Diarrhea in 10 week old pup.

[Jaan]

Griz has had soft stools since we picked her up on Tuesday and I put it down to the excitement. She has not, however, improved and in fact it is now more like genuine diarrhea. She saw the vet on Thursday and got a clean bill of health and she has been dewormed. (By the breeder.) She is extremely lively and a chow hound so it isn't being cause by sickness. I am wondering if this is being caused by either the puppy biscuits (Iams) or the liver treats that I'm using to train. Or maybe the bully stick that I put in her crate to chew on.

The breeder recommended 5-8 cc's of Pepto Bismol and a chicken and rice diet. How does this sound to you experienced folks out there? Not that I don't trust the breeder but I'm sure that there is more than one good way to cure this. Ideas?

(By the way, even with the diarrhea, she does not mess her crate even at night and usually sleeps a full 8 hours without waking me. Only once did she whine to go out earlier.) Thanks for any help you can offer.

[moondog]

She may simply be getting too many rich foods, too fast. You can use her kibble for training treats at this point, and save the liver (which is very rich) for a higher value motivation a bit further on in her training. Bully sticks can cause a bit of loose stool, also, so until this clears up I would provide her with non-food chewies (nylabone, chilly bone, etc).

If she has gotten a clean bill of health from the vet, I would do as your breeder suggested and go with the bland diet of chicken and rice and see if that doesn't clear it up. If the diarrhea continues for more than 2 days, I would have the vet check her as puppies can dehydrate quickly. Is she good about drinking water?

[Jaan]

Yes, she is drinking plenty of water and you may well be right about the liver treats. (I didn't know that they were that rich---those little dessicated cubes look so inocuous!) I was also using hotdog bits and stopped that because of the high fat content. I'll take away her bully stick, too.

What do you think about the Pepto Bismol idea as a way to stop the diarrhea fast? Thanks for the rapid response.

[Jaan]

Update on Griz: After her 4 PM feeding of rice and boiled chicken, she already showed marked improvement. After the 6:30 PM feeding, she was almost normal---prehaps a bit soft but fully formed stools. Amazing how fast that worked! Guess I'll keep her on this diet for another day and then start mixing in dog food again. Thanks for the advice. It's been 9 years since I had a pup and I've forgotten so much.

[moondog]

I didn't comment on the Pepto Bismol because I have no experience using it for a baby puppy...and my preference anyway is not to turn to medications too quickly unless more natural means (such as the bland diet) don't do the trick.

Liver is VERY rich....I still limit how much my dog gets, even at 18 months. If I use it for training class, then that's it for the next week or two.

It's amazing how much there is to forget about raising a puppy, LOL.....each one is a whole new education!

I'm glad she's feeling better.