Chronic diarrhea in puppy under 6 mos

[Agent Kooper]

Our 4-month-old pup has been experiencing diarrhea (pudding type stools, not watery) almost the entire time we've owned him. It started about 2 weeks after he came home. The breeder had been feeding him Purina Pro Plan and we gradually switched him over to Orijens large breed puppy food. We switched gradually, over the course of about 10 days, near the end of which the diarrhea started. The vet analyzed a stool sample and diagnosed him with bacterial overgrowth and prescribed Tylan along with recommending a bland diet (replacing kibble with a 3:1 rice/meat mixture). The medication and diet seemed to cure him at first, but the diarrhea restarted as soon as the meds were gone and we restarted the regular diet.

Had another stool sample tested and this time they found a bit of giardia. More meds, more bland diet, which, like before, worked. Diarrhea restarted again as soon as the meds were gone and regular diet was reinitiated.

We've now been through about 4 cycles of what I've described above, which inconsistent stool analyses throughout, and nothing has worked. We switched foods (to Blue Buffalo large breed puppy) after hearing that Orijens can be too rich for some pups, but it hasn't made a difference.

Our vet thinks it's not related to his food, since antibiotics seem to really help with his symptoms. She says this is a common problem in pups, and should resolve by itself as his immune system matures, probably when he hits about 6 months. Do people here have experiences consistent with what she's saying? Our pup is by all other appearances happy and healthy, but this constant diarrhea is exhausting, and I hate the thought of having him on so many meds.

[lindamarie]

WELCOME TO OUR FORUM!!

I can only tell you that Bogart had the same problem!
It started when we got him home and continued for months!

He had giardia and numerous types of parasites that continued on and on.
Some of these are difficult to get rid of because, even though you pick up the poo, some remains. The dog may walk in the grass and get it back, or the system may not be completely clear and more eggs, parasites are still there.

Seriously, we got to a point that when he had a solid poo, (we went through this in the winter), one of us would run to the window and show it to the other on the shovel!......then it would start again!

I joined this forum when my Springer Spaniel had to be put down and we got Bogart about 6 days later. It seems that all I talked about was poo, poo, POO!
He is now 3 and we got him at 9 weeks. It came, shockingly, from the breeder. She is notorious for a clean and healthy environment.....but sometimes...the proverbial POO happens, and she paid our vet bill related to the giardia and parasites.
We just had to continue to run stool samples in and medicate. Honestly, it WILL go away.
I feel for you having been there. Good luck and keep us posted,

[Agent Kooper]

Thanks for the encouraging words. It's good to hear from someone who's been there. Just curious, do you recall how old your dog was when the problem resolved?

[Nikkiey]

I'm sorry to hear that your little guy is going through some tough times with this. I remember when we first got Juneau he had really runny stools all the time. We switched foods to a grain free Acana (tried Orijen first, but it didn't help) and that seemed to help some, it was still soft, but it would still hold it's shape most of the time.

Juneau also had giardia....three times. It felt like he was sick for about two months. His poo wasn't always runny, it would go in stages sometimes, but we still continued to treat it. We also started to take away things from his diet, seeing if anything would make a difference. Eventually, when we took chicken out of his diet completely, he got better. We think that Juneau may have a small allergy to chicken that just causes stomach issues which in turn weaken/aggrivate his already sensitive stomache and then turns it into more - a bacterial or parasitic infection. We are slowly introducing chicken (in the form of treats) back into his diet now that he's a little older (9 months) and his insides have had more time to mature and grow. So far so good, though we do experience days where we notice we might have pushed it too far and have to stop giving him chicken for a while, but we're getting there!!

So I guess my suggestion is simplify your pups diet. Use their kibble as their treats (add a little water to them to make them a tiny bit soggy and they will think it's something special) and see if that works. Other than that, I'm not sure. If you don't like the fact your pup is always on medication, try getting a second opinion??

Good Luck!!!

[deepnite10]

aside from dietary issues..Toby seem d to have loose stools on and off the first 6 mos..we were afraid to really take him anywhere for fear of him pooping somewhere and unable to pickup all the runny poos..

after deliviering several poo samples to our vet. we were still unable to pinpoint the cause..the only other possibility was diet..we tried rice, par boiled potatoes and squash and had mixed results..his poos would come out nice and firm for a few days then we d have a few bad days..

he s still on a high protein and fat diet cuz he s a fussy eater..but, i always cut his meal with some rice and doggie biscuits and even some crackers..

id be leary of giving him any anti-biotics unless there is a definite sign of
infections..extended use of anti-biotics will kill any bacteria..but, also
kill the good bacteria in the dogs dietary tract..killing the good bacteria as well that help in digestion and causing constipation..

[KingstonTodd]

Sorry to hear your pup is having a rough time. Only give antibiotics if the stool cones back with a pathogenic bacteria or overgrowth, like the first time, otherwise it's not addressing the issue and causes rebound diarrhea. It's very common go get diarrhea after antibiotic use. If he us ok on boiled rice, veggies, meat why not keep him on that for a month? Have you though about a Raw/BARF diet since kibble is not being tolerated? Just a thought. His gut certainly needs some time to recover. Pumpkin purée is also great for loose stool, it's a water absorbing fiber, it's firms up stool but keeps it moving. Has the pup been dewormed regularly?

[lindamarie]

Amazing how it's hard to recall how long such a pain in the rear problem went on 3 years ago, but I know it was at least 3 months bordering on 6.
Then, like deepnite, we had some on and off problems for another few months.