# Puppy has diarrhea every 1/2 hr, vet isn't concerned



## Sloth (Jul 29, 2008)

I just got a new puppy (a Morkie, 2 pounds) a few days ago. I knew her stools were soft when I got her, and they had her on Albon for a week. 

After bringing her home, I noticed she had a cough and seemed irritated in her left eye. Her stools were indeed loose, but they were just soft turds.

Made a vet appointment.

This morning, when she went poo, it was like pudding. 

I took her to her vet appointment today. She has an ointment for her eye, but the vet was reluctant to put her on antibiotics for her cough, since it's getting better (she only coughs once in a while at night now). He ran a stool sample, and it came back negative. He didn't seem at all concerned about the soft stool, and said it was just stress.

She went poop about half an hour after I brought her home, and it was a brown liquid. She went again an hour and a half after that. I called the vet, they told me to come back in and pick up Metronidazole, which I should give her twice a day for a week. 

So far tonight, she's been going every 45 minutes to an hour. The volume of it has decreased, but it's so liquidy. Worse yet, she likes to lap it up as soon as she goes. I work tomorrow, I'm concerned that she'll be going diarrhea all day in her crate, and she'll have a belly full of it when I get home.

...The vet also gave me For Bid to try to discourage the poop eating, but it sure hasn't worked so far (and I doubt it'll magically start working tomorrow, either).

Should I be really concerned about this?


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## greenrootsmama (Oct 10, 2008)

I'm having a similar problem. We just got our girl today from another family and she is 18 months old. The woman who had her took her to the vet who put her on medication for it. When we picked her up tonight the lady said that the meds weren't helping yet. So far tonight she hasn't pottied so I don't know if there is any improvement. I'm sorry I can't offer any help but I'm very interested to see what advice is offered.

Katie


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## secondchance (Sep 9, 2008)

Is she still eating and drinking normally?


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

How old is she and what are you feeding?

Did the vet run a test for Giardia? This is a different test than the usual one run for parasites. 

Edit: If Giardia is not the problem then the diarrhea is probably due to stress and will get better in time. I suggest feeding canned I/D until her gastrointestinal track calms down, then switch her gradually to the food you are planning to feed. I/D is a very bland and you may purchase from your vet.


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## secondchance (Sep 9, 2008)

I have worked in an emergency clinic and a regular clinic and based on that experience I would say that watery diarrhea every 45 mins warrants IV fluids and NPO, not just flagyl. Sounds like the kind of cases we would see at the E-Vet or send to the E-Vet. Maybe you should call your vet back and explain your concerns, see if they can help you a little more. A puppy that small can very quickly become seriously dehydrated.

*sorry, NPO = no food or water, but that is something that should only be done under supervision of vet, not at home


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

secondchance said:


> I have worked in an emergency clinic and a regular clinic and based on that experience I would say that watery diarrhea every 45 mins warrants IV fluids and NPO, not just flagyl. Sounds like the kind of cases we would see at the E-Vet or send to the E-Vet. Maybe you should call your vet back and explain your concerns, see if they can help you a little more. A puppy that small can very quickly become seriously dehydrated.
> 
> *sorry, NPO = no food or water, but that is something that should only be done under supervision of vet, not at home


OOPS silly me.... you are correct, she needs to call her vet ASAP.

I of course was going under the assumption the vet knew what he was talking about. Maybe the communication wasn't clear and he misunderstood the OP.


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## jbray01 (Dec 26, 2007)

if i were you i would seek a second opinion or an e-vet ASAP.

by the way, what is a "morkie"?


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## secondchance (Sep 9, 2008)

Notice how I came back and added on as well. After I posted I though about and went.. watery diarrhea hmmmmmmmm, maybe this is more serious than i initially thought.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

jbray01 said:


> by the way, what is a "morkie"?


It is a cross between the Yorkshire Terrier and the Maltese, a "designer dog".


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## jbray01 (Dec 26, 2007)

ohhhh...

ok thanks...thats one i have never heard of!


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## Sloth (Jul 29, 2008)

She's still eating and drinking normally. 

I put her on her diarrhea medication this morning, and this afternoon, when I got back from work, her kennel was empty of any poop. That could be because she ate it, however.

Then, she went poop outside, and it was back to a "pudding" texture. Probably from the med (I heard it works fast).

Her bowel movements have decreased a lot since last night, but the giardia (or whatever) thing concerns me. I don't know if the vet ran a test for it or not. All they said was "Her stool test was negative". I was under the assumption that the vet would have done tests for common-ish ailments like that.

Another thing that concerns me now is her cough/cold. When I first got her, she coughed a LOT the first night. The next night - not so much. When I told the vet, he said that since it's getting better, we'll keep her off antibiotics. But just last night, she starts sneezing a lot. And she's so tiny, to be honest it's tough to tell the difference between a mild cough and a sneeze, especially when it's 2 a.m. and you just woke up from hearing one of the two.

Fun stuff.


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Try canned pumpkin for the diarrhea.

I would go back to where ever you bought her from and ask them what they were feeding her. Aslo I'd have her checked for any type of internal parasites, Hookworms, round worms, and tape worms.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

I'm curious did you buy this puppy off the Internet? She sounds like she is in fragile condition. It depends on the dog as to how fast the medication will kick in. Be sure to give the medication as prescribed. 

Please keep your vet advised on the frequency of the diarrhea, the coughing and anything else that may come up. I think it's fairly recent that vets do the Giardia testing along with the other parasite tests. With so many BYB's, puppy mill pups it has become necessary. I would also contact your breeder and see if any other puppies have health problems.


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## Sloth (Jul 29, 2008)

Well, this morning her stool was green and runny. So I took her back to the vets and made them do a Giardia test, and sure enough...it was positive. We now have her on Albon (for the giardia) and metronodizal (for the diarrhea), and vitamins. 

So I just wanted to thank everyone on this forum, especially Pat, for alerting me that the Giardia test is different than the standard test. I'd never have known otherwise, and who knows if the vet would have done it on his own or not.


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## secondchance (Sep 9, 2008)

Glad to hear you got everything sorted out. Good call Patt!


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## LuvmyRotti (Oct 26, 2007)

Sloth said:


> I put her on her diarrhea medication this morning, and this afternoon, when I got back from work, her kennel was empty of any poop. That could be because she ate it, however.


Since she was diagnosed with Giardia, you must watch that she does not eat her poop. She can reinfect. Wherever she goes to the washroom outside, that area must be cleaned thoroughly. Clean up as soon as she goes. Since her poop is like pudding, you may have to wipe her butt clean. Make sure to wash your hands. Humans can get it too.


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## secondchance (Sep 9, 2008)

There is a vaccine for giardia. You might ask your vet if giardia is prevalent in your area and if your dogs lifestyle would warrant getting the vaccine. 
I vaccinate my dogs for it because they are in mucky muddy lake water and nasty puddles at the lake 3-4 times a week and the lakes in my area are known to have giardia at times (we have alot of Canadian geese colonies).


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

We need update.... How's your puppy today? I hope she is doing better.

BTW what is her name?


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