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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Puppy diarrhea

32 replies

SophyStantonLacy · 29/05/2019 07:11

My 11w old pup has had diarrhea (as in pretty liquid and frequent - probably poos 7/8 ish times in 24 hours) the whole 2 weeks we have had him. What is normal, and how do I work out whether it is his food causing it? He’s on dry puppy food, had to change him from the breeder’s because we couldn’t buy it locally - his stools were firmer when he first came home, so maybe I should order it online if possible. He eats loads of crap (bird poo, unidentifiable objects etc) from the garden too, so perhaps that is the problem too. It’s pretty gross!

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 29/05/2019 07:14

Have you been to the vets?

Charm23 · 29/05/2019 07:18

Did you slowly switch over to his new food by blending more in each day with his old food? A straight swap to new food would be enough to upset his tummy. I have a 9.5week old puppy and this is what we have been doing with him.

BiteyShark · 29/05/2019 07:21

It could be food but equally it could be an infection from the stuff he is eating in the garden. They are so little and you do not want him to become dehydrated.

We had to take ours to the vets when he was young and he needed antibiotics. I certainly would get him checked over.

Original poster

SophyStantonLacy · 29/05/2019 07:22

Bitey, I asked the vet when I took him for his jabs last week & she said she wasn’t concerned.

Charm23, yes we swapped over by mixing it up.

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Original poster

SophyStantonLacy · 29/05/2019 07:26

I’ll ask again today (more jabs), but she thought it would be all the bird poo he had been feasting on. I have no sense of what is normal for puppies though, is this not normal?

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Appymummy · 29/05/2019 07:38

Have you wormed puppy? Is he/she a pedigree? I ask as our pedigree had awful stomach issues from when she was a pup until she was PTS. Your pup may need a sensitivity food. You may need to also try and stop them from eating the bird poop! If that is even possible(!) good luck it's not easy!

BiteyShark · 29/05/2019 07:41

It isn't unusual for tummies to be off initially when settling into a new home. Also changing food can upset them as well.

However, if they are watery and frequent for a sustained length of time I would hope the vet checked their temperature and considered other possibilities.

Mine defintely needed treatment and was much better afterwards. As well as the antibiotics we were also given probiotic paste (you can buy of the internet) to help settle his stomach.

Original poster

SophyStantonLacy · 29/05/2019 08:02

He's been wormed, and he isn't a pedigree (he's a pointer/lab, working lines).

Just been out for a poo, it isn't watery but it's too soft to have a stucture (if that makes sense!) and a bit of mucous... I would say that's been consistent for him over the last 2 weeks, with an occasional more liquid experience.

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longearedbat · 29/05/2019 08:22

That isn't normal. I would have expected the vet to ask for a stool sample if it has been happening for a while. Puppies can get really sick really quickly with diarrhea. Ask your vet to make further investigations. Also, I know puppies like to eat random objects, but could you put him on a lead in the garden so you can monitor/stop stuff being eaten?

Charm23 · 29/05/2019 09:18

I wouldn't be happy with my puppy having diarrhoea for 2 weeks. I agree with others and would take him to the vet. It could be the bird poo or it could be an intolerance to something in his food, but it could also be something more serious. Good luck with him :)

Original poster

SophyStantonLacy · 29/05/2019 11:24

I asked the vet again, and they want me to wait a while longer as it could all be normal. Seeing them again next week so will monitor till then. He’s put on a kilogram in the week since we last went though!

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adaline · 29/05/2019 11:35

I really wouldn't say that's normal.

Puppies do poo more often than adult dogs (as they're generally fed more often and have smaller bowels etc.) but it shouldn't be liquid diarrhoea or have mucus in it!

I'm afraid I'd be going to a different vet. I'd not be happy to be told this was normal after two weeks.

BiteyShark · 29/05/2019 11:37

Same here adaline. I would want them to at least see and examine mine before saying wait.

CMOTDibbler · 29/05/2019 11:40

That sounds like it could be giardia which is very common, but needs treating and getting on top of. Our vets do 7 days of panacur liquid which seems to work very effectively, and then we also give probiotics.

2 weeks of diarrhea is not normal at all imo

Original poster

SophyStantonLacy · 29/05/2019 11:59

Hmm, thanks. The vet has seen him & did mention that giardia could be a possibility. It’s kind of toothpaste consistency...

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adaline · 29/05/2019 12:55

If she thinks giardia is a possibility why on earth hasn't she taken a fecal sample and ran some tests?

It can kill young pups if left untreated - not necessarily the giardia itself but the chronic diarrhoea can cause real problems.

fivedogstofeed · 29/05/2019 14:12

Gosh I'd be really worried if I thought there was any chance it was giardia. I've seen it have some serious consequences. Panacur is a really safe treatment and you would know very quickly if it was working.

Delatron · 29/05/2019 20:48

My puppy had diarrhoea for only a few days and vet was concerned. Put him on some special food (rehydration) which settled his stomach and we had to take in a stool sample. It did clear up in the end and there was no infection but it wasn’t two weeks.

Original poster

SophyStantonLacy · 30/05/2019 06:45

It’s interesting that the comments here differ rather a lot from the vets wait & see - puppy has seen 3 vets in the last week, 2 officially and 1 a visiting friend who actually saw his poo (didn’t test it though!), so I don’t know now whether they are right or wrong to wait.

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BiteyShark · 30/05/2019 06:59

If you are happy to take your vets advice then there is nothing wrong with that. However, some of ours have treated for similar symptoms and those symptoms cleared with treatment. I wouldn't be happy with no treatment for 2 weeks of sloppy diarrhoea myself. I would be giving probiotics at a minimum to try and get his gut back to health.

However, sometimes you just have to trust your gut feelings. My dog developed a chronic stomach condition later on and it was only because I said I am not happy to treat each incident and I want to know what's wrong as I don't think it's just a 'stomach upset' did they do more investigations to find the real cause which means we now get the proper treatment rather than just damping down the symptoms.

adaline · 30/05/2019 07:46

Our vet always said anymore than 48 hours of diarrhoea in young pups that wasn't showing signs of forming up should be investigated. Young dogs can go downhill and become dehydrated far quicker than adults.

Ours had one really bad lot of it once - the only reason I didn't take him to the vet was that it just stopped all of a sudden and his next poo was solid. It must have been something he ate. I wouldn't be happy to be sent away to "wait and see" after two weeks of it.

Would you happily live with an upset stomach like that for two weeks or more?

Delatron · 30/05/2019 07:54

There are things the vet can give him to help. Mine had this probiotic paste. There is a risk of dehydration too so it’s not something you want to persist.

MrsEricBana · 30/05/2019 07:58

Poor little chap. Def not right. I'd insist on some tests.

Original poster

SophyStantonLacy · 30/05/2019 08:43

So is ‘normal’ for a dog always solid? I think the last vet I saw felt that there are side effects to treatment & since he is well in himself it was worth waiting it out a bit.

OP posts:

Delatron · 30/05/2019 09:03

There are no side effects to probiotics and we were given some special food to settle his tummy. No side effects and they worked. What treatment is he thinking of that has side effects?

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