Diarrhea in puppies

Diarrhea is very common in dogs and especially in puppies. Puppies have a less developed immune system, and their gut flora is still developing. Additionally, many changes occur in their young lives: when they move to a new owner, they often get different food, enter an exciting new environment, and come into contact with other dogs, for example, during puppy training. Moreover, puppies explore the world with their mouths...

Fortunately, diarrhea often resolves itself within a few days. If your puppy is otherwise healthy and fit, you don't always need to visit the vet. You can also take some actions yourself! Pharmacy4pets offers a wide range of products for stomach and intestinal problems in puppies.

Diarrhea in puppies: More than just soft stools

If your puppy's stool is softer than usual, he has diarrhea. If there is blood or mucus in the stool, your puppy suddenly has yellow or green stools, or if your puppy needs to poop more frequently than usual, this also falls under the category of 'diarrhea'. Additionally, your puppy may have such an urge that he can't hold it and has an accident in the house. Gurgling sounds from his belly and foul-smelling farts can also accompany it.

Causes of diarrhea in puppies

Diarrhea in puppies more often has an infectious cause than diarrhea in adult dogs. This means that a parasite, bacteria, or virus causes the diarrhea. Their immune system is not yet fully developed, and they tend to eat everything off the street... Some common causes of diarrhea in a puppy include:

Food change: Your puppy may have received different food from the breeder than you would like to give or your vet advises. Any food transition can cause softer stools.
Viruses or parasites: Your puppy can be infected both in the litter and later, by eating or licking the feces of other animals or drinking contaminated standing water. A common parasite in puppies is giardia. Diarrhea caused by worm infestation is also common, especially if the puppy was not adequately dewormed in the litter.
A new home with all the accompanying impressions is very exciting and can cause stress. This lowers your puppy's resistance and makes him more susceptible to diarrhea. We often see diarrhea in the first week after arriving in a new home.

Preventing diarrhea in puppies

By taking a few measures, you can reduce the risk of diarrhea in your puppy:

Provide a calm and safe home: Give your puppy a place where he is not disturbed, don't immediately invite the whole neighborhood over, and don't take your puppy everywhere in the first few weeks so that he can find his footing calmly.
Provide balanced and easily digestible puppy food such as Sanimed Puppy. In the first two weeks that your puppy is with you, preferably give the food he also received at the breeder. Then gradually switch to the new food over about a week.
Avoid taking young puppies to places where there is a lot of feces in a small area. Let your puppy only come into contact with healthy dogs.
Make sure your puppy doesn't eat anything from the street and doesn't drink standing water.
Don't give your puppy human food. Food for humans is often too spicy, too fatty, and too salty for dogs.
The recommended deworming schedule for puppies is at two, four, six, and eight weeks of age and then monthly until six months old.
Vaccination helps protect against the parvovirus, which can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. Puppies from illegal dog trade or puppy mills often carry this virus. The parvovirus can be deadly. It is recommended to vaccinate puppies at six, nine, and twelve weeks of age.
Probiotics like Purina Pro Plan FortiFlora can help build the gut flora in your puppy's intestines.

Treating diarrhea

Because there are so many causes of diarrhea, there are also many possible treatments. Fortunately, you can do a lot yourself to support your puppy with diarrhea. For prolonged diarrhea or if your puppy is sick, the vet will set up a treatment.

Adjusting the diet

If your puppy has diarrhea and is otherwise fit and healthy, the advice is to feed small portions more frequently throughout the day and stop giving treats. You can give your puppy's own food or get special easily digestible diet food suitable for puppies from your vet. It is still often advised to give chicken with rice to dogs with diarrhea. Although this is easily digestible, it contains far fewer nutrients than good dog food. And the intestinal cells need extra nutrients for quick recovery! If your puppy is on a raw meat diet, it is better to temporarily heat it to reduce the number of bacteria your dog ingests. Adding water-binding fibers, such as Iso-Gel, is useful to help thicken the stool.

Fasting is not a good idea, especially not for puppies with their fast metabolism! The sick gut needs nutrients to recover faster. Fasting is sometimes only recommended in case of persistent vomiting (but then you should take your puppy to the vet anyway!)

Probiotics for puppies

If your puppy (quickly) has diarrhea, there is almost always a disturbance in the gut flora. A probiotic supplements the good bacteria and provides them with the right nutrients so that the balance is quickly restored. Giving a probiotic can also be beneficial after an antibiotic course.

Specific treatments for diarrhea

If there is a clear cause for the diarrhea, it is addressed directly, for example by deworming your puppy, a remedy against giardia like Panacur, anti-inflammatories, or antibiotics. Supportive measures such as an IV, vitamin B12, or anti-vomiting medications are sometimes necessary if your dog is very sick.

When should you visit the vet for diarrhea?

If your puppy is very lethargic or seems to have stomach pain, doesn't want to eat or eats much less, loses weight, or if your puppy vomits, this is a reason to visit the vet for diarrhea. Also, if there is blood in the stool or if the diarrhea lasts longer than three to five days, it is essential to go to the vet. Puppies with diarrhea weaken faster than adult dogs, so don't wait too long to visit the vet.

If you have any questions about our products or about diarrhea in your puppy, please contact us.