8 wo puppy w/ diarrhea, also throws up

[vale]

Oh, I told my vet that I gave my puppy his med for worms on May 4th... Maybe that's why she wouldn't do the test?

Blade is doing much better :) He was all playful and ran all around the place an hour ago :) He's also got his appetite back, which is such a relief!

[fbkeays]

Cigarette butts are poisonous. Please be very careful, they are not just annoying trash. Glad that your pup is doing better. I would also seriously think about getting another vet.
Iams has a breeder program with monetary incentives for breeders to buy their food and to get their puppy people to buy their food. Iams has a very good and very large marketing department. That is where they make their money- marketing. The actual product isn't good enough to stand on its own.

[Weily4Life]

Originally Posted by vale

As for now, he's doing way better than yesterday or this morning! He's eaten a little (my vet said to give him little amounts every now and then) and he's actually kept it all inside (I also fed him at 5.45am and kept all that food in as well). He's showed a higher energy level, probably because he's got something in his stomach, which wasn't the case yesterday.

Just a thought maybe you were overfeeding the puppy? You are now feeding smaller amounts and everything seems okay.

[vale]

fbkesys: I did think they were poisonous, those cigarette butts. I don't think he could have grabbed one though because I'm always watching his every move when we're out. But who knows, he's a quick little thing!

Weily4Life: I was actually not giving him enough food. The scale I used was not a good one, so I though he weighed around 11 or 12 lbs... When I took him to the vet yesterday, I found it he actually weighs 17.2 lbs !! He's such a big puppy :P

It really must have been a tummy bug or something like that because he's got all his enegy back this morning... which really seems to annoy my mum's Yorkshire and my 2 cats! :P

[vale]

Originally Posted by Nishasmom

I am glad you took him to the vet. If it is an upset tummy he should be feeling better in no time . Since he doesn't like what your vet prescribed, I would do a bland diet of boiled chicken and rice for a few days. This will help his tummy heal faster than if you fed his regular diet.

Keep us posted, and keep an eye out for any changes!

Well, I thought I'd be fine giving him his food only since he didn't throw it up since thursday. He was fine, no vomiting, no diarrhea until this morning. He's kept all his food in, but the diarrhea is back. I readjusted his food intake today, as I was only feeding him 2 to 2 1\2 cups a day (I followed the guide on the bag) because I thought he was 11-12 lbs (I'm gonna get a new scale!). I brought that up to 3 1\2 cups (he's in fact 17-18 lbs), and I think that might have been too quick.

It's the first puppy I have to take care of (I mean, we've had lots of dogs when I was a kid, but I never really had to take care of them - my parents would). So I think I'm not going to try anything else, I'm going to follow advices either from my vet or from you guys, since you seem to have great knowledge and good advices. ;)

So, do you think I should give him that chicken with rice thing for a couple of days? I'm gonna have a look through the forums to see if the recipe is somewhere.

[vale]

oh, and I forgot to say this: he didn't have diarrhea before around 11 or 12 o'clock this morning. His stools were fine this morning, no sign of diarrhea at all. He first had it, as I said, around 11 or 12 o'clock, while pooping for the third time today.

Yesterday, I gave him less food than he would usually get for a 17-18 lbs puppy (my vet told me to go easy on the food). Thinking of it, I should have added the additional cup gradually instead of all at the same time. Must be why the diarrhea is back.

[moondog]

Cook up some white rice with some additional water added (use 1 cup rice to 3 cups water)...and overcook it a little (another 8-10 minutes on low) so it's good and cooked. Boil some white meat chicken breast with all fat and skin removed until thoroughly cooked. You can cook it with the bone in, but make sure you don't feed him any bone. Save the broth - it's good for him!

Mix 1/4 cup shredded chicken meat (shred it up really well) with 3/4 cup white rice. You can add some of the chicken broth for flavor and that will help get more fluids in him.

I'd stick with this until there is no sign of diarrhea, and hasn't been any sign for 1-2 full days. Then you can begin to add back in a small amount of his kibble, replacing a small amount of the chicken/rice mixture. As the days go by, increase the kibble/reduce the chicken/rice until he's completely back on the kibble again.

It's only been a couple days, so it just may have been too soon to put him back on the kibble. If this continues, I'd have the vet check again for parasites and perhaps do an xray to check for a foreign object in his belly.

[Terri Lambert]

Also I would not go by what the back of the bag says as they always tell you to feed more than the dog/puppy needs as they want to sell more food. You need to go by what your puppy looks like, energy and how he eats (finishes quickly or very slowly).

[vale]

Originally Posted by Terri Lambert

Also I would not go by what the back of the bag says as they always tell you to feed more than the dog/puppy needs as they want to sell more food. You need to go by what your puppy looks like, energy and how he eats (finishes quickly or very slowly).

Yeah, I noticed today that it took quite a while for him to finish his food. It must be too much... He looks way too full after his meal. I never thought companies wouldn't write the correct quantities... I mean, it's for the dogs' sake, they shouldn't lie like this.

