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My dog has soft stool and gas. What are the common causes and fixes?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog has recently been having soft stool & gas

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Debi Matlack

Veterinary Technician

Published on July 28th, 2015

This could be due to a number of things, most like;y him eating something that disagreed with him, something too rich that he isn't used to eating. If you changed his dog food recently or introduced wet food to his diet this could be what started it. Other possibilities include parasites, food allergies, or bacterial infection. Try feeding him a bland diet for a few days, plain cooked white rice mixed with an equal part of plain boiled chicken breast, unseasoned, or plain hamburger, cooked and the fat rinsed off. If the symptoms persist or get worse, including developing new symptoms like diarrhea, lethargy and loss of appetite, get him seen by your vet as soon as possible for an exam and fecal analysis.

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42Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on December 3rd, 2017

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Other possibilities for these clinical signs include gastroenteritis, colitis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, malabsorption disease, dietary indiscretion, inflammatory bowel disease, among other possibilities. You can start by trying to change his diet to a sensitive stomach type diet. If no improvement is noted, your veterinarian can try medications for diarrhea such as metronidazole or Tylosin. You can also consider probiotics. If no improvement with these conservative therapies, you would have to consider more diagnostics such as abdominal ultrasound and GI panel. Good luck and have a good night!

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    4Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on April 3rd, 2017

    Poor Walker! It isn't normal for puppies to poop this often or to have such soft, runny stool - so I would be concerned that something is wrong. The most common cause of soft stool like this in a puppy this age is intestinal parasites, so if he hasn't been dewormed recently, this is something you might consider doing. Other possibilities would include an intestinal infection of some kind, or a food allergy or intolerance to something in his diet. If deworming doesn't help, I would recommend taking him to the vet for a check-up. He/she can do a fecal exam or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate medication to treat it.

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 18th, 2018

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chance. He should see his veterinarian given the blood in his stool. I typically use an antibiotic when this occurs to prevent bacteria from gaining access to the bloodstream. There are numerous causes for soft stool and diarrhea. He could be experiencing stress, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites or another infection or a condition known as hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Other times the symptoms are treated and the underlying cause is not determined. It is generally safe to withhold food for 24 hours if he is otherwise acting normal. This will rest the GI tract and potentially resolve the diarrhea. Be sure to provide plenty of water so that he does not become dehydrated. I hope this information helps!

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