Causes of Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs

There are several different causes for chronic diarrhea in dogs. Chronic diarrhea can severely debilitate your dog as his body begins to loose important nutrients and eventually leads to the body’s inability to repair itself. Often if the chronic diarrhea is not a symptom of a known problem, it is an indication of other problems you can usually rectify, once you figure out the cause.

  1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    • When the gastrointestinal tract is damaged, usually due to food allergies, stress, or problems with the pancreas, chronic diarrhea can occur. This is because with inflammatory bowel disease, the immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy tissue in the digestive tract. This causes pain and irregular bowel habits.

    Intestinal Parasites

    • Roundworms, hookworms and whipworms are a leading cause of chronic diarrhea in dogs. When ingested, these parasites cause a great deal of damage to the intestinal tract, which then causes chronic diarrhea. In fact, chronic diarrhea is generally the first sign of an intestinal parasite problem in dogs.

    Bacterial Infections

    • Bacterial infections, mainly Staphylococcus and Escherishia coli (E. coli), contribute to chronic diarrhea. Bacteria are single-celled organisms that do not need any type of other living cells to multiply. Most bacteria found in the intestinal tract of dogs is considered normal. However, some types of bacteria, such as spirochete bacteria, can cause illness. The main symptom of a bacterial infection is chronic diarrhea.

    Diet

    • Often the food you are feeding your dog is contributing to his chronic diarrhea. Many processed food are made with non-meat proteins that can cause allergy problems for some dogs. If your dog’s gastrointestinal (GI) tract is in constant turmoil on a daily basis because of his diet, eventually the intestinal wall becomes inflamed. When this happens, the body loses its ability to absorb nutrients. Wastes and toxins build up and cause your dog to become ill. This type of constant disruption of the GI tract can cause chronic diarrhea.