# Bad Puppy Diarrhea... Help!!



## Pennysmama (Apr 23, 2013)

I noticed you mentioned a pig's ear in your post. It certainly could be the culprit. You need to make sure new treats are introduced slowly, some pups (like mine) have sensitive tummies, and treats can be troublesome. I always introduce one new food at a time and give it two weeks before trying anything else with Penny. Pumpkin is also a great addition to the diet to help firm things up. 

The vet can give you a prescription med that will clear up the squirts in no time. She is so small at this point, I would give them a call. They will probably also mention feeding a bland diet of rice, boiled chicken or beef, and pumpkin and gradually reintroducing the kibble as things firm up.

I hope this helps.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

With a tiny puppy I think I would err on the side of caution and phone the vet. If that is difficult for some reason, I'd remove treats and chews like the pig ear, and put her on to rice, chicken and pumpkin for a few days. Simmer a chicken breast (meat only, no skin or fat) in a pint or so of water, and use the liquid to cook a little rice until it is very soft - you want lots of liquid when the rice is done so add more water if necessary. Feed sloppy rice for a meal, and if her diarrhoea improves, gradually add in some of the chicken for subsequent meals. Some pumpkin in the mix should also help. If she is eating, drinking and playing it is unlikely to be anything serious, but small pups can dehydrate very quickly, and it is much better to phone the vet and if necessary make an appointment during office hours than to lie awake worrying yourself sick, or even worse have to find an emergency vet at 3am!

Snap - posted at the same time, Pennysmama!


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Yes, I'd contact the vet just for peace of mind if nothing else especially in such a little pup. Better to get her checked out.

Also, I agree with the others that pig's ear is likely to be the culprit - Pippin can't eat them even now as they are too rich/fatty/whatever and gives her really bad digestive problems. 

We had quite a few months of this sort of problem when we got Pippin, she'd be fine for two or three weeks, then two or three days of the runs, off and on and off and on... Mostly things cleared up once her body started maturing, but with these little guys you do have to be careful.

Keep us posted how she goes on!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Absolutely take her to the Vet right away, even if you have to take her to an emergency Vet. 
Diarrhea in this size puppy can easily turn into life threatening hypoglycemia because she is not absorbing her food.

Bring a stool sample to the Vet as they need to check for several different parasites/bacterial issues which may be the cause (although it could just be the stress of moving to a new home) - you should have the Vet do several fecals in the next month or two as many of the things that puppies can carry can be not visible unless they are at a certain point in the life cycle.

The medicine to directly treat the problem that the Vet will give you is metronidazole, and it is a good idea to geet some extra to keep in the house.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

fjm said:


> With a tiny puppy I think I would err on the side of caution and phone the vet. If that is difficult for some reason, I'd remove treats and chews like the pig ear, and put her on to rice, chicken and pumpkin for a few days. Simmer a chicken breast (meat only, no skin or fat) in a pint or so of water, and use the liquid to cook a little rice until it is very soft - you want lots of liquid when the rice is done so add more water if necessary. Feed sloppy rice for a meal, and if her diarrhoea improves, gradually add in some of the chicken for subsequent meals. Some pumpkin in the mix should also help. If she is eating, drinking and playing it is unlikely to be anything serious, but small pups can dehydrate very quickly, and it is much better to phone the vet and if necessary make an appointment during office hours than to lie awake worrying yourself sick, or even worse have to find an emergency vet at 3am!
> 
> Snap - posted at the same time, Pennysmama!


Just pointing out that you meant WHITE RICE!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Yes, white rice, not the quick cook kind, and short grain is easier to cook to a mush than long grain.


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## bianca (Nov 16, 2013)

Thank you guys so much for all the helpful tips and advice! I feel so much better knowing there's a place I can go to when I have questions.

The good news is her diarrhea seems to have stopped (she hasn't had any today) though when she woke up she seemed a little less active than usual and wasnt really interested in her water much. I didn't have chicken on hand or rice (I'm assuming minute rice doesn't count.... right?) so I just warmed up some canned chicken broth and a little more pumpkin purée (she practically inhaled the broth lol). Still no diarrhea and she's back to being her playful curious self.

Sooo, do you guys think I should still bring her in to the emergency or should I wait to see if her diarrhea comes back first? If it doesn't return, I'll probably still make her a normal appointment on Monday just to be sure everything is okay.

Oh, by the way, the pig ear thing is more of a bone than an actual "treat". And she had her diarrhea before I gave her the pig ear so I'm pretty sure it's not that but I'll take it away just in case it makes the situation worse.

Thanks again, you guys are great!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

If she is eating, drinking, playing, peeing and pooing normally, I'd keep an eye on her but the emergency vet is unlikely to be necessary.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Be careful with the pig ears, they are very high in fat. I know they don't eat them like a treat, they chew them like a bone, but they still ingest quite a bit. Pig Ears make 2 out of three of my dogs have severe diarrhea. Emilio gets pancreatitis attacks from them. 

A lot of dogs do great with them but I would watch it, especially if she has a sensitive tummy.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

You definitely need to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated! She is so small it could be dangerous . Also, at 8 weeks she isn't fully vaccinated yet...............I think if it were me I'd have her tested for Parvo immediately!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

MollyMuiMa said:


> You definitely need to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated! She is so small it could be dangerous . Also, at 8 weeks she isn't fully vaccinated yet...............I think if it were me I'd have her tested for Parvo immediately!


Not that I have any real experience with it thank goodness, but I believe that if a puppy had parvo they would be overall acting sick, which this puppy isn't. But, just they diarrhea can make a puppy this small hypoglycemic, which is a dire emergency. 
They all do seem to have periods of diarrhea the first year or two though - often with no identifiable cause.
Personally, I like to introduce slowly to a variety of foods when they are young, and ultimately they grow out of the problem. Friends that I have had who keep their dogs on a strict, single food diet because they are afraid of new foods upsetting their stomachs seem to battle the problem their entire lives... but that is just my observation - never read anything that confirms or denies my theory.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I subscribe to the same theory, Tiny Poodles. I think it also means that you quickly discover if there are foods your dog cannot tolerate, and are far less at the mercy of sudden changes of formulation by manufacturers, let alone running out of the one and only food when the nearest shop stocking it is 30 miles away... Dogs that can happily eat a meal of eggs, or sardines, or other store cupboard staples will never go hungry!


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## bianca (Nov 16, 2013)

Thank you all for your replies. She (thankfully) got better. I stopped her food and started giving her chicken broth and pumpkin purée which she really enjoyed. I also gave her a little plain yogurt and then slowly reintroduced her food. She's doing well now though I'm going to mention it to my vet on her next visit just in case. 

Unfortunately, my oldest dog took a sudden horrifying turn (see my other post). Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers if you can :sad:


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