Puppy diarrhea?

[scathach]

Hi there!

I'm the new owner of a english bulldog puppy... He's 3 months old and we adopted him 2 weeks ago... We switched his food and now he has what seems like diarrhea... since he is my first puppy, i am a bit worried... i'm not sure if it's really diarrhea since he doesnt really poop more than usual... it's just really liquidy... so i don't know if it's the new food or something else... What should we do? Should we stop giving him food for some hours so his stomac can rest?

Thanks for the help!

[Winston]

You could give him some plain white rice to help his bowels a bit...But I would go get some pumpkin...Not the pie filing..has to be the pure pumkin...Give him a couple of spoons on his dinner and this should help. Did you mix the old and new food together? You may have to use the pumpkin for a few days.

Cindy

[kandy]

If you did not transition him slowly to the new food, it could just be upset tummy from the food change. If you changed him to a significantly higher quality food, you might be feeding too much.

[scathach]

we mixed the 2 foods for a while... now he is just on the new one... we don't feed him that much... about 2 cups a day

[AmericanBullMom]

Has he been around any other dogs? Has he had vaccinations? What food are you feeding him?

[Diamondsmum]

My puppy had this last week. neighbour fed her some leftovers. (I headed to vet) She was doing some whining too & puked. it was from the leftovers. Rice & the pumpkin helped until it was out of her system.

I wonder also was he recently vaccinated as Diamond also had liquidy poops (de worming vac). After her vet appoint on Tuesday.

Also is he drinking still?

[scathach]

he eats Nutrience puppy food... no leftover... he still drinks water... and he is playfull... he loves to run after the leaves on the grass... could the diarrhea be cause by him eating some leaves?

[scathach]

and he was vaccinated the day before we got him... so about 2 weeks ago...

[Diamondsmum]

Hmmm

Wouldnt be the vaccines but Diamond also eats leaves & hers (todays) are liquidy Pain de arse to do a poop & scoop (they are semi formed not watery but soft sorry guys for the visual)

Maybe it is the food? until he is adjusted 100% (does he gets lots of treats?)

is he gassy?

[scathach]

yeah he's gassy... but bulldog usually are gassy... so that i've read... he eats and drink really quickly so i guesse alot of air gets in the mix... he usually burbed after drinking... like a baby Maybe he gets to much treats... since we are training him to go pee outside he gets a lil bit of treats everytime he go out... i might try some boil white rice with his food...

[Diamondsmum]

LOL.. very true. when we're training Diamond She prefers soft treats over hard milk bone crunchy types.


I also found smaller treats didnt fill her as much either.

[Goldens4Ever]

Originally Posted by scathach

yeah he's gassy... but bulldog usually are gassy...

No breed is supposed to be gassy.

Excessive gas means they're not properly digesting their food. Grains within the food (oats, RICE, oatmeal, millet, corn, etc.) are almost always the culprit behind gas & other GI problems.

As others has mentioned, the loose stools could be a number of things:
a) Problems with the grains
b) Coccidia (a parasite)
c) Giardia (a parasite)
d) Worms

Feeding canned pumpkin, boiled rice, bland diet is not going to remedy the problem if they're still eating grain-based food.....

You should take a stool sample in to be checked. If it comes back clear, then the problem is almost guaranteed to be an intolerance to the grains.

[scathach]

We gave rice to Georges and his poop his more solid! that's a relieve!!!

[Winston]

You could place a kong or something in his food bowl to slow him down too! Good luck!

Cindy

[kandy]

I see that corn and brewer's rice are the 2nd and 3rd ingredients in this food. That means that your dog is getting lots more cheap filler than meat and could be why his stool is runny. Corn isn't digested well by humans, let alone by dogs. And brewer's rice is basically the leftovers from other processing methods that gets swept up off the floor. That being said, beet pulp is 5th on the list, and that is a stool hardner so I would have to say that indicates that your dog does not tolerate corn well, otherwise the beet pulp would be firming the stool and hiding the problem.

Perhaps you could look for a food that doesn't use corn and see if that helps.

[scathach]

oh that's a good idea! thank!

[Goldens4Ever]

No breed is supposed to be gassy.

Excessive gas means they're not properly digesting their food. Grains within the food (oats, RICE, oatmeal, millet, corn, etc.) are almost always the culprit behind gas & other GI problems.

As others has mentioned, the loose stools could be a number of things:
a) Problems with the grains
b) Coccidia (a parasite)
c) Giardia (a parasite)
d) Worms

Feeding canned pumpkin, boiled rice, bland diet is not going to remedy the problem if they're still eating grain-based food.....

You should take a stool sample in to be checked. If it comes back clear, then the problem is almost guaranteed to be an intolerance to the grains.

