Is my dog's soft stool caused by overfeeding?

There are multiple reasons for a dog's stool becoming soft, and generally, it is caused by excessive feeding. It is recommended to feed digestible food. It may also be an early symptom of certain diseases, such as parvovirus or acute gastroenteritis. For the health of your dog, it is advised to bring it to a pet hospital for further examination and treatment to avoid delay in the disease.

The cause of a dog's soft stool may be overfeeding.

Firstly, consider dietary factors, such as excessive feeding or feeding difficult-to-digest food. This usually presents as soft stool, sometimes with mild loss of appetite and reluctance to move. It is recommended to temporarily stop feeding, and after the dog's condition improves, feed digestible liquid food. Meanwhile, you can administer enzymes and pet-specific probiotics, which usually helps alleviate or improve the condition within 1-2 days.

Additionally, a dog's soft stool may also be an early symptom of certain diseases, especially parvovirus infection. The early symptoms of parvovirus infection include soft stool and depression. These symptoms are similar to those of ordinary gastroenteritis, but the progression of parvovirus infection is rapid. Generally, severe diarrhea and vomiting occur 1 to 2 days after the initial symptoms, with the vomit being mucus and the diarrhea being dark brown or tomato sauce-like blood stool, accompanied by a strong bloody smell.

Lastly, it could be acute gastroenteritis. The onset of acute gastroenteritis is sudden, and instead of a long period of soft stool, the dog will directly have loose stool accompanied by severe vomiting.

Both of these diseases pose a great threat to dogs, easily leading to severe dehydration and acid-base imbalance. If not treated promptly and scientifically, they can cause death.