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“Healthy Pet, or Wealthy Vet? Part I"
Reprinted from "The Pet Consumer Report"- June 5th, 2001 ================================================

So what does a vet office visit cost now? Between $18-$45, right? (And that’s just to have your pet walk in the office) On top of that, you have exam fees, lab fees, medications and ointments. Our research shows our readers may be marching into the vet’s office too soon, only to walk away with an over-medicated animal and an over charged credit card.

So in this three-part email newsletter series, we will cover the *top-three* symptoms pet owners may be overreacting to and show you exactly what to do before rushing your dog or cat to the vet (when there is really nothing they can do in most cases).

The symptom we're discussing in Part I is Diarrhea.

Many times a veterinarian can’t even diagnose the reason behind why your pet is having diarrhea. All your vet will do is treat the symptom (diarrhea). What you need to know is that you could treat the symptom right in your own home. So before you rush off and spend an unnecessary amount of money at the veterinarian, be sure a vet visit is even necessary.

Causes
There are a multitude of reasons an animal could have diarrhea; a sudden change in his or her diet, stress, allergies, rancid food or treats. This list is endless. The majority of cases are simple ailments that would most likely go away on their own. Diarrhea is not life threatening to your pet unless it is left untreated. So don’t immediately think this is cause for an emergency visit to the vet. You do have time to try and cure it at home. In most circumstances, this will prove to be effective and inexpensive.

A single case of diarrhea is usually nothing to be concerned with. It’s when there are several incidents in a row, or over a period of a few days that you want to be concerned with. You want to look for a pattern of abnormality or irregularity in their bowel, drinking, eating and behavior.

Remedy
If there is more than one case of diarrhea, the first thing you want to do is fast your dog or cat for a 12-hour period of time. Yes, fast – no food. Some think this is cruel and unusual. Quite the contrary. It’s recommended by vets all the time and allows the animal’s system to rest and repair. After the 12-hour fast, feed your animal a bland diet (not his or her regular diet). We recommend white rice and boiled chicken. You should keep your animal on this diet for approximately 2-3 days (or until their stool looks better). Once your animal’s stool is back to normal, start adding the regular diet back into the bland meals slowly (over 3-5 meals) until your pet is back on his or her normal diet completely. If your pet’s stool does not go back to normal, in 2-3 days, then a vet visit is recommended.

Stay tuned for part II and III of this series.