# 4 Month Old Puppy with Reoccurring Diarrhea



## cadams77 (Feb 14, 2017)

So about two weeks I took him out like normal and he just had diarrhea. Afterward he acted normal and played around. The next morning I woke up to find an accident in his crate, which he never does, so obviously he feels bad. By that night things were back to normal solid poops.

Now on Monday evening of last week he started whining like he really needed to go out, so we go out and he has A LOT of diarrhea. He does it another time before bed. Again, he acts pretty normal before bed. I wake up on Tuesday to another accident. He continued having it all morning. I didn't feed him that morning because he was sick.
I made a vet appointment for that afternoon to see if it was a parasite or something and got a sample ready. Then at about noon he started vomiting too. It started as dry heaving and then just yellow liquid. The vomit only happened a few times within about 30 minutes He was very lethargic.

Of course, when we go to the vet he acts normal again. The vet said nothing was wrong. They checked the fecal sample, felt his stomach. No issues. They gave him a nausea shot and sent me home with a diagel syringe and a couple cans of good GI wet food.

I had been mixing the wet food with his dry food the past couple days and he had normal bowel movements for Wednesday and Thursday.

Well, Friday he started to have diarrhea again. I am worried something is wrong, but I have no idea what. Any ideas? What can I do to help?

He is by my side pretty much 24/7, so I am almost positive he hasn't eaten anything weird (other than like dust or something like that)

Well, Saturday morning, I was again woken up at 3am by a terrible smell and a dirty, upset pup. Will be calling the vet again at 8am. Not really sure what to do. Tired of sleepless nights, cleaning, and him being sick with no end in sight. Think I'm going a bit crazy 

Should i throw out his dog food? Get new food of the same kind? Get a new brand entirely? He has been eating the same stuff since I got him at 9 weeks. No issues until almost two weeks ago. Not sure what changes to make.

I took another fecal sample in and it came back negative for parasites again. At the vet I bought some more wet GI food and a daily synbiotic supplement, a powder I sprinkle on his food. The vet told me to combine the wet food with his normal kibble, which I had been doing anyway. I feel like those are not helping because we are on the same pattern. Really bad diarrhea for one day, then normal for two days, then bad again. I'm really worried and frustrated. Should I go see a different vet? Switch food?

His kibble: Wetlands Canine® Formula with Roasted Fowl - Taste of the Wild Pet FoodTaste of the Wild Pet Food

Daily supplement: https://www.amazon.com/BEEK-Synacor...&keywords=synacore+digestive+support+for+dogs


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

Welcome to the forum! Your pup is beautiful.
It sounds like it may be time for a second opinion. Isn't it frustrating when a puppy is really sick overnight, but acts like nothing's wrong when you get to the vets? I hope he's better soon


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## cadams77 (Feb 14, 2017)

Pilgrim123 said:


> Welcome to the forum! Your pup is beautiful.
> It sounds like it may be time for a second opinion. Isn't it frustrating when a puppy is really sick overnight, but acts like nothing's wrong when you get to the vets? I hope he's better soon


Thank you! It is very frustrating! I am wondering if it is some kind of allergy to his kibble? Although everything was fine until two weeks ago.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Puppy*



cadams77 said:


> So about two weeks I took him out like normal and he just had diarrhea. Afterward he acted normal and played around. The next morning I woke up to find an accident in his crate, which he never does, so obviously he feels bad. By that night things were back to normal solid poops.
> 
> Now on Monday evening of last week he started whining like he really needed to go out, so we go out and he has A LOT of diarrhea. He does it another time before bed. Again, he acts pretty normal before bed. I wake up on Tuesday to another accident. He continued having it all morning. I didn't feed him that morning because he was sick.
> I made a vet appointment for that afternoon to see if it was a parasite or something and got a sample ready. Then at about noon he started vomiting too. It started as dry heaving and then just yellow liquid. The vomit only happened a few times within about 30 minutes He was very lethargic.
> ...


Your Puppy is absolutely beautiful!! I would take another stool sample and go back to the same vet or another vet.
I know that puppies can dehydrate quickly. I think some parasites are hard to detect.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

My own (admittedly limited) experience w TOTW is with boarding dogs. I have never seen a good poop on it - usually they are somewhat floppy on good days, at least in the dogs that I have boarded who eat TOTW. 
I would say swap his food. Especially if you started a new bag when he began to have issues with it. And call the company for a refund if that is so.
Many Golden puppies do just fine on the non-shred versions of ProPlan. Many Golden puppies do not do so well on the shred versions though so do be sure you get one that does not feature the shreds. If his poops go solid w the PPP food and probiotics, I would think you have figured it out. The vomitting bothers me- I assume they have some sort of obstruction if they are vomitting, even if it is not ingested but is an anomaly of the GI tract. ... 

All that aside, a radiograph would tell you if there was a back up somewhere, and since he's going days on and days off, probably isn't the case anyway. The vet should also look for giardia, because it often causes nighttime diarrhea. The down side is it often doesn't show up on a fecal. 

I'd change the food. And let TOTW know if you did happen to get a new bag around the time he got sick.


