When you're a puppy owner, the chances are good that you'll encounter puppy diarrhea sooner or later! It's a fairly common problem which can have several different causes, some minor, and some very serious.
Diarrhea in puppies can be one of the first, major symptoms of some very nasty, contagious and even, potentially fatal, illnesses. However, it can also be the result of a simple change in diet or too much excitement! Knowing how to tell the difference, and when to seek help without delay, could literally be a lifesaver for your puppy.
Puppy diarrhea can range from a soft, chocolate pudding consistency to a jet of water… and all the stages in between. The more liquid the stool, the more serious the diarrhea, which increases your puppy's risk of dehydration.
A soft, ‘melted ice-cream to chocolate pudding' stool
This could be the result of a sudden change in diet. Such as when a puppy goes to his new home and is given a different brand of dog food. To avoid this, always make the change over a gradual one. Replace some of the familiar food with the new one, and slowly (over a period of a week or so) increase the new while decreasing the old.
This kind of diarrhea in puppies can also be caused by exposure to stress, such as traveling, visiting the veterinarian or adjusting to a new home. Or maybe your pup's been snacking on left-over's from the trash can…it's a pretty safe bet that a midnight snack of cold pizza or banana peel is going to result in puppy diarrhea tomorrow.
With this sort of puppy diarrhea, and in the absence of any other symptoms such as vomiting, lethargy or loss of appetite, your best course of action is usually to withhold food for 24 hours to allow your pup's little tummy to settle down. Do make sure that you give him access to plenty of fresh water though. If his condition deteriorates or is not improved by the next day, call your vet immediately.
Young puppies can become seriously dehydrated in as little as 24 to 48 hours , so it's vital to keep the fluids coming. You can add some unflavored Paedialyte (available in the baby section of your local grocery store or pharmacy) to his drinking bowl if you'd like. If your puppy won't/can't drink, or is vomiting, you need to get in touch with your veterinarian for advice right away.
The water-jet variety
Puppy diarrhea that's watery, or contains mucous, could be a symptom of one of several very serious and potentially fatal dog illnesses. Although there are often accompanying symptoms, such as vomiting or lethargy, this kind of diarrhea shouldn't be ignored even if seen on it's own.
A bad case of worms (such as roundworms) or a parasitic infection, such as Coccidia or Giardia are all possibilities. As are serious, infectious diseases such as Corona Virus, Hepatitis and others. These conditions are very potentially very dangerous, and need immediate veterinary attention. Treatment usually involves the administration of fluids to combat dehydration, and anti-biotics to treat the disease or secondary infections.
If the puppy diarrhea shows any indication of blood (often seen as red or brown streaks), emergency veterinary care is a must…even if it means driving 40 miles to the 24 hour emergency clinic! This is a classic symptom of the deadly disease, Parvovirus, which can literally kill a puppy within a day (or less). If you're in ANY DOUBT at all, call your veterinarian, or go to an ‘after hours' clinic.
Some breeds such as Dobermans, Rottweilers and Pitbulls are more susceptible to Parvo, so be extra vigilant with them. You can learn more about Parvo and Rottweilers at this website www.a-love-of-rottweilers.com
It's important to realize that puppy diarrhea, although not an unusual occurrence, has the potential to be the sign of a serious disease. If, after further investigation, you find that your puppy's upset tummy is just the natural consequence of eating stolen meatloaf, be grateful (and find a more secure trash can lid!).
» left by susy from miami (2 years 11 days ago.)
This was great!! takes a load off. Respond to this comment
» left by Jess from Alberta, Canada (1 year 271 days ago.)
I have a Rottweiler pup who just turned 11 weeks old. Has been with us for over three weeks now, and tonight he got the 'chocolate pudding' you are talking about. Has had a loose stool 5 times now since 8:00pm. It was dark out, but I didnt notice any bloody color to it. Will try feeding pure pumpkin from the can tomorrow in high hopes then call a vet for advice on whether to bring him in or not. I realize Rottweilers are very prone to getting Parvo, so I have been up all night worried sick about him. Thanks for the great article! You must truly care a lot about dogs to have spent so much time willing to help others in such a crisis! Respond to this comment
» left by Stephanie Block from Reading, Pa (1 year 252 days ago.)
WOW!!! I looked for so long for all these answers!! You helped me and my puppy out! Now i know that his diarrhea is probably caused from him coming to a new home, and maybe even because we changed his food! Im so happy that i found your page!
