What Is Puppy Diarrhea
Puppy diarrhea is a symptom of poor intestinal health that causes loose stools and dehydration. In puppies, diarrhea can be a common issue. Sometimes, it is benign and transient, and other times it is more severe and due to a serious underlying condition.
- Provides nutritional support for a healthy gut, skin, and coat
- Effective and tasty
- Made with powerful ingredients such as organic apple cider vinegar and pumpkin
- A hefty source of vitamins A, C, and E, hence strengthening your dog’s natural defenses
How Is The Cause Of Diarrhea Determined
The nature of the diarrhea, such as its color, consistency, smell, and frequency, is important in determining the cause. Your veterinarian will usually request a sample of fresh fecal material be brought to your appointment. You may also be asked to provide answers to a series of questions. To help you prepare this information for your veterinarian, see the handout “Diarrhea Questionnaire for Dogs”.
In mild cases of diarrhea, further diagnostic testing may be deferred unless initial treatment fails, or the condition worsens. Additional tests may include blood work, stool and rectal swab samples for parasite examination, DNA testing, bacterial culture, radiographs , ultrasound, and endoscopic exam.
Easy Fixes For Puppy Diarrhea
September 21, 2019 by Karen Summers
There are many causes of diarrhea and loose stools in puppies. Sometimes puppy diarrhea in Golden Retrievers can be acute and serious. However, often puppy diarrhea is little more than an inconvenience to the family and is easily treated at home. Loose stools sabotage house-training efforts at best. At worst, they can be a symptom of a life-threatening illness such as Parvo or Distemper.
Diarrhea is a common reason for vet visits in all breeds. Golden Retriever puppies are no exception. Lets take a look at when you need to call the vet and what you can do at home. Well also consider common recommendations by many veterinarians.
Serious Puppy Diarrhea
For serious cases of diarrhea, you need to consult a vet. If your puppy is vomiting or acting lethargic or sick, you need to get him to a vet. Likewise, if your puppy has a fever , has blood in his stool, or has other abnormal symptoms, see your vet. Puppies can dehydrate fairly quickly with severe cases of diarrhea. Make sure your puppy stays hydrated. Serious cases of diarrhea can be dangerous and are beyond the scope of this article.
However, if your puppy is acting normally other than having loose stools or diarrhea, then this article might be a help.
Common Causes Easily Treated With Medicine
Reoccurring Puppy Diarrhea
Overfeeding
Most dogs and especially puppies will get loose stools when they are over-fed. Usually, stools caused by overeating look like cow patties.
Not Enough Fiber
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When To Call Your Veterinarian
immediately if theres any chance your puppy might have swallowed a toxic substance or foreign body or if your puppy has any of these symptoms:
- bloody diarrhea
- lethargy or lack of energy
- refusal to eat or drink
- signs of distress
The most important criterion is how the puppy is feeling, says Dr. Kingsbury. If your puppy has loose stools or liquid squirts but otherwise seems happy and is behaving normally, you can wait a day or so to see whether the diarrhea will resolve on its own. But dont wait longer than 48 hours. By that point, even if diarrhea is your puppys only symptom, you should seek veterinary care.
Puppy Is Vomiting And Has Diarrhea
If they are also vomiting, I do tend to get more concerned that a serious problem is underlying the diarrhea, such as parvovirus or an intestinal foreign body, that will require intensive medical and/or surgical care, Dr. Evans said.
Again, the combination of vomiting and diarrhea should be brought to your vets attention immediately.
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Viral & Bacterial Infections
Parvovirus, often referred to as simply “parvo,” is a diagnosis that strikes fear in any puppy owner’s heart. This virus is highly contagious and wreaks havoc on your puppy’s immune system and body, causing severe diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, fever, and lethargy. Treatment consists of supportive care to help your puppy fight the disease and target symptoms. A puppy with parvo will likely be admitted to the hospital for intravenous fluids , medications, and round-the-clock supervision from her veterinary team. Parvo is often fatal, especially if treatment is started too late.
Thankfully, there is an effective vaccination for parvo, and it is included in the routine puppy series. Your puppy will receive several rounds of the vaccine depending on her age. It’s essential to get your puppy to her booster appointments on time even one missed vaccination can leave her unprotected. Once she has finished her puppy series, the following year she can either get a one-year or three-year vaccine.
Avoid places with other dogs, such as dog parks, boarding kennels, and popular dog-walking spots until she is fully vaccinated. Only allow her to interact with dogs that you know are vaccinated. If your puppy does get parvo, she will need to be kept away from unvaccinated dogs and puppies to prevent spreading it to them.
Ways To Manage Puppy Diarrhea + 2 Warnings
A mild case of diarrhea will usually clear up in a day or two without help. You might need to do more. But you cant always treat a puppy with remedies youd give a mature dog. So here are things you can do at home for your puppy.
- Feed bland food like boiled chicken in a mushy consistency to give the digestive system a break. Its easier to digest so some of the nutrients may be absorbed better.
