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Oh no! You’re here because your Yorkie has diarrhea and you’re not quite sure what to do. This is a problem that can affect dogs of all breeds from time to time.

There are a few things that can cause your Yorkie to have diarrhea. In any case, you’ll want to know everything about how to prevent it in the future.

So, today we’re going to give you the complete guide on why your Yorkie has diarrhea and what you can do about it.

My Yorkie Has Diarrhea! What Can I Do?

A very important thing is that you know what to do when your Yorkie has diarrhea. Of course, this is a tough time for both your pup and you, and you’ll want to do your best to restore their comfort. 

Dog has diarrhea

First, you need to assess the situation. Do you believe that your Yorkie has diarrhea because of a one-off food incident or a moment of stress? If so, you’ll need to look at more immediate care options. 

Or, do you think it could be because of an underlying health condition or specific illness? It’s important to remember that while diarrhea is very unpleasant for your pup, more often than not it’s not recurring. If it is more of a regular thing, that’s when it’s time to consider that it may be a symptom of something else. 

After getting a better idea of what is causing diarrhea for your pet, look to the rest of this guide for the appropriate treatment steps to take.

Most importantly, you should make sure that your dog is drinking water after an episode, as hydration is compromised by this. If not, talk to a vet as soon as you can.

Here’s a Yorkie article you might enjoy: What is Yorkie Hypoglycemia

If it doesn’t appear to be an emergency, read on for more information.

Possible Causes of Yorkie Diarrhea

Yorkie pup diarrhea

Most of the time, you don’t have to worry that Yorkie’s diarrhea is due to anything underlying. Typically, diarrhea will occur when your Yorkie eats food that is spoiled or that doesn’t agree with its gastrointestinal tract. It can be totally normal!

Additionally, it can be caused by overeating, so make sure you’re monitoring your Yorkie’s food intake.

While it’s likely that the diarrhea is a one-off incident, this is not always the case. Conditions like parasites, which puppies are especially prone to, or viral infections could also be the culprits. 

So, now we’ll put together a quick list of the most common causes of diarrhea in Yorkies.

Main Causes

  1. Food intolerance – A lot of the time, if your Yorkie has a certain intolerance for certain foods, eating them can cause bouts of diarrhea.
  2. Change in diet – Dogs’ stomachs can be very sensitive to change sometimes. At first, their systems might reject a new food if it has been abruptly introduced.
  3. Infection – A common cause of Yorkie diarrhea is an infection, as this will cause insufficient moisture to be removed from the waste in the intestinal tract. 
  4. Parasites in the intestines – This sounds alarming, but it’s curable. Puppies are more susceptible to this. Parasites that can inhabit your dog’s GI tract include Giardia, tapeworms, hookworms, coccidia, and whipworms. If you think this could be the case, take your pup to the vet immediately.
  5. Stress – while it may not be obvious that stress alone can cause diarrhea, it’s a very real thing. Assess whether your dog has reacted negatively to something recently that could have spurned a diarrhea episode.
  6. Leptospirosis – This is a bacterial infection that could affect your dog’s intestinal tract, mostly found in damp areas. 

Here’s another Yorkie article you might enjoy: Taking Care of Newborn Yorkie and Teacup Yorkie Puppies

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Symptoms & Side Effects of Yorkie diarrhea

Yorkie running

Now that you know the main causes of Yorkie diarrhea, it’s time to dive into what really happens when it occurs. In this section, we’ll get into associated symptoms that can tell you what’s happening as well as some common side effects. 

