Health
Diarrhoea can be a short-lived upset or a sign that a dog needs veterinary care. The safest feeding advice starts by deciding whether this is a routine wobble or something more serious.
Build my dog’s planContact your vet promptly if diarrhoea is severe, persistent, contains blood, comes with repeated vomiting, marked lethargy, pain, dehydration concerns or anything else that makes you worried. Puppies, older dogs and dogs with other health problems may need help sooner.
This page is about feeding routine, not diagnosing the cause of diarrhoea.
Think back over the previous day or two. Was there a new food, scavenging, rich treats, table leftovers, a sudden recipe change, medication or a stressful event?
A short, accurate history is more useful than changing several foods at once and losing track of the original trigger.
Owners often report that the main food has not changed, then remember a new chew, training treat or kitchen scrap. For digestive troubleshooting, every edible extra counts.
If your vet is comfortable with home monitoring, keep the feeding routine simple enough that you can actually see whether things are settling.
When moving to a new complete food, some dogs cope with a direct change while others do better with a gradual transition. Follow any advice supplied for your dog and avoid repeatedly switching back and forth because of one soft stool.
If diarrhoea continues or worsens, stop experimenting and ask your vet what they want you to do next.
Note stool frequency and appearance, appetite, water intake, energy, vomiting, treats and the exact meals fed. Photos can be useful if your vet asks what you mean by diarrhoea.
You do not need an elaborate spreadsheet. A few accurate notes on your phone can make a veterinary conversation much clearer.
Once the dog is well and your vet is happy, return to a consistent complete diet and make future changes one at a time. That gives you a clean baseline if the problem ever returns.
Bark & Bowl can keep recipes, portions and delivery predictable, but recurring digestive problems still deserve professional assessment.
Sudden diarrhoea is more often linked to dietary indiscretion — bin raiding, a rich treat, something picked up on a walk — than to an ongoing food sensitivity. Stress, a recent boarding stay, or a fast diet change are also common, everyday causes.
Working through the obvious possibilities first, before assuming a specific ingredient is to blame, usually saves weeks of unnecessary recipe-swapping.
Keep in mind that puppies and senior dogs are more vulnerable to dehydration from diarrhoea than healthy adults, so the threshold for calling a vet should be lower for both age groups even if the underlying cause turns out to be minor.
Questions answered
Here are the answers customers usually need before building their dog’s fresh plan.
Call promptly if it is severe, persistent, bloody, accompanied by repeated vomiting, pain, marked lethargy or other worrying signs, or if you are simply concerned about your dog.
No. Repeated switches can make patterns harder to understand. Get veterinary advice if the problem is not settling and keep an accurate food history.
They can contribute, especially when they are new, rich or given in larger amounts than usual. Include all treats and chews when reviewing what changed.