» left by yesenia quintana from san jose ca usa (1 year 169 days ago.)
thank you verry much u guies u totaly saved my puppys live i apreshete it so much yesenia & lazy
» left by Anonymous (1 year 102 days ago.)
My 9 week old rottweiler puppy has pure liquid shooting out of his bottom for the past day. We just got him 2 days ago and we are feeding him different food than the breeder was. I will try stopping his food for a day. I hope he's ok, we just paid $800 for him! Respond to this comment
» left by The Puppy Dog Place (1 year 98 days ago.)
Diarrhea that is very watery should be treated with caution - especially in breeds like the Rottie who are extra-susceptible to Parvo. I hope that this is just due to stress and change in diet, but if he starts vomiting or seems extra sleepy or looks sick - please take him to your vet right away. I'm glad my article has been helpful to you all :o)
I suggested not only a stool sample test but a bacterial culture. Our poor puppy had severe jet like diarrhea. We spent $1200 trying to figure out what was wrong with our puppy and the poor guy was on antibiotics for almost 4 months. When they finally did the bacterial culture test, it showed "salmonella". Good thing we finally caught it.
» left by carolyn from Las Vegas,NV (251 days 11 hours ago.)
Thank u sooo much for writing this article!!!!! my 4 month old cockapoo had diarrhea all night and i was worried sick!!!! But he is all better now thanks for the advice!!!
My 11 week old Golden retreiver mix puppy went from pudding stool to liquid stool. We got him 2 days ago and traveled for 4 hours to our new home. He was fine before and sense then it's how it is now.Took him to the vet today before he shot liquid and asked about the loose pudding like stool and they took a stool sample to check for bacteria. There was some and I got an anti-biotic, but i'm worried that the medicine went straight through him cause soon after the vets office and the medicine i gave him he did his first liquid bowel. Sense then he's barely drinken any water. Vet is going to call me back, but i'm so worried. D: he vommited last night too, but i forgot to mention it to the vet cause i didn't think anything of it. thought it was some grass he ate or something... nothing came out except water. As for food, he's on the same diet he was on at the kennel (so they said). We got the food for free and they were real recently wheining him to dry dog food.
I hope he calls me soon before i pass out from worry :(
» left by Sinead from Ireland (187 days 8 hours ago.)
Hi..another worried puppy owner here. We just got our Golden Lab on Thursday.
He's not been eating very much but we did change his food. He was on tins of food previously and we were advised to get him off of them so we bought Beta puppy food (dry nuts), we've soaked them, not soaked them, mixed some tin food with them to give him a taste of what he had been eating previously. He just doesn't appear to like it at all. He also has the runs (very watery) but he doesn't appear to be feeling ill...no vomiting and was in high spirits this evening. I'm just wondering if it's just the change of food? Unfortunately as it's a bank holiday here this weekend the chances of getting a Vet till Tuesday is very slim.
» left by The Puppy Dog Place (186 days 8 hours ago.)
Sinead - If your puppy seems happy and healthy apart from the poor appetite and some diarrhea, chances are these are simply a result of the change in diet and stress of leaving his first home. You can find more information on what to expect during the first week or so with a new puppy on my 'Bringing Home A New Puppy' page at The Puppy Dog Place website mentioned in the resource box under the above article.
Don't tie yourself in knots trying to get him to eat right now. Just choose a good quality, nutritious puppy food that is appropriate for his age/breed and offer it to him three times a day. It is up to him to eat it, all you can do is offer it. He may not each much for a few days, but as soon as he starts to feel more at home his appetite will return. It's essential that he drinks lots of water though, so keep fresh water available at all times.
But, watery diarrhea should always be treated with caution. If you notice ANY signs of illness, or his behavior changes or you are worried at all, take him to a veterinarian asap. Vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy are worth an emergency animal hospital visit!
» left by megan from conway ar (121 days 5 hours ago.)
Hi I have had my shih tzu puppy for about 3 weeks now...last week he began having the pudding diarrhea my mother having dogs and keeping him during the day saw mucus and watery substance so I wormed him (he's 12 weeks) before wormer though he was a little lethargic but not bad he played a lot just not as much. He still ate GREAT he drinks A LOT, but still diarrhea. After wormer he was getting better and now its back like before with the diarrhea but not lethargic...I'm so confused and extremely worried! Please some advice one day is better the next isn't...
