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Puppy has had diarrhea for several months. | Ask A Vet
 

 


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Puppy with diarrhea.

Species: Dog
Breed: Miniature Schnauzer
Age: 3-6 months
Hi,
I got Winston when he was just 5 weeks old and he's just a little over 4 months old now. When I got him I was told he was eating purina and that was it. I got him some and have tried different ways of feeding him but the problem persists.
He's not had a single solid poop since I've gotten him. He has always had diarrhea. I figured it was just something that had to do with his habit of eating grass, but as he's cut that habit, it's concerning me. I've taken him to the vet and all I've gotten was "prednisone", which after looking it up, I didn't understand why they would give a pain medication when it's just a chronic diarrhea problem. I've given him various home remedies: pepto and pumpkin, but neither show much help. Lately he's been bleeding what looks like blood, but my parents believe he just can't digest the beef or the dyes in the dry dog food (he likes to eat the older dogs food) and they believe it's just the dyes. He seems to be having trouble because he strains when he poops sometimes and when he can go it's either alot of diarrhea that is normal colored or a little bit of diarrhea but it's red/ reddish brown.

Thing is, today he vomited a white foam and ran to his bed to sleep. He's still asleep as we speak.

What do you think it could be? Someone told me it could be separation anxiety or stress.


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Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh the poor guy. It is definitely not normal for a puppy to have diarrhea for so long.

This is definitely not separation anxiety or stress. There has to be a physical medical problem here.

What tests has he had done? Has he been on medicines other than prednisone? It's a little unusual to put a puppy on prednisone for diarrhea. I am assuming that the prednisone was given thinking that this could be a food allergy or a food intolerance. But, if this was true then we should have seen a great improvement within a few days of starting the prednisone and this didn't happen.

If this were my case I would be running a fecal exam to look for parasites. If this was negative I would run a second one just to be sure.

The next thing I would be doing is sending stool to the lab to do DNA testing for conditions such as cryptosporidium, clostridium, salmonella, etc. This test can be a little pricey (around $140 or so).

Even if the fecal exam is negative I would likely be treating him with fenbendazole which is a very good dewormer that covers a lot of unusual parasites. I would likely also try a course of metronidazole which is an antibiotic that is good for the parasite giardia as well as helping with intestinal inflamation.

If these don't work then the next step would be to take biopsies of the intestines. This will tell us about more rare conditions. However, intestinal biopsies will be quite expensive.

If he has had some testing done already or been on other medications, let me know and I'll give you my opinion.

I hope you get some answers soon and I really hope that Winston feels better soon.



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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Customer reply:

The vet didn't even look at him, the nurse just asked what seemed to be the problem and I told her diarrhea and she handed me prednisone. I was confused, but as I saw online that it could be a food intolerance, I changed his diet to something without beef and there was really no change in him.


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Something doesn't add up here. Prednisone is a prescription medication and needs to be prescribed by a vet. If you are in the US or Canada, then it is illegal for anyone but a vet to give you prednisone. This would be true in most other parts of the world as well.

A food intolerance can cause some diarrhea, but this doesn't sound like a food intolerance at all.

I would bet money that there is an infectious problem here such as parasites or bacteria.

Winston needs to have a vet exam as soon as possible! I hope he does better soon!



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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.