# Runny Poop suddenly!



## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

Hi all, 
I'm trying to figure out why Walnut got major diarrhea suddenly. Here's how it went yesterday:

1. Breakfast poop = ok

2. Lunch poop = ok

3. Dinner poop = okay, but didn't poo until 2am

4. back to bed and he started to cry at 3am, so I took him out, and sure enough, poop again...this time it was kind of soft. Right after he was done his poop, we walked back inside where I unleash him and he runs to his crate. Except this time, he ran to the side and released some explosive watery poo. It was gross and smelled terrible. 


- His food has not changed (TOTW all life stages). 
- We introduce new treats for puppy training, which he was doing great with for the past 4 days. He's also doing amazing in puppy school

The only really new thing we introduced, was a bully stick (non-scented ones) from PetValue. We gave him the Bully stick Sunday night, and he was REALLY going at it non-stop. 

- Since 3am he has pooped 5-6 times...all runny and watery. 
- Ate his entire breakfast...a little slower, but finished it all. 
- Tried mixing some boiled rice with his lunch..but he didn't like the rice at all. So I dumped that dish and gave him his usual kibble, and he ate all of it again. 
- He is drinking a good amount of water..no change there. 


Any ideas? Could the BullyStick have caused this after two days of chewing on it? He doesn't seem to want the bully stick anymore either, so we have removed it and will not be giving it back to him. 

My gf will be calling the vet soon too, and in the meantime, getting some plain yogurt to give him.


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

I'm not an expert but I know that bully sticks CAN cause tummy upset....... How's the energy level? I'm gathering that the water and food intake has been fine........


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

This happened to Cookie several times, I think it is common for pups to have some diarrhea. 

Our vet recommends serving a bland diet initially. This is rice and boiled chicken. If things didn't clear up soon, I'd take a stool sample in and see if that shows anything.

I wanted to add - once I bought Cookie some Wellness treats, and the next day I was greeted with quite a mess! She eats Wellness brand food, so I thought the treats would be OK. I don't even know if it was the treats that caused this, but I suppose it can happen.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

My Big Kahuna said:


> I'm not an expert but I know that bully sticks CAN cause tummy upset....... How's the energy level? I'm gathering that the water and food intake has been fine........



Thanks for the reply. 
I forgot to mention that he's 10.5 weeks old. 

His energy levels are pretty much the same, although we haven't let him roam around the house because of the runs. But when we take him out, hes full of energy..running around, jumping, chasing invisible objects :doh:

Yes, he's drinking water and eating fine. My gf just gave him 2 tablespoon of yogurt mixed with 1 table spoon of his kibble. 

Thankfully, he LOVES yogurt. 
She will also be boiling some plain chicken breast to feed him for dinner, again with Yogurt. 

Are we on the right track here? 

He was dewormed about a week ago, and our vet also gave him Bordetella because of puppy school. 

He going in again on Friday for his next scheduled deworming.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

BriGuy said:


> This happened to Cookie several times, I think it is common for pups to have some diarrhea.
> 
> Our vet recommends serving a bland diet initially. This is rice and boiled chicken. If things didn't clear up soon, I'd take a stool sample in and see if that shows anything.
> 
> I wanted to add - once I bought Cookie some Wellness treats, and the next day I was greeted with quite a mess! She eats Wellness brand food, so I thought the treats would be OK. I don't even know if it was the treats that caused this, but I suppose it can happen.


We did suspect the treats too. This is what the trainer recommended for treats:









We have been using it daily for the past few days with no issues. 

Actually, not that I think of it, we introduced the Rollover and Bully stick on the same day. We bought both items from PetValue. 

I'll stop the treats too and see if that helps. :crossfing


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

You're doing everything I would be doing.... The fact that his energy level and food and water intake are still normal are good signs.... Diarrhea makes pups dehydrated so make sure you keep an eye on his water intake  However, I would like to say again that I am not an expert... Just a veteran dog owner lol...


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

We dropped off a stool sample at our Vet, and will get the results this afternoon. 

