# Diarrhea Only at Night?



## HiTideGoldens

Has anyone had an experience with a puppy having mild diarrhea but only having it at night? 

Kira's stool is totally normal during the day and in the evening, but for the past week off and on, she has woken up in the middle of the night with mild diarrhea. Two of the times, we didn't hear her whine and woke up to a lovely smell in our room (including last night). It's not watery or super runny, and it's like a pudding consistency. We're going to the vet anyway on Monday, but I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this with a dog or puppy. Nothing is different at night, and the same things are in her crate day or night, so I don't think that's the culprit. We also don't give her treats. Shrewd literally only gets her kibble (we use kibble for training). She's doing really well on potty training otherwise, and it doesn't happen every night, so I really don't think this is a behavior issue. Any ideas?


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## Florabora22

I wish I could help... do you make sure she goes #2 before you guys head off to bed? That still doesn't explain the presence of diarrhea though. Is it possible she gets too much food in the evening and it upsets her stomach?


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## HiTideGoldens

Yes she is taken out before bed and almost always does both #1 and #2. Last night I took her out at about midnight and she went #2 and then we were woken up at 3:30 to diarrhea in her crate. 

She eats less food at night actually, she gets 1 cup in the morning, 3/4 cup at lunch and 1/2 cup at dinner. It's just not making sense to me at all...


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## Bentley's Mom

We had that problem too. I ended up cutting his lunch and breakfast by a little (figured I was underestimating the amount of kibble I gave for training) and it stopped. I hope it's something that easy for you and Kira as well.


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## IowaGold

Sage was that way as a pup-fine during the day but loose at night. I was just starting vet school at that point and was working at an absolutely horrible vet. So he never had a fecal test done, and she didn't even carry metronidazole. It finally got better (after several months) when I switched foods (from ProPlan to EaglePack).

Were I faced with this now, and I'd have a stool sample checked (probably multiple times). And try a round of metronidazole. Then switch foods if it continues.


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## A1Malinois

I would try a food change and cutting back on the morning meal before I ever put my dog on a drug known for its toxicity with the only symptom being the runs in the middle of the night. Though I do agree with getting the stool checked a few times. If something is found, then treat it

Thats my opinion anyway


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## Sally's Mom

I agree with IowaGold.


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## Sally's Mom

I'm also a fan of probiotics, specifically for dogs and cats.


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## Ranger

Could be too much food. My foster puppies started doing that and it was a sign to cut back on the food a little. Try 3/4 cup in the morning and keep everything else the same.


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## A1Malinois

Sally's Mom said:


> I agree with IowaGold.


Ofcourse you agree with IowasGold. There is no need IMO to pump a dog full of medications without trying something like a food switch first and some probiotics


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## HiTideGoldens

Thanks for all the replies. 

She's already on Natures Farmacy Probiotic Max and I've given her the probiotic paste a couple of times and it seems to help firm things up by morning. Although I don't know if it's just coincidence and everything is out of her by that time as well. We originally thought the culprit was a Red Barn filled bone that was in her crate from her breeder, but it's continued on and off since that was taken out last weekend. 

Iowagold, interestingly Kira is on Proplan LBP food. We have never fed this before but it is what her breeder started them on. We are planning to transition her at about 4 months old but may do it sooner if it could be a food issue.

So, we'll get a fecal done when we're at the vet on Monday and go from there I guess. It's just so weird....


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## Ljilly28

Lincoln_16 said:


> Ofcourse you agree with IowasGold. There is no need IMO to pump a dog full of medications without trying something like a food switch first and some probiotics


Please offer your opinion without being combative or addressing the other posters negatively and specifically.


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## Ljilly28

I had this issue with Tango, and switched feeding to early am, 11ish am, and 3 pm so she would be super empty for bedtime. It is no fun waking up that way.


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## HiTideGoldens

Ljilly28 said:


> I had this issue with Tango, and switched feeding to early am, 11ish am, and 3 pm so she would be super empty for bedtime. It is no fun waking up that way.


Ugh, tell me about it. Waking up to poo smell in our bedroom and getting to clean a crate and puppy is just ick. :yuck:


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## Ljilly28

Bathing baby puppies at 2:45 am. . . You havent lived until you've done it, lol.


