# Help! Puppy tummy trouble for 6 weeks!



## AlexinBK (Dec 11, 2017)

Don't worry, he's still getting nutrients. Emmy's (19 weeks now) poop was really loose until, like you, I recached the end of my rope and decided to switch her slowly– this was last week... so don't worry because we went 18 weeks with loose poop as well. 

Eukanuba <12 puppy is FINALLY delivering harder stools. It's not the large breed version because I could only find that in <24 and I wanted strictly first year puppy food. The funny thing is that the puppy on the bag looks like her. I didn't even do the table spoon, I started with changing out 1/4 cup at a time. 

Just grin and bear the loose poop/diarrhea until you find a food that works. Just because he is having diarrhea doesn't mean he's not getting nutrients. IMO you have been trying too many types of food and that is making your problem worse. You need to stick with one.


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## Catgondek (Jul 3, 2017)

Bella was on no treats for the longest time and that helped. But she had the chocolate pudding plops off and on when she was little. Finally the vet said if I am feeding her too much at one time that might be the cause, and to feel her 4 times a day, small helpings, and sloshed in water. Either it worked, or she simply outgrew the problem.


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## Lambeau0609 (Aug 3, 2015)

Bully sticks are known to cause diarrhea in puppies! I would never give a dog of mine a bulky stick.


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## mediamom (Mar 20, 2018)

Our previous golden had on going diarrhea and pudding poops as a puppy, and she was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Maybe check into that. We started her on some meds to calm the stomach/intestines down...but were able to manage it with her diet. We ended up having to feed her a mix of Whitefish/Salmon kibble (Natural Balance, I think it was) and a freeze-dried raw Turkey (Sojos).


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Puppy diarrhea is really common. I'm a fan of switching food really slowly (I recently switched my dogs food and did it seriously over about 3 weeks). I seem to attract dogs with sensitive stomachs (my last dog had IBD, and Piper has a sensitive stomach), so I make changes slowly. Bully sticks give my dog massive diarrhea and vomiting--interestingly they didn't at first, but they started to around 6 months old, so we don't do them anymore. Many dogs don't tolerate them at all. 

The thing is, once the GI tract is inflamed (whether its from a food transition or a bully stick or a parasite or whatever), it takes a while for things to calm down. Flagyl (metronidazole) from the vet kills bacteria, but its also highly anti-inflammatory, which is why its so good at stopping the diarrhea right away--but it doesn't necessarily solve the problem. So, your puppy may have been having a little bit of GI inflammation due to the change in food affecting his GI bacteria flora, and then having the bully stick really set him off. 

I would nix the bully sticks indefinitely. Also, no rawhide (but you probably know that). I would also hold off on training treats that aren't your dog's kibble (or just pieces of boiled chicken, since that seemed to go OK)...often training treats are high calorie with a big taste (so as to be high value to dogs) and often cause diarrhea. 

Regarding the food, you have a couple of options: Go back to the original TOTW--if he wasn't having diarrhea on it, slowly transition to Dr. Garys if it seemed to be working (but this time, do it over 10-14 days or longer), try something like a sensitive skin and stomach brand (Piper is on Pro Plan Sensitive Skin/Stomach) or consider talking to your vet about a temporary prescription diet like I/D or W/D to give his GI tract some time to settle back down, and then switch slowly to whatever high quality food you choose to feed. 

It does seem to be triggered by the bully stick, but you may want to consider going back to the vet for another fecal test if it doesn't go away. Sometimes parasites are hard to diagnose and require multiple tests. If persistent, IBD is sometimes the cause, but its often a diagnosis of exclusion. If the above doesn't work, I'd consider a limited ingredient diet with a novel protein he hasn't been introduced to yet. As long as the vet says his weight is OK (even if he's on the thinner side), it shouldn't be too much of an issue while you are sorting it out. 

Its good to try and be on a large breed formulation, but my last dog didn't tolerate any of them--and she ended up alright. Piper stopped tolerating hers. The biggest thing is making sure they stay lean, and don't grow too fast. If you want to get really technical, you can also investigate which dog foods have calcium ratios recommended for large breed dogs. (Fromm's Surf and Turf is one of them)


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Go back to the food he was doing well on. If it's not broke don't fix it.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I agree with mylissyk. Changing food is really hard on any dog and you have a baby! The white rice and boiled chicken breast for at least 5 days helps to soothe the tummy.

Just me but would never give a baby bully sticks or anything else for that matter. I stay with kibble... I even use their kibble for training. Maybe I've just been fortunate but have never had a healthy puppy with tummy problems in more than 50 yrs. I've had several adult rescues with sensitive tummies but puppies ... no treats, no human table food, only kibble. Truth is I don't give purchased treats to any of my dogs.... ever.


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## Yosemite (Dec 3, 2017)

I wish I had had known how bad bully sticks could be before I gave one to my seven month old. They can be full of all kinds of bacteria, and contaminants. My poor baby had massive diarrhea for four days after consuming part of one. The vet prescribed Flagle which stopped it within one day. I will NEVER buy them again. On another note... he is eating Fromm Large Breed Puppy with a scoop of Nutrisource grain-free canned as a topper, and is doing very well on that combo. I hope you find something that works very soon!


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## ksmith08 (Feb 14, 2018)

my breeder first asked us to feed our 3mo boy Royal Canin. but i read a lot of reviews and switched to wellness core (im not sure if you have this brand there) because of his soft stool. he is doing great with this brand - just wanted to share my experience.


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