So last night, at around 11:30pm, Walnut still had bad diarrhea. We started to notice some blood in his poo and got really worried. We didn't want to wait for the results the next day, and took him to an emergency pet hospital. 

They checked his stool sample for Parvo first, then a series of other parasites. Everything came back negative, although the doc said there is still a chance that it's there - just not showing up. 

1 hour (and $300 later), he prescribed a white liquid to be given orally via needle-less syringe, once a day for 5 days. He said it was a dewormer which also attacks parasites like Giardia. 

We gave him his first dose as soon as we got home, and he still has bad diarreah this morning. Only thing we noticed is the color of the poo is lighter. 

Our own vet should be calling us with the stool sample results this afternoon...hopefully she will have some good news. :crossfing


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks for the update! I'm glad you didn't wait! You just never know!


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## Ada's Mom (Aug 24, 2011)

We just got over some diarrhea issues with Ada. It seems that she became allergic to chicken and even though she had done just fine with her food for the past 3 months, once we switched to a food that didn't contain chicken the diarrhea stopped. There wasn't any excessive itching or any hotspots that would have made me think allergy...just the diarrhea.

If your food has chicken in it...if you take away the treats and bully sticks and the diarrhea doesn't clear up and the vets aren't finding anything in the stool they'll probably suggest getting a lamb and/or salmon food which ended up working for Ada.


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

I would never give a dog bully sticks. All the carcinogens and preservatives..... give them a carrot or apple. Just my opinion of course:wave:


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## lyssa (Mar 1, 2011)

My pup (quite a bit older than yours) just got over something similar. He had explosive diarrhea for a couple of days, occasionally whining loudly in pain (breaks your heart) .... without having changed his food. I put him on boiled chicken and rice and he actually got a lot worse - became very flat, didn't wag at all, wouldn't move for hours. At that point I figured it was time to go to the vet. It was the right thing to do apparently, his hydration was ok, but apparently he felt quite terrible to the touch and it was definitely a case of an actual stomach infection. He didn't quite need to go into vet hospital care, I took him home on antibiotics and no food for 36 hours - until nothing more was coming out. The vet said boiled chicken and rice was perfect, but after it didn't work I should have stopped feeding entirely. He said it was likely something Knightley had eaten on a walk or in the backyard, something that had nasty bacteria in it.

I am very glad it isn't parvo. Why do they think parasites, and not a stomach infection? It sounds very similar to how my pup was. I guess you will find out soon. Tempt him to drink with a chicken broth if necessary (just boil a carcass for 30 odd minutes) and add a small amount to water, enough to flavour it. That is the main danger - dehydration. Good luck and let us know the results.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

lyssa said:


> My pup (quite a bit older than yours) just got over something similar. He had explosive diarrhea for a couple of days, occasionally whining loudly in pain (breaks your heart) .... without having changed his food. I put him on boiled chicken and rice and he actually got a lot worse - became very flat, didn't wag at all, wouldn't move for hours. At that point I figured it was time to go to the vet. It was the right thing to do apparently, his hydration was ok, but apparently he felt quite terrible to the touch and it was definitely a case of an actual stomach infection. He didn't quite need to go into vet hospital care, I took him home on antibiotics and no food for 36 hours - until nothing more was coming out. The vet said boiled chicken and rice was perfect, but after it didn't work I should have stopped feeding entirely. He said it was likely something Knightley had eaten on a walk or in the backyard, something that had nasty bacteria in it.
> 
> I am very glad it isn't parvo. Why do they think parasites, and not a stomach infection? It sounds very similar to how my pup was. I guess you will find out soon. Tempt him to drink with a chicken broth if necessary (just boil a carcass for 30 odd minutes) and add a small amount to water, enough to flavour it. That is the main danger - dehydration. Good luck and let us know the results.


hi Lyssa, 
He's been on boiled chicken and rice for 24 hours now, and still has the runs. 

