Speaking from personal experience; fewer things in the world are messier than a dog with the runs. New research out today reveals how often people will take their dog to the vet for a bout of diarrhea, as well as some potential factors that could raise a pup’s risk of it, such as their breed.
Scientists at the Royal Veterinary College in the U.K. conducted the study, which examined the vet records of several million dogs. They estimated that one in every 12 dogs experiences diarrhea serious enough to prompt a vet visit each year, with certain breeds, including German Shepherds, more likely to experience it. The study also suggests that dogs are often getting overprescribed antibiotics as a result.
Much like their human owners, dogs commonly suffer from diarrhea, and the study’s researchers wanted to better understand how often it’s diagnosed in primary care vet clinics and how it’s typically managed. To do so, they analyzed the (anonymous) medical records of more than two million U.K. dogs that visited vets in 2019. They also studied the characteristics of 1,835 randomly selected cases of confirmed diarrhea within this sample.
They calculated that 8.18% of dogs are diagnosed with diarrhea by their primary vet in a given year. But this risk was higher for six breeds in particular compared to the average mixed breed dog: the Maltese, Miniature Poodle, Cavapoo, German Shepherd, and Yorkshire Terrier. Conversely, only two breeds—the Jack Russell Terrier and Chihuahua—had a lower risk of diarrhea. Dogs younger than three and older than nine were also more likely to be diagnosed with diarrhea compared to middle-aged dogs.
About a third of the cases they studied involved blood in the stool, a sign of more serious illness; nearly half of all dogs studied also experienced vomiting. But most cases in general cleared up without too much trouble, with more than 80% only meriting a single trip to the vet. In other words, as is true with people, doggy diarrhea is usually miserable but short-lasting.
“Experiencing the dreaded doggy poonami is one of those events every dog owner fears. This new study shows that diarrhea events are very common in dogs but that owners should not panic—no matter how bad the deluge, most dogs will recover in a few days with good veterinary treatment,” said lead study researcher Dan O’Neill, an associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the RVC, in a statement provided to Gizmodo.
The findings might also provide some insights into the nature of doggy diarrhea. It’s possible that the higher-risk breeds highlighted in the study are more genetically vulnerable to digestive problems, for instance. The researchers also found other factors tied to a higher diarrhea risk, such as scavenging (the tendency for a dog to try eating things off the ground or from other non-intentional sources).
On the more worrying side, the findings indicate that antibiotics are getting overused in dogs as well as humans. Veterinary guidelines have long advised against using antibiotics for mild to moderate cases of diarrhea in dogs, the researchers note. These drugs are not only unlikely to speed up a dog’s recovery, but can incidentally increase antibiotic resistance. Despite these guidelines, however, nearly 40% of the cases they studied were still treated with antibiotics.
“High antibiotic use within veterinary clinical management against years of recommendation to the contrary raises concerns about unnecessary antibiotic therapy for this condition,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published in PLOS ONE.
Dogs deserve nothing but the best healthcare, of course. But for most cases of diarrhea, time and less intrusive measures like switching to blander foods (boiled chicken, white rice, etc.) are all you need to help your dog through their gastrointestinal ordeal.
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