What to do about diarrhea

[SadieA]

So, this is a bit of a gross one- Sammy is sick. Last night he was up in the night pacing around and panting, and when I let him out, sure enough, he had diarrhea. I also was worried that he might have eaten something that was stuck in his stomach- this has happened before, he's actually eaten a sock and thrown it up whole. So I wondered if that was the problem, and I'm still nervous about it. Today I had to leave him in his crate when I left the house, and when I came back, it was a HUGE mess. So I have him a bath and cut the fur around his rear end to hopefully make future cleanup easier. Still tonight he has diarrhea literally the consistency of water, and it's somewhat explosive. But he seems energetic enough- mostly, he seems anxious, always moving.

So... does he need a trip to the vet, in your opinions? Or just a day or so of not eating anything to clean him out? Or some pumpkin? Or do you think the diarrhea could somehow be caused by an obstruction in his stomach? (I don't have any reason to think he ate a sock or anything, but it's happened in the past without my knowledge...)

I'm a little freaked out! Thanks!

[London_Pyr_Lover]

I personally would call my vet asap.  But I'm a huge worrier, and the worst possible scenarios are always the first to run through my head.  But the vet would be able to give you an honest opinion (hopefully) and some good advice (also hopefully).

Naja gets diarrhea on occasion, and it ALWAYS has to do with her getting into stuff she's not supposed to have (calf poop, hay, Rhubarb pie, etc...).  So in all likliness Sam just needs a day or two to clean his belly out.  What I do with Naja is fast her for 24 hours from the first sign of liquid poop, then boil some chicken and white rice for her, just giving a little bit at a time.  Then slowly introduce her normal food over a 72 hour period.  We go through this routine about once every month or two, and that is what works for us.

But just in case, call your vet. 

Good luck!  Hope his tummy is feelin' better soon! 

[SadieA]

So Sammy and I just got back from the emergency vet (when I called, they said to take him in because of that whole explosive watery thing) and turns out he's got some kind of bacterial thing. So he's got an antibiotic, some probiotics to add to his food, and will be eating rice and pills for a couple days. Hope it makes him feel better soon! Thanks so much for the advice.