The funny thing is, he is still full of energy. This morning he was super jumpy, playful, with his tale going nuts. I have been given him the water left over from boiling the chicken, which the vet at the hospital said was fine. He is drinking enough now, and also eating a decent amount of food (I feed him dry food, so I'm guessing the wet food is about the same amount as the dry food he normally eats). He pees normally too. 

All in all, other than the diarrea, he seems pretty much okay physically. 

He is 11 weeks old and weighed 13.1lbs last night. He gained 4 pounds in two weeks. 

I'll post back once we hear from the vet re: stool sample.


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## lyssa (Mar 1, 2011)

Walnut_the_Nut said:


> hi Lyssa,
> He's been on boiled chicken and rice for 24 hours now, and still has the runs.


It can take a while, but it's the right first step. Perhaps just stopping feeding may be an idea? But I guess see what the vet says.



Walnut_the_Nut said:


> The funny thing is, he is still full of energy. This morning he was super jumpy, playful, with his tale going nuts.


Well, that is a very good sign. The vet told me if Knightley got so 'flat' he refused to drink then I should bring him into emergency. He perked up after I stopped feeding actually, I think feeding him increased his pain. But at least your boy isn't suffering. You can generally tell how sick they are by how they act (although GRs have an extremely high pain tolerance, so sometimes it is hard to tell), so just let his behaviour tell you how he feels. I hope whatever is wrong gets sorted quickly.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

lyssa said:


> It can take a while, but it's the right first step. Perhaps just stopping feeding may be an idea? But I guess see what the vet says.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, that is a very good sign. The vet told me if Knightley got so 'flat' he refused to drink then I should bring him into emergency. He perked up after I stopped feeding actually, I think feeding him increased his pain. But at least your boy isn't suffering. You can generally tell how sick they are by how they act (although GRs have an extremely high pain tolerance, so sometimes it is hard to tell), so just let his behaviour tell you how he feels. I hope whatever is wrong gets sorted quickly.


Thanks again. 
My Gf's dad is with him right now. His last diarrea poop was at 7am this morning, before we left for work. As of 11am, still no poop. Perhaps he's getting better? 

Yesterday, within 4 hours, he would have pooped 3-4 times. 

It feels like an eternity waiting for the vet to call back!


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

Hopefully that means he's getting better! However, it may have gone the other direction......... You say his water intake is normal so probably not it but it's possible for pups to become constipated after diarrhea because they get dehydrated..


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## luvbuzz (Oct 27, 2010)

My friend has a Yorkie...had diarrea when she first gave a bully stick to her puppy.


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## lyssa (Mar 1, 2011)

Actually, I just thought, do you mean he is drinking his normal average amount? Make sure if the diarrhea isn't dissipating, that he is drinking 2-3 times more than normal, which is why I suggested an actual chicken broth - it is much more concentrated and tasty than just the water you boil your chicken for him in (because of the bones in the carcass), so you can have a jug in the fridge and just add a small amount to his water bowl and it will be very tasty indeed and last for ages, especially if you freeze some. You'll have to take him out a lot, but it means you will have a great chance to reinforce your potty training! (This is actually how I suggest to potty train older puppies and dogs - make them chicken broth and keep those bladders full so you have heaps of chances to tell them how wonderful they are and give them a treat when they go) 

If the diarrhea is slowing down that could definitely be a good sign, or it could just be a bit random. You kind of need to look at it over the whole day. It certainly isn't a bad thing though, having it slow down, and just as long as he isn't getting worse, that's good news. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this turns out to be a bacteria and they give you antibiotics. Make sure you are all washing your hands a LOT.