- Increase the fiber in your puppys food to help absorb the excess water to create a more solid stool. Add plain pumpkin a half teaspoon at a time and monitor the results. Within a day or two you should notice an improvement.
- Make sure your puppy gets plenty of water. Give him bone broth for added nutrients.
- Slowly return your puppy to solid food. Give him minimal solids to allow his digestive system to heal.
- Start rebuilding your puppys gut health with a natural probiotic food like fermented veggies. Its best to wait to add supplements until hes older.
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Diarrhea With Vomiting In Dogs
When dog diarrhea occurs with vomiting, a new section of the gastrointestinal tract has entered the picture. Gastroenteritis is the group term for inflammation of both the stomach and the upper GI tract.
Sometimes a high-fat treat, even a small one, can trigger pancreatitisa condition wherein the pancreas, which produces digestive enzymes, among other things, becomes inflamed. This condition can cause acute vomiting and diarrhea as well as abdominal pain. In very severe cases, pancreatitis can even be fatal.
Vomit that contains blood can look red, brown, or black. Unlike a small amount of blood in the stool, any amount of blood in vomit is concerning and should result in a trip to the vet right away.
When To See Your Vet For Puppy Diarrhea
When diarrhea goes on for more than a day or two, and gets worse rather than better, its time to contact your vet. Here are some serious symptoms to watch for.
- Bloody diarrhea or other signs of parvo as noted earlier
- Loss of appetite
- Pale or dry, tacky gums
- Obvious discomfort or pain
- Lack of movement that can suggest pain
- Diarrhea for more than a day or two, or that gets worse
- Getting into something toxic or swallowing an non-edible object
Most cases of diarrhea in puppies can be easily managed. But watch for anything out of the ordinary in your puppys activity and demeanor. It could be a sign that theres a more serious problem than a simple case of diet-related diarrhea.
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What Causes Diarrhea In Dogs
Below we have listed some of the most common causes of diarrhea in dogs:
- Eating garbage or spoiled food
- Stress or anxiety
- Change in diet or treats
- Ingestion of foreign objects such as toys, bones, and fabric
- Ingesting toxins or poisons
- Parasites – roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, Coccidia, or Giardia
- Viral infections such as parvovirus, distemper, or coronavirus
- Bacterial infections – such as salmonella
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Liver or kidney disease
- Intestinal cancer
But how do you know if you should be bringing your dog to the vet for diarrhea?
Close Garbage Cans And Drawers Securely
Some puppies will stick their snouts almost anywhere, and this can lead to an upset stomach if their nose leads them to something they should not eat. Keeping garbage cans securely closed can prevent dogs from chowing down on less-than-appetizing morsels. Always be sure to keep pups away from cleaning products and medications as well.
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Three Common Causes Of Diarrhea In Puppies
One of the reasons diarrhea can be so stressful for puppy owners is the sheer number of potential causes. Loose or watery stool might be a relatively benign response to everyday stressors, a reaction to something your dog ate, or signs of a potentially deadly condition.
Diarrhea on rare occasions is not necessarily alarming, but its important to note that diarrhea should be assessed with the puppys overall general health. Is the puppy alert? Are they eating? Is there vomiting as well? Is there blood in the diarrhea. Diarrhea in combination with lethargy, poor appetite, or vomiting can point to something more alarming and owners in these cases should not wait to contact a veterinarian. When in doubt, contact your veterinarian for guidance on whether your puppys case is routine or if it requires urgent attention.
What Are Some Things I Can Give My Puppy To Help With The Diarrhea
Here are some over-the-counter medications you can use for puppy diarrhea.
This simple and affordable anti-dog diarrhea solution is a great way to treat your dogs symptoms. The liquid formula can be given to young puppies or picky adult dogs through a syringe, or it can simply be mixed in with any dog food.
Using high-quality sources of fiber, this veterinarian-backed solution is effective and highly rated by pet parents. The formula acts fast to treat dog diarrhea, reduce abdominal pain, and get your pet back in good health.
For dogs with regular bouts of diarrhea, dietary changes can make the difference. This healthy powder formula offers lasting intestinal relief through the use of prebiotic and probiotic bacteria.
This mix is perfect as a long-term solution to dog diarrhea and includes additional ingredients to boost the immune system and provide seasonal allergy relief.
PetLab Co. Digestive Support Bites. These soft treats are perfect for puppies as an effective and tasty way to strengthen their digestive system. They provide growing puppies with nutritional support for a healthy gut, skin, and coat.
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More Information About Parvo In Puppies
Until they have been fully vaccinated, puppies are extremely vulnerable to the canine parvovirus . Parvo is a highly contagious, potentially life-threatening infection that is associated with inflammation in the bone marrow and damage to the small intestine. Symptoms of parvo: severe bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite, severe dehydration, weight loss, lethargy, fever.