Things to Look Out For :

  1. Lethargy. General malaise and sluggishness are definitely something to look out for, especially because it could also be a result of dehydration. When a Yorkie has diarrhea, it can get dehydrated quickly, causing them to lose energy faster. 
  2. Vomiting. If your Yorkie is also vomiting, you’ll want to make sure they are getting enough water. When vomiting accompanies diarrhea, there is an increased risk of extreme dehydration.
  3. Trembling. Diarrhea can take its toll on your Yorkie’s body, causing them to shake. This can be a result of dehydration as well, so make sure they are ingesting enough water content following the episode.
  4. Excessive gas. If your Yorkie has just had diarrhea, there is a good chance that excess gas could accompany it. This could be in the form of flatulence, burping, or air trapped in the abdomen, causing discomfort. 
  5. Mucus or blood in their stool. If you notice that there is a very dark color in your dog’s diarrhea, or perhaps a jelly-like substance coating it, you’ll want to take them to the vet as soon as you can. This could be indicative of an underlying condition or trauma to the intestines.
  6. Fever. Just like in humans, diarrhea can be a symptom of an infection, which tends to come to a fever. Fevers raise the body temperature so that it can fight off whatever is causing diarrhea. 
  7. Weight loss. Especially if your Yorkie is experiencing regular episodes of diarrhea, this can cause dehydration and a general loss of appetite. Over time, this can result in weight loss, so you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on your pup’s overall weight.

Here’s a Yorkie article you might enjoy: Yorkie Life Expectancy – How Long Do Yorkies Live? How to Extend Your Yorkie’s Life

Location of Inflammation

Yorkie harness struggles

When you see Yorkie’s diarrhea episodes, some things can tell you where the inflammation is. This can either be in the upper or lower digestive tract. 

Inflammation in the Upper Digestive Tract

Something that can tell you if there is inflammation in the upper tract is how diarrhea looks. If you can see dark or black-looking blood in the stool, that is indicative of inflammation and bleeding in the upper small intestine. Your Yorkie also will likely be experiencing gas.

Inflammation in the Lower Digestive Tract

Now, if there is inflammation or bleeding in the lower intestinal area or the colon, you will notice some different signs. For one thing, your Yorkie is less likely to experience gas in this scenario, but there will be more frequent bowel movements.

If your Yorkie is straining before passing stool, it’s likely that the inflammation is lower. Additionally, there might not be blood present but if there is, it will be a bright red color instead of dark. 

Here’s a Yorkie article you might enjoy: Can My Yorkie Get The Coronavirus

Yorkie Diarrhea Treatment

Best Food for Yorkies

While Yorkie diarrhea can be deeply unsettling to experience for both your dog and you as the owner, what can really help is knowing the treatment options.

The most important thing is that you get your Yorkie the help it needs and eventually restore its comfort. 

So, here are a few things to know about treatment for Yorkie diarrhea.

Treatment for Puppies

When you see Yorkie puppy diarrhea episodes, the treatment might look a little bit different than that for adults. This is mainly because puppies experience it more often, and for less health-threatening conditions. 

Yorkie puppy diarrhea is often because puppies are more easily dehydrated and might not be completely trained to know their limits when it comes to food intake.

In this case, call a vet for your puppy and follow their instructions. Usually, this will include feeding them bland diets for a while and taking them in for an examination.

Here’s another Yorkie article you might enjoy: Yorkies and Chocolate: What You Need to Know – The Doggy Survival Guide

Treatment for Non-Critical Issues

Yorkie in grass

As we mentioned before, there are many non-critical issues that can cause your Yorkie to have diarrhea. If you’ve narrowed down the causes and believe that the culprit is no longer capable of causing it again, it’s time to look at treatment.

Right after your Yorkie has diarrhea, it’s important to have them avoid solid food for a period of time. Typically, 24-48 hours is ideal. This gives the gastrointestinal tract time to clear itself out without exerting too much effort.

In general, you should ensure that your Yorkie is getting more than enough fluids so as to restore any hydration that was lost during the episode. Encourage them to drink fresh, filtered water frequently to help them restore electrolytes. 

Overall, if you let your Yorkie rest and make sure the threat is gone, whether it was food or a stressful situation, they should be back to normal in a few days when their body heals itself.

Broth Treatment

Because your Yorkie has lost sodium and nutrients by having diarrhea, you can make them a broth to drink that will help restore those faster. Boil some vegetables in a pot, and add a tiny bit of soy sauce for sodium. 