By the way - I want to see photos


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

lyssa said:


> Actually, I just thought, do you mean he is drinking his normal average amount? Make sure if the diarrhea isn't dissipating, that he is drinking 2-3 times more than normal, which is why I suggested an actual chicken broth - it is much more concentrated and tasty than just the water you boil your chicken for him in (because of the bones in the carcass), so you can have a jug in the fridge and just add a small amount to his water bowl and it will be very tasty indeed and last for ages, especially if you freeze some. You'll have to take him out a lot, but it means you will have a great chance to reinforce your potty training! (This is actually how I suggest to potty train older puppies and dogs - make them chicken broth and keep those bladders full so you have heaps of chances to tell them how wonderful they are and give them a treat when they go)
> 
> If the diarrhea is slowing down that could definitely be a good sign, or it could just be a bit random. You kind of need to look at it over the whole day. It certainly isn't a bad thing though, having it slow down, and just as long as he isn't getting worse, that's good news. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this turns out to be a bacteria and they give you antibiotics. Make sure you are all washing your hands a LOT.
> 
> By the way - I want to see photos


I figure he's actually drinking more than normal, because his food is really, really watery. I mean, he has to link through about 1/2cm of water before he reaches rice/chicken. He is also peeing normally too. This morning he drank more of the chicken water than he normally drinks in the morning. Last night though, we had to force him to drink water. 

Thanks for the chicken broth idea. That's actually a really good tip, but my only concern would be him losing intrest in regular water altogether.  I don't want to have to take chicken broth with me everywhere. hahaha

I'll find out about the diarrea soon. He's alone at the moment in his fairly large play pen inside the house. We put pee pads before no one will be home for the next 3 hours. He's trained on both pee pads and outside (if pen door is closed, he uses pee pads. If pen door is open, he goes to the front door). 

We did get a call from the vet. ALL CLEAR. no bacteria, no parasites. 
She believes it was either something he caught from another puppy, or ate something on the ground OR (which is probably the correct answer), was over-treated and received too much food/protein. We use a lot of treats in puppy training, then more treats at night time training. Not the mention the bully stick in the mix, which I believe is very high in protein. The vet said that he should pass it soon. 

Let's hope so. 

*9 weeks*









*10 weeks*









*almost 11 weeks*


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

Good news! He's soooooooo handsome


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## ozzy'smom (Jun 18, 2011)

Oh my goodness he's cute!


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## lyssa (Mar 1, 2011)

That's wonderful news. I hope it passes quickly and he's back to normal soon.

My puppy has a touchy stomach if I either give too many treats, or too many different types. What I've done is find a kibble he really likes and tolerates (Canidae All Life Stages, we were on a puppy food until 20 weeks), and I use that 95% of the time. He may be developing a bit of a sensitivity to the Canidae food too though sigh (thinking he could be sensitive to chicken), so I am considering one of the grain free Canidae foods, or trying an Artemis food. Both are very high quality and don't have many of the horrible fillers so many icky dog foods have in them these days. It's actually disgraceful what they put in dog foods to bulk them up.

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble is a really great site for looking up dog foods, both wet and dry. It gives them a rating out of five as to how good they are in quality of and amount of meat and whether they have those nutritionless fillers that quite a few dogs are sensitive to.

Really good to hear you are doing lots of training at this so important age. Don't know if you are using a book or training plan, but I really really recommend the clicker trainer Sue Ailsby's Training Levels - both the free online versions and her new expanded books. That is how I am training Knightley in preparation for his advanced training to be my assistance (service) dog.

BTW - he is soooo gorgeous. They grow up so quickly don't they. Thanks for showing him off.


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## Walnut_the_Nut (Jan 25, 2012)

Hi Again, 
Thank you all for the tips and help. Just wanted to give an updated. 

Walnut is finally recovering. He did have some really soft poop yesterday, and a tad bit of blood from straining, but that was it. This is what made the biggest improvement:

1. Add a tiny bit of water to his kibble, just enough that it doesn't get mushy
2. Add a few pieces of the RollOver treats
3. Add 1 table spoon of pumpkin pureé

It use to take him 4-5 hours to poop after a meal, now he goes within 20 minutes after having a meal. Every poop since yesterdays slightly soft one has been perfect! 

I think he might be okay now. 

Oh, we also started adding crushed ice to his water. He loves to eat snow, so we figured ice in his water would encourage more drinking...and it did!


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