Parvo infections can spread both through direct contact with an infected dog and through indirect contactsuch as exposure to an infected animals feces, communal water bowls, surfaces, or bedding. And the canine parvovirus can persist in the environment for monthslong after the infected dog has moved on or the infected poop pile has disintegrated. Vaccination is the best way to protect your puppy from parvo. Until puppies are old enough for the vaccination series, they should be kept away from other dogs and places where other dogs have been . At home, have visitors remove their shoes and wash their hands before interacting with your puppy.
There is no cure for parvo, recovery can take a long time, and the disease often proves fatal if left untreated. The only treatment is supportive care, which may include:
- intravenous fluids to combat dehydration
- blood transfusions
- fecal microbiota transplant
Diarrhea In Puppies: Everything You Need To Know
You just brought home that cute new puppy and surprise they pooped a puddle! No big deal, you clean it up, but then it happens over and over again. What should you do?
Lets go over everything you need to know about puppies and diarrhea so you can get your pup back to their best self as quickly as possible.
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How To Treat Puppy Diarrhea
- Electrolytes in water is often referred to as Baby Gatorade. Breeders Edge® Puppy and Kitten Lyteare chicken flavored and are received well, as is Rebound Recuperation Formula. These options all work well for both kittens and puppies diarrhea.
- Warm in bottle and let babies nurse it down. By bottle feeding them for one feeding, the electrolytes will help to counter the dehydration.
- Pedialyte can be used in an emergency but dilute 50/50 with water as it is too sweet for a puppy or kitten and they dont nurse the Pedialyte as well.
Puppy Diarrhea And Vomiting
If your puppy has both diarrhea and vomiting, see your veterinarian immediately. For one thing, diarrhea and vomiting together can lead quickly to life-threatening dehydration. In addition, the combination of these two symptoms may indicate parvo or another serious infection. Or it may be a sign that that your puppy has ingested something toxic or that a foreign object or other indigestible material is causing a blockage in the digestive tract. In addition to the many cleaning products and other common household chemicals that are toxic to pets, many human foods are bad for dogs, such as cherries, avocado, mushrooms, and onions. And a few are downright poisonous, even in small quantities, like raisins, grapes, and Xylitol.
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Causes Of Puppy Diarrhea
Like adult dog diarrhea, puppy diarrhea can be caused by many different things. But puppies are especially susceptible to diarrhea because their digestive system and gut microbiome are still developing.
Here are some common causes of diarrhea in puppies:
Learn more about Parvo or Distemper
The puppys immature digestive system is a big factor in many cases of diarrhea. In a puppy transitioning from nursing to eating solid food, for example, diarrhea might be a normal reaction to new substances that the gastrointestinal tract is still learning to process. Even puppies who are accustomed to solid food may have diarrhea in response to a change in their diet.
Another big factor is the gut microbiomethe community of thousands of different kinds of bacteria and other microbes that live in your puppys gastrointestinal tract. This unique microbial community influences almost every aspect of your puppys health, including nutrient absorption, weight gain, immune functions, longevity, and mental health. As a dog grows, the gut microbiome even helps determine whether the nutrients in their food contribute to fat accumulation or lean muscle mass.
And because 70%80% of the bodys immune cells live in the gut, an imbalanced gut microbiome can also mean an immune system that isnt able to fight off pathogens and parasites effectively.
Diarrhea In Puppies: What Causes It And What To Do With It
I have bred dogs since 1978 with over 340 litters of German Shepherds. This translates into raising a lot of puppies and a fair bit of experience with puppy diarrhea.
Over the years I have seen my share of sick dogs and puppies. One of the most common problems we see with puppies is diarrhea.
This article is intended to help people come to terms with puppy diarrhea. It is not intended to diagnose all causes of diarrhea or even to tell the reader how to cure the problem under every circumstance. It is simply intended to pass on some of the knowledge I have gained over the years when my puppies get sick.
I will explain the different kinds of diarrhea and pass on some of the options that I have learned that can be used by pet owners to control the problem of puppy diarrhea.
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Why Is My Puppy Suffering From Diarrhea
Mild and isolated episodes of diarrhea arent all that uncommon among younger puppies. However, owners should become concerned when the diarrhea is prolonged and severe because it could be indicative that your puppy is suffering from a major underlying condition.
Monitoring the stools of younger dogs is instrumental. Their immune system and organism are still in the developmental stages, and that makes them more prone to various illnesses than older, fully matured dogs. When two or more of their stools are excessively liquid, you may have to consider taking the puppy to an emergency vet clinic. Bear in mind that severe dehydration occurs during the course of a single day in puppies with severe diarrhea episodes. Lets find out the main triggers.
1. Stressful environment and stimuli
Stress is a known major factor for diarrhea in both animals and humans. Puppies that have been separated from their mother and the rest of the litter to be transported into a new and frightening environment often experience stress-induced watery stools.
In addition to the separation anxiety, most owners are so excited about the new member of their household that they ceaselessly shower the puppy with attention. It takes time for the puppy to adjust to their new environment and the abrupt behavioral changes could have an impact on the gastrointestinal tract, causing bouts of diarrhea.
2. Sudden diet modifications
3. Having ingested foreign objects
4. Parasites and worms