Regardless of how natural the behavior may be, dog owners are understandably horrified to see their pets eating poop. Not only does it seem undeniably unhealthy, but there is also no concrete scientific explanation for why a trained, socialized pet would do such a thing.

Diarrhea is an extremely common occurrence in cats. It means that the stool contains more water than it should. It is also usually accompanied by an increased frequency and volume of stool. Often, a cat with diarrhea will be having stool accidents outside of the litter box because it is hard to hold the loose stool in.

Diarrhea in dogs is a common issue that almost everyone with a canine companion will experience sooner or later. This condition occurs when there is too much fluid in the feces. It usually involves increased frequency of defecation. When dog diarrhea strikes, you may have some clean-up to do in your home, but you will also most certainly be worried about your furry friend, and will probably be asking yourself what caused your dog . Below we dive into the most common causes of diarrhea in dogs so you can know what to do to help your dog:

If you live with cats, you will probably eventually have to deal with a bout of cat diarrhea. Unfortunately, this often means that your cat might not make it to the litter box in time to eliminate, leaving you with a mess on the floor. There is an extremely large range of conditions that can cause diarrhea in cats. The most common of these are listed below.

Hi Dr. Jan,
I spoke to Tylor on the Pet Wellbeing site and he suggested I send you an email regarding my cat's constipation issues.

One of the most common problems seen in dogs is diarrhea. In most cases, dog diarrhea can be traced to bad eating habits – foraging through a garbage can or eating spoiled food or non food items. When this happens, the dog diarrhea is usually resolved in a day or two and poses no long-term problems. When is dog diarrhea a problem? If the diarrhea persists more than 24 hours or is accompanied by vomiting or contains blood, your dog should see her veterinarian.

But what are the common causes of diarrhea?

Most people understand that constipation is stool that is drier and harder than normal with decreased frequency of bowel movements resulting in lack of or difficulty passing stools. In cases of constipation it is important to rule out things that may be obstructing the stool or causing pain when the pet is trying to pass feces.

For the sake of cleanliness and hygiene in your home, litter box training is crucial. Typically speaking, kittens will learn from their mother about using the litter box but if you have recently purchased or adopted a kitten there may be no mother to teach. As such, there are a few steps you can take to ensure that your kitten uses the litter box.