of problems. However, veterinarians at Southeastern Guide Dogs in Florida have developed a new treatment method for puppy diarrhea.

Dr. Kevin Conrad, head of the facility, says: “We see 250 dogs a year, and there were a lot of repeat offenders with symptoms not going away… It could take days, weeks, or months to get one dog feeling better, and I knew there had to be an easier process.”

So, what new puppy diarrhea treatment did Dr. Conrad and his colleagues come up with? They give the sick puppies a ‘fecal enema’! By injecting fecal matter from a dog with a healthy gastrointestinal tract, they are providing the patient with a massive dose of the good bacteria and other microbes that their poor, sick tummies are lacking.

This concept is not entirely new. As this article explains, physicians have been treating especially recalcitrant Clostridium difficile infections in humans for several years now with tremendous success. The treatment works so well because massive doses of ‘good microbes’ from a healthy donor overwhelm the disease-causing bacteria and restore a healthy balance in the gut.

The medical staff at Southeastern Guide Dogs screen stools from unaffected dogs to make sure it is healthy. Then they liquefy it and give it to the sick puppies via enema. The puppies start feeling better in as little as 12 hours.

Dr. Conrad and his team are expanding their puppy diarrhea treatment to other dogs besides sick puppies. They have treated a pregnant dog, and none of her puppies developed diarrhea. Their hope is that they can prevent diarrhea from striking puppies and that the treatment will last throughout the dog’s lifetime.

When you are ready to train your healthy puppy, contact Canine Commander. From ensuring your home is a puppy-safe environment to proper socialization and individualized training, our experts are ready to help you and your puppy.