[scathach]

I went to the vet with Georges, he's got a cherry eye :sad: anyway since i was there she gave him a full exam and explain me alot of things. He needed to be vaccinated again and we did it since i was there (much cheaper that if i had came 4 days later on his due date) anyway i ask about his diarrhea and she told me that it could be the food... he's on IAM heathly naturals currently... she said it could be worm too so he's getting dewormed, i have med to gave him... anyway she said that if it doesnt get better we should try another food Eukanuba or Science diet... she said it was trials and errors to find the right food for our puppy.

[Goldens4Ever]

Originally Posted by scathach

.... anyway i ask about his diarrhea and she told me that it could be the food... he's on IAM heathly naturals currently... she said it could be worm too so he's getting dewormed, i have med to gave him... anyway she said that if it doesnt get better we should try another food Eukanuba or Science diet... she said it was trials and errors to find the right food for our puppy.

I'm glad you took him in, & that is what I've been saying all along.

I'm a nutrition specialist, specializing in nutrition plans for gastrointestinal problems, & by feeding IAMS, Eukanuba, & Science Diet foods, you are doing more harm than good. Those foods are loaded with grains, which cause multiple GI problems. There are other scary ingredients in those as well. Have you even read through the informational posts on this forum about what's in commercial dog foods? Obviously not, or you would have objected to your vets suggestions.

Grains within the food (oats, RICE, oatmeal, millet, corn, etc.) are almost always the culprit behind gas & other GI problems, once worms & parasites have been ruled out.

Oh well. Best wishes.

[scathach]

what should i feed him then?

[Purpledomino]

If you look through some of the threads in the dog food forums here you will get a better idea of what is a better choice to feed your puppy. I don't think I will get anyone objecting to the fact that I think that Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, or Nutrience are poor quality foods...and they are considering their ingredients.

First of all, a puppy's digestive system is usually not matured (for lack of a better description), and diarrhea can be a pretty common problem, as well as gas. Finding a quality diet is important, and sometimes fluctuating different formulas can cause GI issues in puppies that wouldn't be so bad in adult dogs. My bullmastiff for example, could not tolerate ANY change in his diet as a puppy...but now I can add healthy ingredients to his kibble with no loose stools.

You are not going to get a "quality" holistic dog food at the grocery store, or even at the vets office. Unfortunately, most vets do very well financially by carrying Hills (Science Diet, MediCal etc.) and it is in their best interest monetarily anyway to promote those products. Most veterinarians also do not do as much research on nutrition as we think, nor do they investigate the ingredients that are actually in the food they sell, or other options available.

I will give you some companies (IMO ) that I believe to be excellent and you can trust what your dog is eating. Go to a reputable pet food store...usually the small ones like Global, Pet Planet, etc., and talk to the proprietors for suggestions. Anything from Champion Pet Foods is good, that being ACANA, Orijen (grain-free), they only carry dry kibble formulas. Natura is excellent as well, and carries EVO (grain-free), Innova, California Naturals and others...both canned and dry. Petcurean, carries the Go! Natural brand...and has both grain/grain free varieties. Wellness is also good too.

If your pup has loose stools, I would also suggest a few things you can do. Assuming that he is parasite free etc., make sure that the change in diet is very gradual. You can buy probiotics/digestive enzymes from any drug store...or add plain yogurt to aid digestion during the transition. Eagle Pack carries a powder called "Holistic Transitions" that you sprinkle on the food to aid in the switch which works very well. Another thing you can try is adding raw green tripe, which is an excellent suppliment to any diet...and is great at GI health in aiding digestion. Pumpkin and rice will add fibre too and firm up stools and can be a quick fix until your pup has adjusted to a better diet.

Just remember that it is dangerous for a puppy to have diarrhea for very long, so keep this in mind and don't hesitate to visit your vet if it continues.
Good luck and I'm sure all the posters here want to see pictures of your baby!

www.naturapet.com
www.championpetfoods.com
www.petcurean.com
www.wellnesspetfood.com
www.tripett.com

[scathach]

i look into it... but seems like his poop is getting harder at the moment... we'll see

here's a pic

[Diamondsmum]

awwwwwww what a cutie!!!!!!!

[Purpledomino]

OMG he is adorable...I love English Bulldogs!

[Goldens4Ever]

HOW ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[flipgirl4]

He is soooooooooo adorabull!! I love them!!! Hope he's feeling better!

[scathach]

he's feeling all better! he's always the lil devil we love!

[kandy]

He certainly is a cutie!

[spottydog]

I ditto the pumpkin suggestion, we just tried that with my cousin's dog and it worked really really well. I was told you can try canned pure pumpkin.

Btw he's such a handsome boy!

[Goldens4Ever]

Originally Posted by spottydog

I ditto the pumpkin suggestion, we just tried that with my cousin's dog and it worked really really well. I was told you can try canned pure pumpkin.

Btw he's such a handsome boy!

If they're eating a food that works with their system, they shouldn't need pumpkin. I keep saying this over & over - I'm done.