TO paraphrase Dr. Peter Dobias, a holistic veterinarian: One of the clearest expressions of love from a dog owner to their dog is to humbly clean the diarrhea after their dog explodes in the middle of the night on a brand new carpet.
The love you have for your dog makes you put on the rubber gloves, get the bucket and towels and do what needs to be done.
It also goes without saying that we all would prefer that these incidents didn't happen at all but dogs being dogs, you can expect at least one surprise attack of the trots during your dog's lifetime.
Dogs get diarrhea for a variety of reasons. They consume a rotting seal carcass washed up on the beach or are given one too many carrots or sliced apples or get into the holiday goodies. Most of our experiences regarding diarrhea revolves around some substance the dog has ingested which causes an irritation on its way out.
The way a dog owner chooses to treat the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome depends on his or her view of veterinary care, be it conventional allopathic methods or alternative holistic methods. And since we all assume that it is something a dog ate that is causing the problem, treatments typically revolve around easing the irritated intestinal tract.
But there is another often overlooked reason for diarrhea and if it tends to be spontaneously recurring in a dog, without any obvious known reason, it could be caused by too much exercise!
But how could that be, you ask. Dogs are exercise machines!
True enough, they enjoy physical activity far more than most humans but sometimes too much of a good thing is not a good thing at all.
Overexertion during repetitive activities, such as playing Frisbee places great strain and eventual tightness on the muscles of the lumbar spine. Being a Pilates instructor as well as a dog trainer, I see this far too often in my clients, so it does not surprise me at all that dogs can suffer from this as well.
How this all correlates to diarrhea is because the spine supplies energy to the different organs in the body.
The lumbar spine, in particular, supplies the energy flow to the intestines.
How many of you have injured your lower back only to find yourself with intestinal problems as well? When a portion of the spine gets injured and the muscles around that injury get tight, it shuts off the energy flow to the underlying organ. The organ doesn't get fed properly and becomes dysfunctional.
In the case of dogs with recurring undiagnosable diarrhea they could very well have a lumbar spine injury.
According to Dr. Dobias, more than 70 per cent of all dogs suffering from diarrhea have a lumbar spine issue. The main cause is repetitive ball retrieving, jumping to catch a Frisbee or a misstep during some activity causing their hind feet to slip out from under them.
If your dog does suffer from mysterious recurring bouts of diarrhea consider doing a little investigation and observation of your own and see if it tends to happen after exercise.
If this is the case, it is recommended that an alternative low impact form of exercise be implemented to prevent the dog from re-injuring the spine.
Then a trip to the chiropractor, physio or massage therapy or acupuncturist may be what is required for the dog to recover from the problem.
As with all issues of your dogs health, it is always best to consult with your veterinarian. If you are not pleased with their diagnosis, seek another opinion.
For the complete article by Dr. Dobias on the topic of exercise induced diarrhea visit peterdobias.com/ community/2012/04/diarrhea-may-be-caused-by-backinjury-and-too-much-exercise.
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for more than 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her at k9kinship.com.
