# 17 week old with loose stools and bouts of diarrhoea



## cbrookman (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi I have a 17 week flatcoated retriever puppy who came to live with me at 11 weeks and at that time was being fed on Symply Puppy Food. I gradually switched him to Harringtons Puppy Food as this is the brand I feed my other dog on and it is supposed to have no additives, wheat, dairy or soya. All the time I have had him his stools have been loose but I thought that was because of his change in environment. Now that he is teething I thought that could have been the cause of his loose stools. However he is now having bouts of quite projectile diarhoea and seems to break wind all evening!!! In the last 2 weeks I have tried Sherleys diarrhoea tablets (didn't work), occasional fasts followed by a diet of white rice, chicken breast and cooked egg white (plus gradual reintroductions of his dog food with the rice mix). I have even tried adding small amounts of probiotic natural yogurt and sweet potato to the rice mix but to no avail ( I was told the latter is good for firming stools). The white rice passes through him apparently undigested. He is fully inoculated and is an active and apparently healthy puppy apart from this and has gained 5 kg in the 6 weeks I have had him, though he is now at the leggy and slimmer stage rather than the rounder cuddly puppy stage when I first got him. His worming is up to date and I wormed him today, so hopefully that may help. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

To be honest does he firm up after putting him on just chicken and rice or is he still loose. I found sometimes a few days chappie original can be enough to help firm him up as manly fish and rice based. Is your pup fine in every other way and have you had him checked by a vet to rule out infection etc.Can be a juggle sometimes getting a food suitable for a dog with sensitive tums. mine suffered badly with pancritius and have to keep hin on burns light as needs low fat Touch wood fine so far. good to ask on hear as many would have tried other foods and sometimes feeding raw can help. my brothers choc lab had real probs with his stools also .Be careful hes getting enough fluids as may dehydrate.


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## SixStar (Dec 8, 2009)

Sorry, let me get this straight - you got him at 11 weeks, and he is now 17 weeks, and he has had diarrhoea/loose stools all the time you have had him? So for 6 weeks? 

I am very surprised you still have a puppy if I am brutally honest. Adult dogs, never mind puppies, go downhill extremely fast with dehydration when suffering with diarrhoea and if symptoms still persist after a days starvation and a further day or two on a resting diet (rice & chicken/fish) then they should be off down the vets.

*Please take him to the vets first thing tomorrow morning *- this should never have been allowed to go on for so long.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

cbrookman said:


> Hi I have a 17 week flatcoated retriever puppy who came to live with me at 11 weeks and at that time was being fed on Symply Puppy Food. I gradually switched him to Harringtons Puppy Food as this is the brand I feed my other dog on and it is supposed to have no additives, wheat, dairy or soya. All the time I have had him his stools have been loose but I thought that was because of his change in environment. Now that he is teething I thought that could have been the cause of his loose stools. However he is now having bouts of quite projectile diarhoea and seems to break wind all evening!!! In the last 2 weeks I have tried Sherleys diarrhoea tablets (didn't work), occasional fasts followed by a diet of white rice, chicken breast and cooked egg white (plus gradual reintroductions of his dog food with the rice mix). I have even tried adding small amounts of probiotic natural yogurt and sweet potato to the rice mix but to no avail ( I was told the latter is good for firming stools). The white rice passes through him apparently undigested. He is fully inoculated and is an active and apparently healthy puppy apart from this and has gained 5 kg in the 6 weeks I have had him, though he is now at the leggy and slimmer stage rather than the rounder cuddly puppy stage when I first got him. His worming is up to date and I wormed him today, so hopefully that may help. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.


Dogs can get bouts of diarrhoea, that if nothing serious by missing a meal or two and feeding chicken boiled or grilled no skin and rice or fish and rice for a few days usually clears up with no problems especially if given Pro texin Prokolin as well Vet-Medic - the same medicines as your vet at consistently low prices. is one place to get it. However with this you usually seaa an improvement within 24/36 hrs is not entirely back to nomal.

If he is getting worse, then personally I would suspect, either a bacterial infection, or maybe something like coccidia or giardia protozoa parasites, or maybe even a viral infection, although even viral tends to clear up in time, unless there isnt further secondary bacterial infection.

