Puppy has diarrhea.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for an excellent question Chris.

It is definitely not normal for a dog to have to go to the bathroom as often as this.

When a young dog has diarrhea, the first thing I think of is parasites. Has he had proper deworming? If not you can purchase a decent dewormer over the counter. Use it every 2 weeks for 3 treatments. If the problem is due to roundworms then you will likely notice some long skinny worms come out in the stool within a day or two of giving the medicine.

But, there are some parasites that need prescription medicine in order to clear up. These include giardia and coccidia. For this reason, I would highly advise taking a poop sample to your vet and having them run some lab tests to determine if there are other parasites there and then give you the appropriate medication to get rid of them.

With all of that being said, there is a possibility that there is a connection to food. I am currently writing a bunch of articles about some of the misconceptions out there in regards to nutrition. There are so many so called premium foods out there that aren't necessarily any better than others. (You can find my articles here, but I am just starting the series right now - Canine Nutrition Articles. I have seen several dogs on premium foods like Orijen, Fromm and Blue Buffalo that have all kinds of digestive problems. Often when we switch the food they do really well. Yes, Iams is a food I often recommend. (It gets a bad reputation online, but this article explains why. I also like Science Diet and Royal Canin. A puppy formulation of any of these foods will be just fine.

I think changing the food is a good idea, but I have to repeat that I am really suspicious that there is a medical issue here. Parasites are the most likely but there are others. So, feel free to try the dewormer and food change but I would definitely recommend a vet visit. They'll do a fecal exam for parasites and they may dispense some medication called metronidazole which will help with the inflammation in the bowel and also treats other things (such as certain bacteria) which cause diarrhea.

I hope things firm up soon!

Dr. Marie.



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