Puppy Diarrhea
Some Important Facts about Puppy Diarrhea
If you get a puppy, diarrhea is always going to be a possibility. It is nothing to fear but you should be aware of the different forms of puppy diarrhea and what to look for in deciding if your dog needs to go to the veterinarian or not.,
Every dog is going to get diarrhea several times through their lives; from the time they are puppies until the time when they are old. Puppy diarrhea is usually nothing serious at all but because it can be the sign of a more serious disease, it is important to watch your puppy carefully so you can see if any other symptoms develop or the diarrhea worsens.
There are different kinds of stools in dogs just as there are in people. Stools should be hard enough to hold together but not hard as a rock with your dog straining. That would be a symptom of constipation. In fact, the types of stools that dogs have are very much the same as the ones humans have.
You start to have an indication that something is up with your puppy if his or her stools stop being hard and start looking more like pudding. That means they are soft and when your dog does his business he will leave a soft mound behind. This still is nothing to be overly concerned about, but it does indicate that something is up in the pup’s digestive system.
It could be something as simple as the fact you changed puppy foods. Or you just started giving him real dry or canned food. A change like this from hard to very soft stools can happen just from stress. A change in environment, such as bringing your pup home and taking him away from his mother and litter mates, can cause stress and a change to a runnier stool.
Other reasons for soft stools can be parasites, such as worms (find out if your puppy was dewormed before bringing him home), just being to excited, getting too much exercise or your puppy could have gotten into something he wasn’t supposed to, such as the garbage. If the stool remains too soft and mound-like for forty-eight hours, you should give your dog either a food to firm it up, or a small dose of Kaopectate ™ or a similar product.
If, however, the soft stools don’t stay the same or harden up, but develop into true puppy diarrhea, where there is nothing but spurts of brown water coming out, it’s time to make a trip to the vet as fast as you can. It still may just be that the puppy ate something he shouldn’t have, or it can be a sign of a much more serious and life-threatening disease, such as the parvovirus, which can dehydrate and take the life of a puppy in just a couple days to a week.
The final kind of stool that is an indication of puppy diarrhea is brown water with blood mixed in it. This also is an indication to get to the vet right now. Do not wait another minute. This is not a “wait and see” condition. It is an emergency!
Once you get to the vet, he or she will start with blood tests to see if there is any indication of what might be wrong with your puppy. This could lead to more tests. If it is a parasite, such as worms, medication will fix your puppy right up. The same solution can be had with diet-type problems as well. If you see puppy diarrhea a lot your pup may need to change to a special dog food.
Puppy diarrhea that is extreme can be accompanied by constant vomiting and other symptoms. When this happens, your puppy can have a very serious virus, from which he may or may not recover. The vet will keep your puppy for a few days at the animal hospital and give IV fluids to strengthen him. Even if it is a matter of life and death, don’t ever give up on your puppy, no matter how bad it gets. Some puppies are survivors just like some people are.
Don’t ever give puppy diarrhea a chance to get worse. If you do spot that your pup is starting to have softening or different looking stools, watch him carefully, and if it worsens, get your puppy to a vet right away.