# Puppy diarrhea problems.



## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

I have a 13 week old blm and ever since I got him he has always had diarrhea/soft stools. He always poops twice and initially the first one was solid/soft and the second was like liquid. Now, over the past couple of weeks it has gone to mainly liquid and really dark in color. We mentioned it to the vet while we were there for a puppy checkup and he just said "hes a puppy." I brought in a stool sample and he said they found nothing wrong with it. I guess I am concerned about it because soft stools do not seem normal, or at least for this long. We are in the process of looking for a new vet because we have not been impressed with our current one at all.

Food: Eukanuba Large Breed puppy. (What the breeder had him on)

Amount of food fed per day: 2 cups morning and 2 cups night. Yesterday tried giving him 1.5 cups to see if the squirts would quit and he still has them.

He does like to occasionally dig up crabgrass and chew it, and has yet to vomit from it.

I am just curious if it could possibly be the food at this point. It seems the Euk LBP is pretty popular around this site..


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## DuckTruk (May 18, 2005)

Do you keep the food in the original bag or do you dump it in a container?

Could need to be wormed as well. We typically dose em with wormer about every 2 weeks.


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## JusticeDog (Jul 3, 2003)

DuckTruk said:


> Could need to be wormed as well.


This was my thought. I've had negative stool samples on puppies/dogs, wormed them and gotten a yucky surprise! Tell your vet to humor you, and worm the pup. It certainly won't hurt him.


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## WhisperingHills (Mar 29, 2012)

I suggest you call your vet and ask if when they examined the stool sample, they also checked for coccidia. 

The standard fecal floatation will not show the coccidia bacteria - it only identifies larger parasites. Coccidia is very common in young puppies, and your pup could have been infected from the time you brought him home. If your vet didn't specifically look for the coccidia bacteria, take another sample in and have that done. The cure is simple - a 7-day regimen of Albon (sulfadimethoxine), available from your vet.

From what you describe, I wouldn't suspect the food. I've raised puppies on Eukanuba for many years and wouldn't feed anything else. 

Jeff


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## ebenezer (Aug 19, 2009)

I kept a chessy pup for a friend for a month. I had her on the Eukanuba pup and hadthe same problem. Switched her over to the Eukanuba Premium Performance adult and the problem cleared up.


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## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

Food is kept in a container. Have found ants in the bag when we used to keep it in just the bag.

Puppy was wormed at 6 weeks. Ill mention it to my NEW vet 

And ill ask about the coccidia. Knowing this yahoo he probably doesnt even know what that is. On our first visit I asked about how to feed him and he said go by the back of the bag..thanks for your help doc..


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## WhisperingHills (Mar 29, 2012)

tazman7 said:


> Food is kept in a container. Have found ants in the bag when we used to keep it in just the bag.
> 
> Puppy was wormed at 6 weeks. Ill mention it to my NEW vet
> 
> And ill ask about the coccidia. Knowing this yahoo he probably doesnt even know what that is. On our first visit I asked about how to feed him and he said go by the back of the bag..thanks for your help doc..


You're feeding a top-shelf puppy chow. I've used every one of the top brands, and IMO Eukanuba is #1.

Coccidia is a very common issue that breeders have to deal with. The bacteria is nearly impossible to eradicate from the ground, so it's typical that once a breeder has had the problem, they will always have a high risk of future litters being infected. Based on your description, that's what you're dealing with. Get it taken care of right away - it can be serious if it really takes hold. Newborn pups can go from healthy to nearly dead in a matter of hours. It won't go away on its own.


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## WhisperingHills (Mar 29, 2012)

By the way.......... you should worm again too. Use Safegaurd or Panacure (fenbendazole), not Nemex. Fenbendazole will also address giardia if your pup has a touch of that - Nemex won't. Nemex is a good first wormer for young pups, but yours is old enough for fenbendazole now through adulthood.

Jeff


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## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

Ok I just called the vet and they tested for coccidia and everything came back negative.