» left by kayla from quebec (77 days 7 hours ago.)
I just adopted a 3 month old, Boxer puppy from the SPA. He received his vaccine for Parvo the day we picked him up; however two days later when we brought him home he started vomiting, and wouldn’t eat or drink anything. We brought him back to the SPA where they did a series of test, he tested positive for Parvo. However they would not give him any medications because they didn’t know if the cause of the test being positive was because of the vaccine received 3 days prior. They told us to keep him hydrated and well rested. It’s been 3 days since then and he isn’t showing any signs of lethargy, his eating and Drinking on his own. but he has had very liquid bowel movements for 3 days(without blood). We ordered Parvaid on-line and are just waiting for it. My question is do you think that the vaccine made the test positive because he is only showing one symptom. Can you recommend anything?
I'm afraid I'm not a veterinarian, so any answer I can give is simply a personal opinion based on my own experience. .... It is definitely possible for a positive Parvo test to be the result of recent vaccination, but obviously I can't say for sure what caused the pos result for your puppy.
As it's been 3 days and he is eating and drinking normally and seems active, I would personally think that he isn't suffering from full-blown Parvo. It's a very aggressive disease and a pup with Parvo usually gets very sick, very quickly. It can literally kill a young pup within 24 hours. The diarrhea could be a result of the stress of his moving to a new home, a change in diet, the vaccinations he received etc. rather than Parvo.
I would just keep a close eye on him, and if you're at all concerned visit your veterinarian right away. Best of luck.
» left by Thuraisingam from India (55 days 14 hours ago.)
I bought back a rottweiler puppy 32 days old about 5 days back and he is having the water-jet kind loose motion. It was yellowish little thick in the beginning but now its become greenish and real watery. i have not observed mucous. he is not vomiting. Slowly he is lackingt he appetiate he had for the past 2-3 days and is slowly refusing to eat.
esterday i took him to the vet and the doc said its normail and gave hm couple of injections--otrivin, gentamicin and another i dont know and said he is still trying to get adjusted to the milk. Also he is given Norfloaxin and lactic acid capsule 200mg, morning one in the night.
Please advise is this ok or there should be some other alternative method of investigation to be done. Also he was very sleepy and lethargic as it was a very hot day and he was dozing off even when we tried waking him. This really got us worried.
He is playing normally. We are feeding him baby cereal-Nestle cerelac every three hours with milk. Pls advise
» left by Sue from from The Puppy Dog Place (55 days 4 hours ago.)
Watery diarrhea like this is not normal in my experience, and your pup could become dehydrated. As he is also lethargic and lost his appetite I would strongly suggest that you take him back to your veterinarian for more help. It could be Parvo, or another serious illness. Parvo in particular is very dangerous. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
» left by Taylor from Starkville, MS (31 days 15 hours ago.)
I brought home a 3 month old lab puppy from the local shelter last thursday. He eats everything!!! He was being fed beef flavored pedigree puppy food but when I went to the store all that was left was the chicken kind. He has also been taking daily doses of Albon because one of his sister's had coccidia. He has diarrhea and has had it since friday morning. Could this just be stress from coming to our home? Im a little worried because besides him, I have a white german shepherd that is 5 yrs old and I don't want him picking up something as well. When the puppy is not having diarrhea, he is running around and barking and chewing literally every piece of my home and chasing the shepherd around the house. He seems happy and healthy, but this is the first puppy I've ever gotten this young so I'm not sure. Please let me know!
» left by rachel from nebraska (31 days 11 hours ago.)
my 6mnth old Maltese puppy is sick. he is not eating or drinking and he is just laying around. he has had no diarrhea yet but he has vomited. could it possibly be Parvo? I will probably take him to the vet in a couple hrs if he is not better soon.
Taylor.....Diarrhea could be stress related, or due to a change in diet, the coccidia, the antibiotic he's taking, or all of the above! If he seems happy and healthy otherwise, I'd say give him 24 - 48 hours and see how he's doing. If the diarrhea hasn't stopped by then, gets worse, or he shows any signs of illness, get him to a vet right away. Best of luck.
Rachel.... I'd definitely recommend taking him to the vet if he's not looking better within a couple of hours. If he's fully vaccinated, chances are he doesn't have Parvo - but of course it is possible. He may have another bacterial or viral infection though, or have ingested something toxic. Best of luck, hope he's doing better soon.
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