He really does need to see a vet. The worming tablets may even make his gut more inflammed that you gave today. Normal wormers wouldnt get rid of coccidia or giardia anyway, although panacur does giardia but you need to give a longer consequetive course.


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## Lyceum (Sep 25, 2009)

Congrats on the new addition.

I assume you've wormed him with a decent wormer like drontal, milbemax etc.

Secondly you really should take him to the vets hun, pups can go down hill very fast.

Thirdly, Harringtons is a pretty crap food.



> Maize, Turkey Meal (min 14%), Rice (min 14%), Meat Meal, Porridge Oats, Poultry Fat, Digest, Beet Pulp, Linseed, Vitamins & Minerals, Kelp (0.2%), Yeast (0.1%), Citrus Extract (0.04%), Yucca Extract (0.01%).


It's turkey flavoured fillers basically. The food he was on was better. It's not all about no additives etc, while that is important, it's also important for the food to have good ingredients. Harringtons doesn't. It's also expensive for what it is.

Lastly, pics please!


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## Guest (Jun 12, 2011)

As the others said - get him to the vet and on a better food!


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

There are a few things I could suggest but if he were mine, I would have the vet check him over, especially as he is so young and it's been going on for so long as well as him not being himself.

If the vet suggests bland diet, you could try fish and rice instead of chicken rather than buy their food but keep him on it for a good few days before you introduce a normal diet. Some have reactions to chicken, this would eliminate that. You will probably find the vet's recommended food is chicken based.

It would be a good opportunity to decide if you want to change from Harringtons because you could wean him slowly over to the new food.

Hope he is much better soon and look forward to seeing some pics


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## cbrookman (Jun 12, 2011)

Thanks for all useful advice. Have just bought some Wainwrights Salmon and Potato puppy food (hypoallergenic, maize and meat free etc). Having wormed the pup at 12 weeks and this morning at 17 weeks ( I left it 1 week until 17 rather than 16 weeks to synchronize the pup's worming scedule with my adult dog's schedule) I have just found a dead worm in his latest poo and am wondering if this could have caused the loose stools and diarrhoea. Also just to clarify I would not have left a puppy go for 6 weeks with diarrhoea if I thought he was lethargic or dehydrated. The fact is he has had loose stools and only occasional diarrhoea and has been drinking and urinating as normal and has no other symptons. My other dog is due for his next worming dose in 4 weeks but having just found the dead worm in the pup's poo I am wondering if it is safe to treat him one month early? Would you leave it the usual 4 weeks before the next worming dose for the pup or can you do it again sooner if worms are evident?
I am not always one to rush to the vets despite having insurance on both dogs as I have had many bad experiences in the past with vets giving totally different advice, constantlly pushing products for which they get sales commission, prescribing medication (prednisolone) in ineffective doses and actually rupturing my previous dogs eardrum during an examination with an auroscope. I only consult vets if I think I cannot find good advice from other sources


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## Ducky (Nov 23, 2008)

firstly, hello! and id love to see pics of ur flattie. i have one too!

secondly, has it been proper continuous diarrehoa for 6 weeks? if so, then def vets for a proper check up. 
the harringtons doesnt sound that great, so maybe it would be worth trying him on something else? i feed mine on arden grange and she looks fantastic and has always had perfect poops!


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## henry (Mar 16, 2009)

Hi - I would take your pup to the Vets tomorrow morning, he may need antibiotics if he has picked up a giardia or campy infection. Henry had a bout of this when he was a pup and needed both Synulox and Metronidazole to clear it up. A stool sample can be tested by the Vet to show what infection, if any, is present. 

I would then definitely change pup's food to a higher quality feed - Harringtons contains maize, which could be a problem. I would go for (dry) Fish 4 Dogs, Arden Grange, Acana or Naturediet Puppy (for wet). 

You could also, in the meantime, use frozen white pure fish instead of chicken, combined with Pro-Kolin which you can buy from Vet UK online or at the Vets. 

BUT firstly please take your pup to the Vet tomorrow. Claire


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