When your dog suffers from diarrhea, it can raise many health concerns and some of them could be serious too. No matter how “safe” you think your dog’s condition is, diarrhea should never be ignored. Even simple diarrhea can become serious if not treated well or on time. If your dog experiences diarrhea at night only, it just confuses you why?
Some owners say that their dog stays fine throughout the day and even passes normal stools but as soon as the night comes, the dog gets an upset stomach and starts pooping like never before. The condition goes away in the morning and the cycle keeps on repeating causing a lot of trouble to both dogs and their owners. The owners keep on thinking “why does my dog keep getting diarrhea in the middle of the night” only and the situation remains ambiguous.
Well, when this happens it must not be ignored and diarrhea at night only should be treated on time to avoid any unwanted consequences. If You need the answer to why is my dog getting diarrhea only at night? Here is a mindful read for you
Why a dog is getting diarrhea at night only
Dog diarrhea at night can happen due to different reasons like
Change in diet
When a dog is on a certain diet, the stomach gets used to it. A change in diet can cause a sudden upset stomach leading to diarrhea. Take it as when we eat something hard on the stomach, the next stool becomes loose and watery. The same goes for dogs.
To avoid this situation, switch gradually so that the dog’s stomach gets used to it. Try to replace the dog’s diet one portion at a time
Check for Food allergy
If your dog is suddenly experiencing diarrhea at night, see if you have added something to the diet that your dog is allergic to. Sometimes dogs develop allergies to some ingredient in dog food. These ingredients can be anything. Your dog may be allergic to pork, rabbit, Dairy products, any type of meat and some dogs are even allergic to certain types of grains also. This can cause bloating and diarrhea.
Try to buy high-quality dog food. We advise you to never compromise on less quality food especially when it concerns the health of your pet. Also, learn what type of food develops allergy in your dog so that you can avoid it in the future.
Worms or parasites
Worms are deadly creatures. They eat your dog inside out. We are not saying this to scare you but the warning is important. Always keep your dog up-to-date on deworming medicines. Some types of parasites can be fatal to your dog. Diarrhea is an early symptom of your dog having parasites in its stomach. So do check for the possibility of worms when your dog is having diarrhea.
Side effects of medication
Different medications have different side effects. Diarrhea can be a result of some medication that you might be giving to your dog. If this is the reason don’t get worried. Diarrhea will go away when you will stop the medication. Usually, drugs are given to kill the bacterias but sometimes they kill the good bacteria too which helps in keeping the digestive system on track.
Due to underlying illness
Diarrhea may be a cause of some underlying disease and sometimes this can be dangerous too. You must keep in check if there is blood in your dog’s diarrhea. This can be a sign of cancer or a tumor. Ignorance can simply worsen the disease. If not treated on time, it can be dangerous and fatal to your dog.
Depression
As we have mentioned earlier in some other article, the dog has the emotional age of 2-3 years old child. They have emotions and they get happy, excited, scared, and feel lonely too. Mental stress could lead to an upset stomach. This happens in we humans also where sometimes anxiety leads to diarrhea.
A dog can get stressed due to different reasons. For example, dogs develop emotional bonding with their owners and if the owner is not at home for few days. This is like a child has to live few days without a mother. The dog will feel the loneliness and it will make him upset. This could result in mental stress or tension leading to diarrhea. Make sure your dog is attached to all family members and when one is away, the other is available.
Out of cycle
Your dog goes through the same routine every day. Sometimes the cycle can get disturbed and your dog may start passing stool at night making you think something is out of order.
Older dog diarrhea at night
If your older dog has diarrhea only at night, take it seriously. With aging diarrhea can be a symptom of an underlying disease. Adult dogs can suffer from diarrhea due to all the above-mentioned reasons but if your old dog has diarrhea with blood, consult your vet as soon as possible. We need to understand that recovering is easy at a young age. Adult dogs must be treated at priority so that whatever the reason is, diarrhea could be cured.
Is dog diarrhea at night dangerous?
Usually, this is not dangerous and there is a simple reason behind it. Diarrhea goes away within few days. However, if diarrhea persists and there are other symptoms like blood in diarrhea, diarrhea accompanying vomiting, sudden loss of appetite, dizziness, etc. Consult your vet to talk about options and treatments.
How to stop dog’s diarrhea fast?
When your dog is having diarrhea, there is normally nothing to worry about at least for the first few days.
You can treat the symptoms on your own and diarrhea should go away. But don’t take it lightly
- If your dog has vomiting and diarrhea together.
- There is blood in diarrhea
- Your dog keeps getting diarrhea after every few weeks
- Older dog gets diarrhea
To cure diarrhea, try the following things
Give him simple food
If you are thinking about what food to give a dog during diarrhea? Then try simple food. Give your dog boiled rice with boiled skinless chicken for few days until he gets better. Some Simple foods include cottage cheese, broth, boiled rice, skinless chicken, and boiled potatoes.
Avoid giving your dog chewable and dog treats for few days. Dog food or treats during diarrhea are hard on the stomach. Unless the dog has recovered, the stomach will not be able to process food like normal. Give your dog easily digestible food that should also help in hardening the stools.
Go for fecal examination
Dog diarrhea at night can be painful for both owners and dogs. Waking up at night is tiring and if diarrhea stays for few days, it will have visible effects on sleep patterns too. If your dog is having diarrhea, you can’t rule out the possibility of worms.
Parasites will never go away on their own. You have to give your dog deworming medicines. However, some parasites don’t go away with common deworming medicines. So take your dog for a fecal examination so that you can start treatment as early as possible.
Shower some love!
Dog diarrhea at night causing irregular sleep patterns can make you annoyed. Don’t try to take out frustration on your pet. It needs your love more than ever. Sometimes diarrhea is a result of emotional distress. Your unconditional love will calm and soothe your dog and diarrhea may go away sooner than you think.
Stop medication
If your dog is not on some serious medication due to illness, we suggest stopping it immediately. For example, if your dog is on a chewable tablet for teeth cleaning or on supplements for general health improvement, stop using them and talk to your vet about it.
Keep the dog and accessories clean
Yes! This can be the reason for the dog’s diarrhea at night. Keeping your dog clean and maintaining its overall hygiene will make your dog’s condition better.
Probiotics to cure dog’s diarrhea
Probiotics are known to improve digestive health. They are good bacterias that aids in digestion. Giving your dog probiotics reduce the period of diarrhea to few days. They provide overall immunity to stabilize the condition so giving your dog probiotics during diarrhea is a good idea.
In general, dog diarrhea at night may not be serious. If your puppy has diarrhea but is still playful or not showing other symptoms you can wait for few days. If diarrhea persists, talk to a vet.