Earlier this week Jeanette, my client, and I debated whether or not Jack, her elderly and adorable terrier mix, was having diarrhea.
Jeanette’s thinking was that the term diarrhea should be reserved only for situations with increased frequency and urgency. I explained to her that Jack’s twice daily, unformed bowel movements qualified as diarrhea.
This got me to thinking about how many times I might be receiving inaccurate feedback to my standard exam room question, “Have you observed any diarrhea?” I remember going round and round with one client who repeatedly answered, “No” to this question. When we discovered that, yes, her cat truly did have chronic diarrhea, she defended her responses by saying that it was her husband who always cleaned the litterbox — in truth, she had never “observed” any diarrhea!
So, folks, here’s the scoop (no pun intended). When a veterinarian asks if your dog or cat has been having diarrhea, please disclose any and all information describing how your pet’s bowel movements have been abnormal. Believe it or not, your description of stool appearance, number of bowel movements per day, urgency, and the presence or absence of blood, mucous, straining, and gassiness can provide your veterinarian with a wealth of useful information including whether the diarrhea is originating from the small (upper) or large (lower) intestine.
Boy, oh boy, is your veterinarian gonna get an earful next time he or she asks about your pet’s bowel movements! And please note, I purposefully refrained from including a relevant photo with this blog post.
Photo credit: Sumner Fowler
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