I’m at my wit’s end. Our 13 week puppy has had chronic diarrhea for around 4 weeks. We have dewormed him (round worm eggs in his stool the second out of 3x we tested), had him on antibiotics 2x, tried 10 days of probiotics, and changed food (gradual change over 2 weeks). He has been tested for Giardia and coxidia (sp?), vaccinated for Parvo and all the other normal puppy things. Heartwormed and has a seresto flea/tick collar.
The only thing that has cleared up the diarrhea are the antibiotics, but 2x without official diagnosis is my vet’s limit.
He is otherwise happy and gaining weight, but up every 1-2 hours at night to poop. (He rarely poops during the day at all). We are exhausted.
This is part vent but also part plea for input. I’ll be calling the vet on Monday.
I would get a doggy probiotic and add a big spoonful of canned pumpkin to his meals. My dog is 15 and has had chronic stomach issues and this is my go to when he's having problems.
Post by Leeham Rimes on Oct 24, 2020 16:13:28 GMT -5
I added dehydrated pumpkins to Frank’s food when his poo was loose and it fixed it damn near immediately. I also have him on a probiotic but I haven’t seen much of a change as I did with the pumpkin
I need ham like water Like breath, like rain I need ham like mercy From Heaven's gate Sometimes ham salad or casserole or ham that’s free range, all natural I need ham
What was the previous food? My bet would be the grain free is not working for him. I had a puppy like that and she was fine on e she was on a mix with more grain; she's going on 13, no health problems since. Did the vet recommend a food?
ETA: Pumpkin can also go the other way, so be careful with that.
4 weeks is a long time for a puppy to have diarrhea- and I'm truly bothered by your vet (if that wasn't an exaggeration). Parasites like Giardia can be a trick to diagnose, and a clean fecal swab definitely doesn't exclude an infestation. Because the issue improved on antibiotics, and because parasites can be problematic for people- I would get him to another vet.
I know this is gross, but, how would you describe his diarrhea? Is it really watery? Super smelly? Greenish? That can help narrow it down sometimes. Did he come from a shelter or other situation where there were lots of animals?
What was the previous food? My bet would be the grain free is not working for him. I had a puppy like that and she was fine on e she was on a mix with more grain; she's going on 13, no health problems since. Did the vet recommend a food?
ETA: Pumpkin can also go the other way, so be careful with that.
We had him on a medicated food specific for diarrhea issues from the vet, but that made no difference. He was previously on wellness large breed puppy food and that was where the issues began. We will see if the vet has any suggestions on Monday.
Try changing the protein in the food. Our dog has a lot of GI isssues as a puppy - turns out she’s allergic to chicken (plus has IBD but that’s a different story). Chicken protein allergies aren’t uncommon. Our girl is on only rabbit protein for her food now.
4 weeks is a long time for a puppy to have diarrhea- and I'm truly bothered by your vet (if that wasn't an exaggeration). Parasites like Giardia can be a trick to diagnose, and a clean fecal swab definitely doesn't exclude an infestation. Because the issue improved on antibiotics, and because parasites can be problematic for people- I would get him to another vet.
I know this is gross, but, how would you describe his diarrhea? Is it really watery? Super smelly? Greenish? That can help narrow it down sometimes. Did he come from a shelter or other situation where there were lots of animals?
I’m actually really happy with my vet and how he has handled this. He put the pup on antibiotics 2x in spite of no parasites in the stool. It’s very common for digestive issues to clear up on antibiotics but for them to not permanently solve the issue.
It’s milkshake to liquid consistency. Mucusy at times (common when the large intestine is irritated). Not discolored. He doesn’t seem to be in discomfort other than needing to poop frequently. sorry. This is so gross
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Oct 24, 2020 17:19:11 GMT -5
I would try browned ground beef and rice (and pumpkin) for 2 weeks, making sure those are the ONLY things your puppy gets. If you have improvement, then I would slooooowly add in some dog food without chicken and that isn't grain free. I know how frustrating it is to have a new puppy and diarrhea and be limiting their food. When I brought my pup home, we had to go through 3 rounds of dewormer and have her on chicken and rice diet, and I literally kept a baggie of chicken in the kitchen that I used as potty training/behavior training reward treats. And even with the dewormer and bland diet, it took a few weeks for her diarrhea to clear up.
What kind of feeding schedule is your pup on that she is pooping overnight? Could you feed earlier in the day, then walk in the evening to try to get her go before bed?
I need ham like water Like breath, like rain I need ham like mercy From Heaven's gate Sometimes ham salad or casserole or ham that’s free range, all natural I need ham
I’m not sure what type of dog you have, but I would try cottage cheese. I’d also try switching food if you have been feeding say chicken based formula, I’d switch to lamb or beef. We had issues with one of our dogs with allergies/ soft stools and we kept trying different chicken based foods thinking they were “bland” and then we switched to lamb and geez did I feel bad that we went thru that for so long! So the chicken and rice, also a bad idea for us, and then we did hamburger and rice.
Thank you! This has been immensely helpful to think through options.
I do wonder if we have a food sensitivity (though we will test for parasites AGAIN, I’m sure). I’ll discuss with the vet. I really do trust his expertise and he’s well regarded locally.
dottyblue, I read that totally wrong (like your vet was giving up on diagnosing him(!!!) clearly, it makes more sense when we're talking about dispensing antibiotics without a "reason")! I'm sorry (DottyBlue's vet)! LOL not my best speed read.
Chronic digestive issues in puppies are an enormous stress- it's especially difficult that it's hitting him all night. I would adjust his meals so most of it is earlier in the day until this is under control.
This really may be a parasitic issue. The only time I fostered a young puppy (I'm a much better old dog foster)- the poor thing came with Giardia, and it took FOREVER to diagnose (so frustrating for everyone). I know vet visits during a pandemic are just super duper fun, but, yeah, it's probably time to take another trip.
dottyblue, I read that totally wrong (like your vet was giving up on diagnosing him(!!!) clearly, it makes more sense when we're talking about dispensing antibiotics without a "reason")! I'm sorry (DottyBlue's vet)! LOL not my best speed read.
Chronic digestive issues in puppies are an enormous stress- it's especially difficult that it's hitting him all night. I would adjust his meals so most of it is earlier in the day until this is under control.
This really may be a parasitic issue. The only time I fostered a young puppy (I'm a much better old dog foster)- the poor thing came with Giardia, and it took FOREVER to diagnose (so frustrating for everyone). I know vet visits during a pandemic are just super duper fun, but, yeah, it's probably time to take another trip.
No worries, I’m guilty of faulty speed reads too, LOL. We have been finding that this is really common, which helps mentally a bit. We will figure it out.
When our dog was a puppy, she started having diarrhea at night, too. It took a while to figure out the culprit. She was sneaking under our futon to chew paint off the walls. Literally eating paint chips. Once we blocked off the area with cardboard (this was back in grad school, lol), the problem cleared up.
So in addition to the great suggestions here, maybe make sure she's not somehow eating non-food "treats"?