Strain it, and then serve it at room temperature so your Yorkie won’t burn his or her tongue! This will help them heal faster and soothe side effects.

Here’s a Yorkie article you might enjoy: Can Dogs Eat Bones? Can Yorkies Eat Bones? Which Dog Bones Ones Are Safe?

Chamomile Tea Treatment

Yorkie playing

Chamomile tea has been known to be a healer since it was discovered centuries ago. This is no different for dogs!

If you’re able to make chamomile tea, this can help remedy the side effects and pain that your pup may be experiencing following their episode. Make sure it’s strained and served at room temperature.

Other Treatments

Something that would really benefit your Yorkie after it has diarrhea is finding a way to restore their electrolytes. For this, a vet can help!

If you want another method, there are also oral gels that help soothe the tract and firm up your dog’s stool.

Treatment for Persistent Issues

Maybe you already know of a reason that your Yorkie’s diarrhea problems might be recurrent. Or, you find that after employing the above methods your Yorkie still doesn’t seem to be completely cured. 

In this case, there are more treatments that are better geared towards persistent problems. Here are a few things you can do in this situation:

Slippery Elm Powder

Yorkie tongue out

You can buy slippery elm powder at the store. Mix a teaspoon of it with one cup of water in a pot, bringing to a boil and stirring at a low simmer afterward.

When it thickens, add a tablespoon of honey. Stir that in, and put the mixture out until it cools. Feed a tablespoon-sized dose to your Yorkie every 4 hours or so.

In the meantime, put the mixture in the fridge, covering it for storage. 

Activated Charcoal 

Something that charcoal really helps with is driving toxins out of the body. Many humans have used activated charcoal and can be safe for your dog too, in small doses. 

If you mix a half teaspoon of activated charcoal with a bit of water, it will make a thin paste substance. You can also buy tablets out at the store.

Every three hours, give your dog one tablet or the half teaspoon mixture. Make sure not to use this method for more than 24 hours, but it can be effective in small, safe amounts.

Roasted Carob Powder

If you stir a half teaspoon of roasted carob powder with water (and optionally, honey) you can give the mixture to your Yorkie three times a day for three days.

Here’s a Yorkie article you might enjoy: Yorkie Allergies – Everything You Need to Know, Causes and Treatment

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After Treatment

Adorable Yorkie puppy

After the initial treatment that you give your Yorkie, you’ll want to focus on easing them back onto solid food, making sure their systems can handle it. 

The best way to do this is to use the broth method above, and maybe even add in a little bit of plain white rice to introduce back the solid food. 

Overall, make sure they are as comfortable as possible and getting enough rest and fluids.

How to Prevent Yorkie Diarrhea

So, now you probably know what you should do when you experience a Yorkie diarrhea episode, as well as why it might be happening. But, the best way to go into the future is to know how to prevent it. 

In this section, we’ll detail a few things you can do to make sure that your Yorkie doesn’t have to go through that again. 

Preventative Measures

Yorkie dog

  1. Do not allow your dog to eat just anything, train them to restrain themselves from unfamiliar foods.
  2. When you’re outside with your Yorkie, make sure they are not eating anything they find on the ground or on plants.
  3. Choose foods that have not been genetically modified. If you can, make sure you know exactly what is in your Yorkie’s food before you feed it to them.
  4. Avoid letting them come into contact with spoiled food.
  5. To avoid leptospirosis, avoid letting your dog drink from puddles outside or play in damp areas.
  6. When transitioning to a new diet or food, wean them onto it gradually. 

Here’s a Yorkie article you might enjoy: Everything You Need to Know About Your Newborn Yorkie Puppy

When in Doubt, Talk to a Vet

Of course, the most reliable option for any treatment of Yorkie diarrhea is talking to your vet. The vet can always help you out in terms of examining your pup, treating issues, and helping to prevent diarrhea in the future.

Talk to your vet immediately if your Yorkie won’t keep down fluids or refuses to eat. Otherwise, it’s never a bad idea to take them in so that the professionals can give you more information.

We hope your Yorkie gets better soon!

 

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