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## Erik Vigeland (Mar 13, 2012)

WhisperingHills said:


> You're feeding a top-shelf puppy chow. I've used every one of the top brands, and IMO Eukanuba is #1.
> 
> Coccidia is a very common issue that breeders have to deal with. The bacteria is nearly impossible to eradicate from the ground, so it's typical that once a breeder has had the problem, they will always have a high risk of future litters being infected. Based on your description, that's what you're dealing with. Get it taken care of right away - it can be serious if it really takes hold. Newborn pups can go from healthy to nearly dead in a matter of hours. It won't go away on its own.


I too used Eukanuba for my last lab. However, I had to switch from regular large breed to lamb and rice because of the way my dog reacted to it. He was fine on L n R from then on.


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## Billie (Sep 19, 2004)

WhisperingHills said:


> I suggest you call your vet and ask if when they examined the stool sample, they also checked for coccidia.
> 
> The standard fecal floatation will not show the coccidia bacteria - it only identifies larger parasites. Coccidia is very common in young puppies, and your pup could have been infected from the time you brought him home. If your vet didn't specifically look for the coccidia bacteria, take another sample in and have that done. The cure is simple - a 7-day regimen of Albon (sulfadimethoxine), available from your vet.
> 
> ...


Ditto this. 
As also suggested, I'd try this pup on Panacur. Will kill everything except coccidia.Is there blood? Mucous? That comes with Cocci. Panacur will get Giardia too.
All else fails, you can put the little guy on Probiotics as well. Thats a good "help the stomach digest things easier" med. Its over the counter, I get it at the health food store. helps with that in young pups. If I have issues with mine,and often do- they resolve out of it once they gt out of puppyhood,but you cant have the diarrhea continue. 
Panacur, and/or Albon will hopefully help, even if the stool sample comes up neg...
Good luck-


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## WhisperingHills (Mar 29, 2012)

tazman7 said:


> Ok I just called the vet and they tested for coccidia and everything came back negative.


Okay......... It is always possible your pup has a sensitive stomach, just wouldn't have been my first suspicion. But, I don't pretend to be a vet - I'm a breeder. 

If you want to do an easy experiment to find out, try feeding a diet of cooked white rice and boiled chicken for a few days. If he gets normal, then you'll know before you buy a different bag of food if diet is the issue. It's an easy test that would save you from buying a bag of food that may not make a difference.


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## Daniel J Simoens (Jul 7, 2011)

My pup use to do that as well. He's since outgrown it. Give him some yogurt!


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## WhisperingHills (Mar 29, 2012)

BPVigs said:


> I too used Eukanuba for my last lab. However, *I had to switch from regular large breed to lamb and rice because of the way my dog reacted to it. He was fine on L n R from then on*.


Good recommendation for an alternate food.

Try the bland diet test first (chicken & rice) before you switch foods. Lamb & Rice is a little pricey compared to the regular puppy or adult formulas.


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## Erik Vigeland (Mar 13, 2012)

WhisperingHills said:


> Good recommendation for an alternate food.
> 
> Try the bland diet test first (chicken & rice) before you switch foods. Lamb & Rice is a little pricey campared to the regular puppy or adult formulas.


Yes, but it sure beats cleaning up the kind of mess he's talking about


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

Try cutting back to 3 cups a day and add a T of plain yogurt and 1 T of canned plain pumpkin before you make any radical changes. Most of the time it is over feeding but I would still do what Frontier said-deworm him for 3 days in a row with Panacur. The other suggestion would be to get a box of Forti-Flora and give it to him for a month.

By the way, Coccidia is not a bacteria, it is a protozoa.


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## DuckTruk (May 18, 2005)

Euk is a good quality food. We just switched over and couldn't be happier. Lets talk more about the food container. Did you use the container for dog food before you got the pup?

The best place to keep dog food is in the original bag. If you notice, the inside of the bags are lined with a "plastic" like material. This is to keep the oil from the kibble from soaking through the bag. When you dump dog food out of the bag and into a container, this oil will build up on the inside of the container and grow bacteria. So its best to keep it in the bag, or clean the container after each bag.


