Lesson title

Dr Nathaniel Sterling In….The Doggy Diarrhea Dilemma!

Instructional Guide

Students will work through an interactive detective story to learn about some of the common causes of diarrhea in their dogs, and the different signs those causes can lead to. Activities include an interactive story, matching games, knowledge check quizzes distributed throughout the story, and a short assessment at the end of the lesson.

Intended Grade Level

This lesson is intended for students in grades 3-5. The students should have a basic understanding of the GI system including the differentiation of small and large intestines. Students should also know generally what diarrhea is.

Learning objectives

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Identify whether one bout of diarrhea is a large volume or small.
• Recognize if there is blood in the diarrhea, and describe the color.
• Classify common observations related to diarrhea and whether they would be associated with large intestine or small intestine diarrhea.
• Be able to summarize some possible causes of diarrhea and how it works.

Lesson Format

Introduction of the Lesson Plan. We will be learning about diarrhea in dogs. We will learn how it happens and reasons that a puppy might have diarrhea. We will run through the story with our yellow lab puppy named Apollo. We will investigate with Dr. Sterling what caused Apollo to become sick with diarrhea.

1.     Begin the storybook and let them get through the introduction and history being provided from the owner to Dr. Sterling. At this point you can ask if they have questions about what the owner has seen with Apollo. Ask the students to start thinking about what they believe could cause puppy diarrhea. This should stimulate critical thinking and prepare them for the story and investigation. (7 min)
2. Work through the section titled “What Does Color Mean”, going over parvovirus as a cause of diarrhea, and what different colors of diarrhea might indicate. Have the students complete the associated memory game to reinforce the differences in causes for each color of diarrhea, and complete the check in question before moving on with the story. (10 min)
3. Work through the section titled “Intestinal Parasites” to learn about roundworms as a cause of diarrhea. (3 min)
4. Have the students explore the section titled “Dietary issues” to learn about how eating things they shouldn’t can cause diarrhea in dogs. This can either be done individually, or as a class. After the section is worked through, have the students engage in the drag and drop activity, matching things dogs should and should not eat, and complete the check in question. (10 min)
5. Work through the section titled “Large vs Small Intestine Diarrhea” to learn about the different signs associated with the different locations for diarrhea. Complete the associated check in question. (5 min)
6. Complete the story by completing the “Solving the Case” section, and ask the students if they have any questions. (5 min)
7. Allow the student to complete the short assessment, to test their understanding of the material (10 min)

Lesson Background

Diarrhea is the result of fluid shifts in the gastrointestinal tract. It can be sorted into two kinds of diarrhea, secretory and osmotic. Secretory diarrhea occurs when excess water is secreted into the lumen of the intestine and exceeds the absorptive capabilities of the intestines. Osmotic diarrhea occurs when something that shouldn’t be in the gut (i.e. Foreign body, solutes, parasites, etc.) cause water to be pulled into the lumen of the intestine with osmotic pressure. The next big distinguishing category related to diarrhea is large intestinal vs small intestinal diarrhea. SI diarrhea is characterized by large volume and normal urgency. If there is blood, it will be digested blood and look like coffee grounds (melena). It can also lead to weight loss, fatty stools, and flatulence. LI diarrhea has a small volume with elevated frequency. Any blood will be fresh and red (hematochezia), it usually requires straining, has a high urgency, and has mucus. Treatment for diarrhea includes rehydration (usually subcutaneous fluids for animals), and immodium can be used to stop diarrhea, but should be avoided if the cause is illness related.It works by slowing the contractions of the intestines, allowing more time for fluid to be absorbed. If illness is causing diarrhea, that illness must be treated to fix the diarrhea.

Feces can change color from a handful of factors. Blood in the stool will either cause melena (digested blood in the stool with the appearance of coffee grounds) or hematochezia (undigested blood in the stool, red). Green stool indicates too much bile or eating a lot of grass. White stool indicates not enough bile. Orange feces may indicate dyes from cheap dog food

Activities

All Activities are included within the interactive storybook

Activity 1 – Memory Game. Match the color of diarrhea to the possible cause.

Answers: Green: too much Bile

White: not enough bile

Orange: Food dyes

Bright red: Large intestine bleeding

Darker red: small intestine bleeding

Brown: Normal coloration

Activity 2 – Answer the question, based on color, does Apollo have Parvovirus?

Answer: No! We need to investigate more.

Activity 3 – Based on the x-ray, do you see a key in Apollo’s body?

Answer: No! We need to keep looking for the cause.

Activity 4 – Sorting game. Sort the items either into the category Good to eat or Bad to eat for dogs.

Answers: Good for dogs to eat: dog food

Bad for dogs to eat: tennis ball/toys, table scraps/leftovers, chocolate

Activity 5 – Based on the image of diarrhea in the park, answer the question regarding which part of the intestine it is coming from, small or large?

Answer: small intestine

Check in after each page or activity whether the students have any questions.

Common misconceptions and challenge points

A misconception could be that this lesson is interpreted to be fully inclusive of all possible causes of diarrhea (these are only a few).

Not all of the observable symptoms may show up, but it doesn’t mean it couldn’t be a cause. For example, just because you do not see worms in the diarrhea, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not roundworms.

Now that you know some possible causes it should help when describing what you are seeing with your own animal. Always ask a veterinarian about your pet’s illness for treatment and don’t try to self-diagnose your pet.

Assessment

After working through the story, students will take a short assessment, to reinforce their learning. Correct answers are highlighted.

• Short assessment
  • What are the two types of intestines
    • Long and short
    • Large and small
    • Wide and narrow
  • Which of the following can cause diarrhea
    • Bacteria
    • Viruses
    • Eating objects that aren’t food
    • Holding your poop to long
    • Parasites
    • Drinking too much water
  • What makes parvo diarrhea different from other causes we investigated?
    • It is rainbow colored
    • It has blood in it
    • It comes with a lot of gas
  • If you were a veterinarian, how would you treat parasites
    • Make the patient puke them out
    • Deworm the patient
    • Make the patient drink a lot of water
  • What gave Apollo the roundworms
    • Changing food
    • Eating infected dog poop
    • Sniffing other dogs
    • Eating infected dog food
  • Which of the following should dogs eat
    • Dog food
    • Poop
    • Dog treats
    • Keys
    • Dog toys
  • What kind of diarrhea has large amounts of poop, normal frequency, and weight loss
    • LI
    • SI
  • What kind of diarrhea has small amounts of poop, increased frequency, straining, and mucous
    • LI
    • SI

Further exploration

Here are some helpful links that can promote further learning for the students:

Foods dogs should and shouldn’t eat:

People Food Dogs Can Eat and Can’t Eat – American Kennel Club

Roundworms of Dogs (and Cats):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItQco_C1mWY