[vale]

Originally Posted by moondog

I'd stick with this until there is no sign of diarrhea, and hasn't been any sign for 1-2 full days. Then you can begin to add back in a small amount of his kibble, replacing a small amount of the chicken/rice mixture. As the days go by, increase the kibble/reduce the chicken/rice until he's completely back on the kibble again.

It's only been a couple days, so it just may have been too soon to put him back on the kibble. If this continues, I'd have the vet check again for parasites and perhaps do an xray to check for a foreign object in his belly.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!! ;) I don't think you've got my last message (I'm new here and I'm still learning how to use the features correctly!)... so I'll write it again!

I've started this "diet" today. Blade's had diarrhea 3 times this morning, but the good thing is that he asks to go out when he feels it coming! :P No pooping since he's eaten though.

When he first tasted the rice he didn't seem to like it, lol... But as soon as he realized there was chicken in there, he ate the whole thing and even asked for more (I didn't give him any more even though he didn't have much this morning... I think I better give him small amounts every few hours - correct me if I'm wrong!)

I'm going to follow your advice and stick with this diet until he's been fine for at least 1 to 2 days.

I'm a little worried about his shot though (parainfluenza, parvo, distemper and another one that I can't remember). He was due this Sunday (tomorrow) but I can't take him until he's been feeling better. Do you think I should avoid taking him outside or seeing other dogs? He's had his first shot a month ago, precisely.

Once again, you have no idea how you're helping me... and my puppy!! Thank you very, very much :)

[moondog]

You're welcome......we LOVE the widdle puppies and want them to be healthy and happy!

You are right on with more frequent feedings in smaller amounts - that will help regulate him. When he's back on his game, you can go back to 3 feedings a day.

As for the vaccinations....since he's been a little sick his immune system has been taxed so I'd be careful until he's better. The protection he got from his mother is beginning to wane now and without vaccinations he's at a higher risk of contracting something. I would not have him playing with other dogs and I would not take him out in the neighborhood for walks. You can still take him to the hardware store, to the bank, to the office.....there are lots of places he can go with you to meet people where the risk of him contracting something is low. Avoid any place other dogs go. He can ride in the cart (put a crate pad down so his toes don't get pinched) at a Target or Home Depot store and get lots of pats and attention from the people you meet there, etc.

When he does get that 2nd set of vaccinations, it takes a few days for it to become effective, so keep that in mind, too.

[vale]

Originally Posted by moondog

As for the vaccinations....since he's been a little sick his immune system has been taxed so I'd be careful until he's better. The protection he got from his mother is beginning to wane now and without vaccinations he's at a higher risk of contracting something. I would not have him playing with other dogs and I would not take him out in the neighborhood for walks. You can still take him to the hardware store, to the bank, to the office.....there are lots of places he can go with you to meet people where the risk of him contracting something is low. Avoid any place other dogs go. He can ride in the cart (put a crate pad down so his toes don't get pinched) at a Target or Home Depot store and get lots of pats and attention from the people you meet there, etc.

It's going to be hard to find a place where there are no dogs since I'm in Montreal, Canada... I might bring him to my parents' place for a week or so, where I'll be able to take him out without worrying about anything. My mum's got a tiny 2.5-3 lb dog but he's had his shots every year, so I know it's safe. Plus, there's plenty of space for him to be happy, without having to walk him in the neighborhood.

I'll keep you informed regarding his diarrhea.
Have a wonderful day :)

[blisscodisco]

My mom's rottweiler had Giardia when he was a baby. It is hard to test for and some dogs can have it and have no symptoms. He eventually grew out of it. He also is sensitive to grains and has done really well on a diet with very little grains (orijen, evo etc). Giardia is horrible and they can have liquidy stools but still have a great appetite and energy. Just wanted to mention it as a lot of vets don't think to test for it right away. Might not be what your pupkin has but thought I would throw it out there...

[vale]

Originally Posted by blisscodisco

My mom's rottweiler had Giardia when he was a baby. It is hard to test for and some dogs can have it and have no symptoms. He eventually grew out of it. He also is sensitive to grains and has done really well on a diet with very little grains (orijen, evo etc). Giardia is horrible and they can have liquidy stools but still have a great appetite and energy. Just wanted to mention it as a lot of vets don't think to test for it right away. Might not be what your pupkin has but thought I would throw it out there...

Well, Blade did have liquid stools before we started the chicken and rice diet. He's been doing a little better, even if I thought he's be back to normal more quickly. His stools are, well, yellow, but I figured it must be from the rice. The good thing is that they're getting a little harder... still hasn't gotten the right shape but it's harder. He pooped only 2 times today while he usually does it 4 or 5 times a day.

I read about Giardia. I don't know if it could be it, but Blade surely has a great appetite and energy! Might ask my vet to run the test if he keeps having diarrhea. I'll keep him on the rice and chicken diet for a while and see how it goes.

Thanks a lot :)

[moondog]

Yellowish stools on the rice and chicken with an upset is normal. I'm glad they're starting to firm up a bit...is he drinking okay?

I'd be tempted to have the vet treat him for both giardia and coccidia even if the tests come back negative....both can be tough to diagnose and there's a pretty good likelihood he could have both.