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## riskyriver (Feb 23, 2010)

I would also suggest yogurt and canned pumpkin as Nancy said plus cut back on quantity. If that does not work probably try a lamb/rice. There are also some 'sensitive stomach' foods available. And I generally will worm pups regularly until 6 months or so, but I don't think worms are the problem in this case. And frankly if your vet does not seem interested - find a new one! There are plenty of very good caring vets out there! Find one you like and stick with him/her even if they are not the cheapest in town.
Diane


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## Chris Videtto (Nov 4, 2010)

ErinsEdge said:


> Try cutting back to 3 cups a day and add a T of plain yogurt and 1 T of canned plain pumpkin before you make any radical changes. Most of the time it is over feeding but I would still do what Frontier said-deworm him for 3 days in a row with Panacur.
> 
> By the way, Coccidia is not a bacteri, it is a protozoa.


X's 2....good luck with the little pup!


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## Amy Gooch (Mar 17, 2012)

Not sure where you live but I would try putting him on bottled water. I had a pup that had the runs from the beginning and went through all the same things you are going through. I put him on bottled water and he was better the next day with no further issues. I switched to filtered water and bought one of the Britta/Pur type filters and never had proplems again. Some dogs are just more sensitive than others. Good luck, I know how frustrating it can be.


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## MooseGooser (May 11, 2003)

We had the same trouble with our new Pup..

All tests came back negative.. except for a very small degree of intestinal parasite. He said was very common. 
The vet gave us some Meds and a probiotic. thought it would clear up in a few days.. It did,, but after the pup was off the meds,, dirty squirty came back.

We fed her a Bland diet of Chicken and rice,, and gave Yogutr and canned pumpkin ,, and it cleared up again... We dropped the Yogut and pumpkin,, everything fine... 
we dropped the chicken and rice, and started feeding her regular food,, and back came Mr dirty squirt..

We changed foods.. I will not say here what food she was on, so we dont start a food war,, but I will say, it was a very high quality food..

We changed to Blue Buffaloe, and added a teaspoon of Yogurt 1 a day for awhile,, we then quit the yogurt,, and fed just the new food..

Problem solved!!

Poops are the pertiest logs Ya have ever seen

Gooser,,, er I mean
,,, MICHAELBAKER


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## Leslie B (Jul 3, 2009)

WhisperingHills said:


> I suggest you call your vet and ask if when they examined the stool sample, they also checked for coccidia.
> 
> The standard fecal floatation will not show the coccidia bacteria - it only identifies larger parasites. Coccidia is very common in young puppies, and your pup could have been infected from the time you brought him home. If your vet didn't specifically look for the coccidia bacteria, take another sample in and have that done. The cure is simple - a 7-day regimen of Albon (sulfadimethoxine), available from your vet.
> 
> ...



This is my guess too. It is a little more expensive but a single dose of ponazuril will usually kill the Coccidia.

One note is the Coccidia lives in dirt and guess what puppies eat. Coccidia is not a worm, but a single cell organism that can survive freezing temperatures and a variety of harsh chemicals. I have found that once it is in your soil, it is impossible to get rid of. I bet all my adult dogs have it in their intestinal tract but it no longer affects them. 

I also recommend giving a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix!) a day to pups or dogs with diarrhea. The fiber works wonders to help the GI tract to reset it self. Sometimes the irritation of the intestinal tract by the diarrhea can perpetuate the problem. 

I agree to find a new vet. If you have a concern about an issue with your dog - he or she should too.


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## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

What med will kill coccidia?

It seems his stools have turned into slime.


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## MikeB (Jan 9, 2009)

Before you run up an expensive bill at the vet, I think your feeding way to much food for a 13 week old pup. Cut back to 1 cup AM/PM for 3 days and see if the stools firm up. If they do... then increase very slowly by 1/4 cup per day for 3 days until you find the right amount that doesn't cause soft stools. 

