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My dog has diarrhea after switching to wet food. How long till normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 7 months old | 70 lbs

Dog has had diarrhea since canned dog food. She has been wormed and all. She eats and drinks normal and plays. I just noticed it happened after switching to canned dog food. I went back to her normal dry food. How long till stool gets normal?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on September 5th, 2018

It may take another two to three days. If it is severe and she’s lethargic then please take her in for treatment. Many dogs have sensitive stomachs and the canned food is too rich for them. There are special bland diets to help resolve the diarrhea, or you can feed boiled chicken and rice which should help also. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Daisy.

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    Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 26th, 2020

    Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Chronic diarrhoea may be a very frustrating problem to diagnose. We usually start with stool test for parasites, coccidia and some bacteria, that can cause chronic diarrhoea. We usually run a blood test at the same time to make sure everything is ok with the dog. If everything comes back negative, we start to worry about food intolerance. This is time to change food to a new one, ideally containing a novel protein for the dog. The dog should be kept on one strict diet for 4-6 weeks. If the food change does not make any difference after trying 2-3 different types of food, it is time to start thinking about endoscopy and taking samples of the bowel for pathology. Please, discuss investigation and treatment plan with your local vets. Best of luck !

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