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Thread: Puppy Diarrhea

  1. #1
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    Puppy Diarrhea

    Short question is - Is it considered diarrhea if my puppy only has loose stools during his regular bowel movement times? In other words, he does not have uncontrollable diarrhea in the house, and isn't running out to diarrhea on a continual basis.

    Backstory - Caleb had severe diarrhea last Friday night/Saturday morning, where he asked to be let out 5 times in 5 hours. After that bout, he calmed down and we took him to the vet when they opened Saturday morning. They prescribed an antibiotic usually prescribed for giardia, a probiotic, and a prescription bland canned food. They reviewed his stool sample and noted he had high clostridium in his stool. It comes from eating raw or improperly cooked meat so we took away his bully sticks (and all treats). As his diarrhea cleared up, we took him off the prescription diet and back on his kibble (we transitioned using a mix over the course of a day). The vet called back regarding further analysis of his stool sample by a lab during this time and said they found a bacteria in it that is from birds but is generally harmless to cats and dogs (I couldn't understand the name of the bacteria as she said it and couldn't find it online). It was unclear from our conversation whether he had both bacteria or not, but it sounded like it was just this "harmless" bacteria from birds. Fast forward to today, after about a day or two of good stools, he's back to diarrhea. But it's not any sort of "oh my God I need to go out right now!" diarrhea. It's just the three or so bowel movements he has a day, that just happen to be very soft. We'd rather avoid another vet visit if possible so we are going to do the "wait and see" approach for a few days, especially since he's eating, drinking, and playing just fine. His next (and last!!! yay!!!) vaccines are next Tuesday so our goal is to hold off until then when we can talk to the vet more.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by taysel View Post
    Short question is - Is it considered diarrhea if my puppy only has loose stools during his regular bowel movement times? In other words, he does not have uncontrollable diarrhea in the house, and isn't running out to diarrhea on a continual basis.

    Backstory - Caleb had severe diarrhea last Friday night/Saturday morning, where he asked to be let out 5 times in 5 hours. After that bout, he calmed down and we took him to the vet when they opened Saturday morning. They prescribed an antibiotic usually prescribed for giardia, a probiotic, and a prescription bland canned food. They reviewed his stool sample and noted he had high clostridium in his stool. It comes from eating raw or improperly cooked meat so we took away his bully sticks (and all treats). As his diarrhea cleared up, we took him off the prescription diet and back on his kibble (we transitioned using a mix over the course of a day). The vet called back regarding further analysis of his stool sample by a lab during this time and said they found a bacteria in it that is from birds but is generally harmless to cats and dogs (I couldn't understand the name of the bacteria as she said it and couldn't find it online). It was unclear from our conversation whether he had both bacteria or not, but it sounded like it was just this "harmless" bacteria from birds. Fast forward to today, after about a day or two of good stools, he's back to diarrhea. But it's not any sort of "oh my God I need to go out right now!" diarrhea. It's just the three or so bowel movements he has a day, that just happen to be very soft. We'd rather avoid another vet visit if possible so we are going to do the "wait and see" approach for a few days, especially since he's eating, drinking, and playing just fine. His next (and last!!! yay!!!) vaccines are next Tuesday so our goal is to hold off until then when we can talk to the vet more.
    Coccidia is the bird bacteria. It is generally harmless in adult dogs, but can affect puppies negatively. Could be that is affecting him or the giardia hasn't gone away as it can take more than one treatment to get rid of it. If it were me, I'd put him back on the probiotic and see if that helps. I'd also not feed him treats, just his regular kibble.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Poor puppy. He maybe should not be vaccinated till his bum issues are cleared up. Ask your Vet about that.
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    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    You could also try taking in another stool sample. I agree with Labradorks, put him on probiotics.


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  5. #5
    Puppy
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    Thanks!

    I don't think I was very clear. Luckily he does not have giardia, it's just the antibiotics he was given are most commonly used for giardia. We got a diagnosis of clostridium at the vets and a different diagnosis of something from birds from the lab.

    Can I get probiotics at the store, or do I have to get more from the vet? He had a pretty neat syringe/pill combination from the vet that just ran out a day ago. If I can buy them from the store, what brand is recommended?

    Unfortunately he had some more diarrhea this morning. Thank God it's never in the house and it never seems to be one of those "oh my I have to go!!!" situations. We are putting him on chicken and rice starting at dinner tonight. Apparently I only have brown rice and not white rice so I'll have to go buy some after work.

    Until then no treats (our training is really struggling now), no more peanut butter for his crate, and no more Nylabones, just in case.

  6. #6
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Yes, you can get probiotics just about anywhere these days. Pet ones should be available at pet stores, even human ones can help. You can also get them on Amazon and other online stores. Sometimes puppies just have a lot of bacteria in their tummies. Our Wrigley was like that.

  7. #7
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    Is he by any chance getting ahold of any waterfowl poo? That stuff seems to be like crack to a lot of dogs...and our lake parks are full of it. Mercifully neither of mine bother with it but we do have to watch our step sometimes....and clean feet really well after a walk "just in case" so nothing gets licked off. We think that's how Danny ended up with giardia earlier in the year.

    Diarrhea is diarrhea regardless of the urgency shown.

    Brown rice is fine.

    Good luck!

  8. #8
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    It could easily be from the antibiotics upsetting his system - that’s how it usually presents with my guys when that happens. I would continue with the pro-biotics, and you could also try adding a spoonful of pumpkin puree (not pie filling - just the pure pumpkin) to his meals for a few days as that can sometimes help to bulk them up a bit more. I think Snowshoe recommends sweet potato for the same thing, but I’ve only ever used pumpkin so can’t speak to sweet potato, but it might be an option too.
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    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    The pill/syringe combo sounds similar to the Pro-viable that I got when one of mine was little. I ordered it online but never actually used it- the worst of the diarrhea was over before it came. I think the paste has something like kaopectate in it and the pills are the probiotics. Dog Digestive Aids: Proviable Paste and Capsules|DrsFosterSmith.com

    I used FortiFlora that I ordered from Amazon.com with my puppy for part of a box and then stopped once the diarrhea seemed to be gone. There are many other brands that folks on here like and recommend, I just don't know all the names. I haven't used any for a few years now, not even when I've had to give antibiotics, but some make it part of their daily regimen.

  10. #10
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    Just to give you all an update -

    When my husband let Caleb out for lunch he did not have a bowel movement before needing to go back into the crate. When I came home a few hours later, Caleb and his crate were COVERED with feces. So I washed him off, which seemed to really get his energy levels going. While doing circles in the kitchen, he body slammed a wall and immediately vomited. I called the vet in a panic (who was closing in ten minutes) and they said they would stay open to see us if we came right away (they have my business FOREVER!!!). The vet thinks his excitement is all that caused the vomiting, and not any real illness based on reviewing his temperament at her office (he was still super wound up) and his stool sample. She prescribed us a new type of probiotic that also has a strong anti diarrheal in it and thinks his continued upset stomach is from the transition from bland canned food to his normal kibble, so she also gave us a bag of his bland canned food, but in dry form. Hopefully by the end of that bag we can start to transition him back to his original kibble (PMI Exclusive, what the breeder was feeding him) over a more prolonged period.

    What a whirlwind!!!

 



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