You may need to vet to check for bacteria in the bowels but to much food is the main cause of most puppy diarrhea. 

If you make to many changes all at once, food, water, etc the pups digestive system can't keep up and it takes longer to find the problem.


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## Don Thomsen (Mar 16, 2011)

I would have a fecal sample done. There is a product called fish zole. I just picked up a puppy two weeks and the breeder was telling me about it. I did some googling and came up with some excellent reviews using this. I would definitely consult your vet first, though


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## Guest (May 16, 2012)

I agree Panacur.


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## Howard N (Jan 3, 2003)

I'm with MikeB. I'd cut his food for a couple/few days and see if that doesn't take care of it. Then increase slowly. 

I've got two just turned 4 month old littermates here. I, only a few days ago, increased their food food, Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy, to 4 cups a day. One of them did get soft stools for a day or two when I increased it.

They were at 3 cups a day for quite awhile and then 3.5 for a few days before I increased to 4 cups.


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## Dustin D (Jan 12, 2012)

tazman7 said:


> He always poops twice and initially the first one was solid/soft and the second was like liquid. Now, over the past couple of weeks it has gone to mainly liquid and really dark in color.


 
I had the exact same issue and my pup was also a walker while he pooped. He ended up having straight liquid poops and I think he got sick. I asked the vet what I could give him and they said to come in and get this Pro Pectalin Gel to give to him every 8 hours that would ...add back the bacteria balance...?

Gave it to him every 8 hours while putting him on just boiled boneless skinless chicken breast and brown rice. After about 3 doses(36 hours or so later) he had his first solid/firm stool and pretty much celebrated like a little kid. 

Now, since then, he has never gone back to pooping twice and the second one being runny. He's had completely normal firm poop and he no longer walks around while doing it. So I have pretty much the entire tube left. They said to hang on to it in case he needs it again.

Afterwards I found out that you can buy it online for the same price I payed at the Vet Clinic. $10
http://www.amazon.com/Vet-Solutions...rrheal-Dogs/dp/B000NISM1I/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t






/


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## Daniel J Simoens (Jul 7, 2011)

I started a thread a while back about the Poop Walk! pretty funny stuff. My pup is still doing it!! 

He use to have the second runny poop problem as well but I guess he just grew out of it or the change to adult food cleared it up. He still gets what I termed the Excited "Poops" when there's a lot going on.


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## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

Turns out the little guy has giardia. Found that out after two stool samples and having to send the last on off to a lab for further testing which cost another $50. damn vets.


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## Labs a mundo (Mar 20, 2009)

tazman7 said:


> Turns out the little guy has giardia. Found that out after two stool samples and having to send the last on off to a lab for further testing which cost another $50. damn vets.


 Dammitt eh!
My pup had similar issue. Vet suggested 2 things.
NEVER mix the type of protein you feed...ie chicken, beef or lamb.
AND a month of Forti Flori once a day to help create a healthy gut flora.

It worked really well.


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## Terri (May 28, 2008)

I talked to my Vet about the pumpkin and he has me give it to my dogs to prevent bugs from attaching to the intestines. I was giving 1 tablespoon to my adult dogs, but he told me that a 58 pound dog needs half a can to do the job. Does anyone have a table they follow based on weight?

Terri


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## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

After almost two months of this, he still has the squirts. He tested positive for giardia and was given panacur and some other med (tablet) and he is still having soft stools. He has been eating Fromm LBP for the past month. 

We are going to try cooking him chicken and rice tomorrow to see if it clears up. 
How long do I have to feed him this? 
Do I just boil the chicken in water or what??

How much do I feed him? He is 19 weeks old now.


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

tazman7 said:


> After almost two months of this, he still has the squirts. He tested positive for giardia and was given panacur and some other med (tablet) and he is still having soft stools.


How long has he been treated for? With a stubborn case you need about 3 weeks of treatment. Maybe someone has the procedure-Metronaidazole for a week, Panacur for 5 days and Metronaidazole for a week?
Sometimes you have to repeat. A few days isn't going to get rid of a stubborn case.


