What Should We Do If Our Puppy Has Diarrhea?
Most of the time, it would be enough to wait for a day, adjust the puppy's diet first, and then feed the puppy dry food. If diarrhea persists for long, you must take the puppy to a vet.
IS IT NORMAL FOR PUPPIES TO HAVE DIARRHEA?
Don't worry, diarrhea is common in puppies. Almost every puppy will experience this at some point in their life because diarrhea is a condition that can occur in a variety of situations. Unfortunately it is not always easy to find out why. If your puppy gets better as quickly as he has diarrhea, this is absolutely nothing to worry about. You should pay attention to the general condition of your puppy at all times. If he continues to walk around and drink water and doesn't look like he is uncomfortable, you can put off the vet visit for now. Although you should check on the condition of stools. Does the dog keep going in circles because he can't stop defecating? Is the stool still liquid and soft, or is it gradually becoming a more solid consistency? Does the stool smell unusual or change color? Even if that bothers you, you need to examine what the dog left behind. If all goes well the next day, the diarrhea should end quickly. If possible, you can still have the cause of this condition investigated by the vet.
CAUSES OF DIARRHEA IN PUPPIES
Diarrhea is not a disease but a symptom associated with various conditions. Sometimes it is necessary to clearly determine the cause of diarrhea, sometimes it requires further examination, and sometimes it is inevitable to visit the vet. To give you a hint of what the cause of diarrhea in your puppy may be, let's list the most common causes of diarrhea:
STRESS
The first case of diarrhea the puppy experiences in his new home may be stress related. Many new experiences can affect their stomach and cause diarrhea. If he is known to be a sensitive puppy, everything must be done to ensure that his daily life is as stress-free as possible. For example, the puppy should be able to sleep undisturbed as often and as long as he wants, and not be repeatedly woken, for example, by children.
WORMS
Puppies can be infected with worms or their larvae even in the womb of the mother. For this reason, they can usually get worms even when they are only a few weeks old. In such cases, unfortunately, instead of an anti-worm vaccine, only a treatment against existing worms can be administered. After a short time, the puppy can become infected with worms again. Stool examination or prophylactic worm treatment should be done at regular intervals to find out about this.
CHANGING THE FOOD
Puppies generally have a very sensitive stomach. Therefore, if the puppy has just come to you, it is advisable not to change the nutrition. Because a sudden change in nutrition can cause diarrhea. It is better to keep the previous food for another week or two before any food changes occur. This should be done gradually, mixing more and more of the new food into the old food.
GIARDIA
Small parasites can become a real problem because they are hard to control. They cause malodorous diarrhea, slimy stools and bloating. They can be detected by stool examination. When parasites are detected as a result of tests, the veterinarian resorts to various methods to treat these. However, these methods alone would not be sufficient. Your home needs to be thoroughly disinfected to minimize the risk of re-infection.
GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTION
This type of infection can occur if bacteria, viruses, or fungi are not adequately controlled by the immune system. One of the typical symptoms is diarrhea.
FORBIDDEN FOODS
Puppies should be fed only high quality dog food. In addition, smaller amounts of treats can be given. Leftovers that can prevent proper digestion are not suitable for puppies. It is also important that the puppy does not consume any human food. This is especially pertinent for foods that are not suitable for dogs, such as chocolate or grapes.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY PUPPY HAS DIARRHEA?
First of all, you should try to find the factors that cause diarrhea in your dog with the help of our list of causes of diarrhea. If this list doesn't assist you to determine the cause for diarrhea, check to see if your dog's food ratio is too high, if the food is too cold, or if wet food residues in the bowl have deteriorated due to high ambient temperatures and poor hygiene. To treat diarrhea, you should find as many factors as possible that can cause it. This is not always possible, so there is nothing left for us to do but to remain calm and wait. Most of the time, puppies with diarrhea go unnoticed. They can play games like nothing happened. In this case, you do not need to go to the vet, just keep an eye on your puppy. As a precaution though, you should skip a meal or two when feeding your dog. This helps to restore the gastrointestinal tract. Also avoid treats, but always leave a full bowl of water for the pup. Don't be surprised if he refuses when you offer him something to eat a few hours later. Your dog shows this behavior to protect himself. Do not force the puppy to eat something that he does not like. If his general condition is good, it is not a problem for the puppy not to eat anything for a day.
WHAT SHOULD DOGS WITH DIARRHEA EAT?
If the puppy has diarrhea, you must first feed him a strict diet. There is no harm in not feeding the puppy for a whole day. On the contrary, it calms the digestive system. The puppy should only drink water and not eat any treats. If the puppy's general condition is good, you can give him a small portion of food the next day. Veterinarians usually recommend giving the same brand of food to the puppy whenever possible, but it should be different from the type of food your puppy is regularly eating. Because the dog may associate the food he always eats with her own general discomfort and may now be disgusted with that food. Even if this situation is experienced with another brand of dog food, it is not important as the food will be changed after a few days. On the other hand, if this is caused by a food that your puppy loves a lot, you may have to look for another option. Tip: Another option for temporary feeding is to prepare easy-to-digest foods. It is best to cook a larger portion of rice and chicken, then divide it into several smaller portions. Just like humans, these foods are easily digestible for dogs.
WHEN SHOULD I TAKE MY PUPPY TO VET?
It is not always possible to wait and see how the diarrhea situation develops. The main thing before anything is what the general condition of the puppy is and whether he is drinking water. There is a risk of dehydration for the puppy after a relatively short time if he does not drink any fluids. In this case, a visit to the veterinarian should be planned on the second day. The same applies if there is blood in the stool. This may indicate an internal injury. This can also be noticed because diarrhea appears black (due to digested blood). Also, if the dog is struggling with vomiting in addition to diarrhea, don't wait too long to visit the vet. At this stage, the body is no longer just at risk of dehydration, but is also unable to absorb nutrients. As a result, the puppy becomes even weaker. He may be lying uninterested in his basket or walking restlessly back and forth. You should go to the vet as soon as possible if you feel uncomfortable with his unusual behavior under any circumstances. It's better to go to the vet more often than to hear that you should have gone to the vet sooner.