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## sameli102

I would have her checked for coccidia, perhaps the stress of moving to a new home has brought about a flare up. 
I don't know if it was coccidia or not but when Parker was a pup he went through a bout at about 4 months old where he woke us up every night around 2 or 3 am and had to go out with diarrhea, during the day he was fine. It lasted less than a week.


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## sameli102

Ljilly28 said:


> Bathing baby puppies at 2:45 am. . . You havent lived until you've done it, lol.


How about bathing 2 full grown "just skunked" dogs at midnight when you have to get up for work at 5?


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## w00f

IowaGold said:


> Sage was that way as a pup-fine during the day, but loose at night. I was just starting vet school at that point and was working at an absolutely horrible vet. So he never had a fecal test done and she didn't even carry metronidazole. It finally got better (after several months) when I switched foods (from ProPlan to EaglePack).
> 
> Were I faced with this now, I'd have a stool sample checked (probably multiple times). And try a round of metronidazole. Then switch foods if it continued.


With my dog, it always meant that a food switch was needed. However, treating for parasites isn't a bad idea either.


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## 3goldens

I totally agree with running a fecal.

I wonder if sometimes this can just be a "puppy" thing? I know when I have had a puppy, they would intermittently have sloppy poops, but I don't recall it being on a specific schedule like your puppies? Could it be to much water as well? 

Just throwing that out there


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## HiTideGoldens

I'm sure you were all anxiously awaiting a poop update.  

Yesterday I tried feeding Kira earlier in the day with her last meal at 3:00, as Jill suggested. The one change I remembered we made last weekend was that instead of cutting open her fish oil and putting it in her food, I was giving her the capsule in her food. Yesterday I cut it open again (throwing away the capsule itself) and there was no middle of the night diarrhea. So either the capsule containing the fish oil, or the time of day she's eating seems to be the culprit. Still doing a fecal tomorrow and talking to the vet, but if there's no diarrhea tonight I think we have the solution for the time being.


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## 3goldens

Would like to add something about fish oil (glad your experiment worked)

My doctor told me, (since they recommend I take fish oil) Make sure you have a really good brand, If you open the capsule and it smells like 'gasoline' or 'fuel', it's rancid fish oil that's been used and obviously no good

If you taste (and yuck it isn't that great) and doesn't 'taste' like fishy oil, again not a good sign. 

Tho what you did worked, I'm now wondering if maybe the fish oil had something to o with it?


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## HiTideGoldens

Well she still gets the fish oil that's inside the capsule, just not the capsule itself. Although we did start giving the probiotics at every meal as well and that has been kept up. So it could be a little of both or just one?


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## Dallas Gold

It sounds like it could be one of the new things you tried. I wonder if she is allergic or sensitive to the capsule itself (not the insides)? I''m not sure what they make those things out of. I hope she continues to have solid stool!

According to wikipedia: _Gelatin capsules, informally called gel caps or gelcaps, are composed of gelatin manufactured from the collagen of animal skin or bone. (Gelatin is not derivable from ungulate hooves, which are composed of a different protein, keratin.)
Vegetable capsules are composed of hypromellose, a polymer formulated from cellulose._


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## HiTideGoldens

Well we went to the vet today and they are running a full fecal to check for parasites, coccidia, giardia, etc. They said it was strange to hear of it only being at a certain time of day but that something like the cycle of the parasite (those with more knowledge may be able to decode) could be at night so that would make it only happen at certain times. I can't remember what they said but they sent it to a lab versus just doing it at their office to make sure it's a complete check.


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## HiTideGoldens

I got the results from our vet today, her fecal was negative for everything. So, looks like it's probably cleared up or was the fish oil capsule. I'm tempted to try the capsule again in a couple of weeks and see what happens. Maybe it was just too much for her little tummy to handle?


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## Karen519

*Fecal*

So glad to hear that the fecal was clear.
Hope she feels better very soon!


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## FinnTastic

That's very odd, but glad you were able to figure that out. I would never of thought of the capsule.


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## Ljilly28

That would be brave of you to try it again!


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## HiTideGoldens

Ljilly28 said:


> That would be brave of you to try it again!


I'm not that brave yet. I still have visions of night-time horrors involving poop. We may also just switch to the fish oil in a pump, versus in capsules. Would be just as easy


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