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## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

He had me do it for three consecutive days. That's it.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2012)

Mine had giardia the only thing that would clear it up was panacur. The flagyl would clear it but as soon as he was off it would come back. Panacur cleared it up we also vaccinated him for it.


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## zoomngoldens (Nov 11, 2004)

You may want to check out a product called Platinum Bio Sponge. It is made by the company that makes the Platinum Performance supplement. A friend of mine put her young dog on it because of ongoing problems with diarrhea and it has really cleared up the problem. She tried various food changed (switching to grain free helped), but nothing really made a solid improvement until she tried the Bio Sponge. I think you may have to buy it off Platinumperformance website though.

Deb Anderson


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## Pam Spears (Feb 25, 2010)

I second the Bio-Sponge recommendation. Our 3 year old chessie male has had digestion problems and loose stools all his life. He's been positive for giardia several times, had pancreatitis once, and pooped everything from pure liquid to pure blood (that was exciting, let me tell you...) We've tried a variety of dog food as well as raw, and he spent a lot of time eating boiled chicken and rice. Bio-Sponge is the only thing that has really made a difference. He's now on a maintenance dose of the Platinum Performance digestive supplement, which contains Bio-Sponge as well as other things. Trial and error has taught me that whenever we are going to do something exciting: training group day, hunt test, hunting, dog show... I give him 2 capsules of Bio-Sponge the night before and twice a day for the duration of the event. It seems to prevent problems and keep him normal. He still has an occasional loose stool, but his appetite is back and he is eating a quality dog food with relish, has gained weight, and we finally have a mostly normal dog. We think it's a combination of a touchy stomach, poor digestive capabilities in this particular dog, and a "sensitive" disposition (he's a worrier.) Bad combination, but we are greatly relieved to have finally figured out a routine that works. We originally got the Bio-sponge from the vet, but it's less expensive to order it from Platinum Performance online.


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

tazman7 said:


> He had me do it for three consecutive days. That's it.


I would try 5 days on Panacur, 5 days off and 5 days on again. Some dogs require 4-5 treatments but just tell your vet it didn't work.


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## tazman7 (Dec 8, 2011)

Know of anywhere I can buy it that is reputable?


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## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

TYLAN powder, I can *almost* promise it will work.....get it from revival animal health I put a heaping 1/8 teaspoon in 3 qts of drinking water.But talk to your vet about dosage....


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

tazman7 said:


> Know of anywhere I can buy it that is reputable?


 It is widely available in farm stores, online, but it probably would be best to work with your vet and have him realize the 3 days did not do it. The Tylan will stop diarrhea but if there is still Giardia, I'm not sure that that is the way to go. I have a dog that gets GI problems that I used to treat with Tylan but he outgrew them.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2012)

The problem with giardia is if you have more than 1 dog they all should be tested and treated. My dog would clear up my daughters dogs came to visit and my dog got it again. We tested both of hers they had it, they were treated & given the shot everybody cleared up and we haven't had any more problems. I found a spray to use in the yard that kills the giardia spores I sprayed all the time with that as well. ( I found it online) If you dont kill the spores they can reinfect themselves


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## gdluck (May 27, 2005)

4 cups of food is too much. thats enough food for 70 lb dogs. lower the food intake, change kibble size from large breed to regular.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2012)

I think 2 in the am and 2 at night is fine for a puppy I follow the guidelines on the bag. I had to switch mine from Euk to Nutro natural choice the Euk just didnt agree with him.


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## 43x (Mar 29, 2009)

tazman7 said:


> Turns out the little guy has giardia. Found that out after two stool samples and having to send the last on off to a lab for further testing which cost another $50. damn vets.


Giardia can be hard to get rid of, the vet I know gives metronidazole for 5 days........... then a regiment of panacur for 5 days .

He recommends retreating in 3 wks


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## Ducko (Sep 6, 2011)

Well, people babies generally have wet ****s, why couldn't puppies ?


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