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## wellarmedglockgirl (Oct 6, 2016)

2nd opinion for sure with X-rays!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I would ask your vet to treat for giardia, even though the fecal was negative. Giardia and coccidia are notoriously hard to get positives on. My pup had three negative fecals before it came back as positive for coccidia (and she had pure liquid diarrhea the whole time). I would also ask the vet to give you Purina EN Gastroenteric food. It s very bland, easy to digest. See what happens with two weeks of meds and that food.


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## cadams77 (Feb 14, 2017)

Both times I brought in a fecal sample they tested for Giardia. I thought that's what it would be due to his symptoms. They came back negative both times. I went to the vet today and they gave me some antibiotics to try with him, called Metronidazole. I am seriously thinking of switching his food from TOTW, but I am not sure what a good alternative is. He hasn't had anymore diarrhea since this morning, so just once today, which is a big improvement. It normally lasts all day when he has it. Even this morning he was able to hold most of it. I only found a very small wet area on the towel this morning and his backside was a little dirty. I will keep watching him for the rest of the week to see what happens. Thanks for all the help!


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

Are his vaccines current? How long has he been on TOTW? We use TOTW(salmon) and have great poops. I'd ask for a full work-up due to the vomiting. What works for one dog, doesn't another so if the food is newer to him I'd look at switching. Our girl is VERY food sensitive- she'll get diarrhea if she sneaks people food(or has any treat with pork or chicken) and she itches like crazy if she has chicken or grain in her foods. It took lots and trial and error to find what works for her. 

I'd try the purina Pro as mentioned above if the food is new and not agreeing. If he's been on it since you've had him, I'd request more test...


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Nevermind.


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## cadams77 (Feb 14, 2017)

Kalhayd said:


> Are his vaccines current? How long has he been on TOTW? We use TOTW(salmon) and have great poops. I'd ask for a full work-up due to the vomiting. What works for one dog, doesn't another so if the food is newer to him I'd look at switching. Our girl is VERY food sensitive- she'll get diarrhea if she sneaks people food(or has any treat with pork or chicken) and she itches like crazy if she has chicken or grain in her foods. It took lots and trial and error to find what works for her.
> 
> I'd try the purina Pro as mentioned above if the food is new and not agreeing. If he's been on it since you've had him, I'd request more test...


His vaccines are all current. We just finished those up. He has been on TOTW since I got him, no issues until two weeks ago. Even the breeder had him on it, he used a mixture of three different foods to help owners have options and an easy transition.

What other tests? Blood work? 

There has been no more vomiting since last week really. He acts completely normal, playful and happy.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Cadams*

Call and tell the vet what is going on.
Maybe it was a reaction to the vaccine?
The Food?


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

The metronidazole will help the diarrhea almost immediately. I hope she gave you a good long course. If you don't want to get the prescription food, I'd also go with Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy (not the shredded formula).


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

You have a really beautiful puppy and glad the meds are helping. This could be as simple as a bad batch of food, it happens. There is usually a customer service email available for TOTW and if you tell them you are having problems they will refund the cost (if you have tossed the bag). If you still have the bag most stores will allow you to return it, just check the batch number to make sure they don't replace it with another from the same batch. 

Being a little .. ok, very cautious side.. I always dump my food into a container. If the food is out of date or close to it there can be mold and you won't find it until you get to the bottom of the bag. 

I'm sure you have heard that changing food is hard for dogs especially puppies so might try getting a fresh bag and see it that makes a difference (a small bag for testing). If it's a change in their formula you may have to change foods. I changed my girl to adult food at 4 months and never had another soft stool so if you are on puppy formula it might be time to switch over. If you have to switch, proplan large breed is better food than TOTW in my opinion. 

Let us know how it goes.


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## rally (Feb 8, 2017)

We are having the exact same issue with our 3 month old golden. We've been to the vet, they've done fecal exams, etc. and nothing. She's on metronodizale and her diarrhea has finally stopped, but now she's been throwing up the last 15 hours or so. We are supposed to go to the vet today for her final round of vaccines (she hasn't been able to get them because she's been sick the last few weeks) but I'm sure they'll want to hold off yet again since she's still not 100%. I am with her all day every day and there is no common denominator that's causing these issues, so it's very frustrating. We had her on a chicken & rice diet, reintroduced some of her food (Fromm Large Breed Puppy) and she was totally fine until yesterday. She's definitely slept more than usual (during the day of course, during the night she just wants to be out of her kennel and cuddled up on my lap) but her mood is still happy/upbeat when she is awake. I just feel so bad for her that I want to cry! Hope everything turns out well with your pup!


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

puddles everywhere said:


> If you have to switch, proplan large breed is better food than TOTW in my opinion.
> 
> Let us know how it goes.


Why is that? According to Dog food advisor it is not. Our pup does great on this food(TOTW) so I'm curious to why you feel the other is a better option. Coming from curious as we want the best for her(I know no one food is perfect for all dogs!)


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

That's a fair question... over the last few years of researching dog foods I have found that Diamond foods seems to have more than their share of recalls. Maybe because it comes in so many labels, I don't know?? It's not so much TOTW it's Diamond foods in general and just my personal opinion. FYI you can get it much cheaper at Costco under a different label, about half the cost if you are interested in saving a little.

The suggestion for the PP was from what I've read on this forum, it seems to be a favorite. I don't happen to use either brand. But you make a valid point... what works for one dog may not work for another, regardless of who makes it. There are many factors for food choices and hope they can find one that works for their pup.


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

puddles everywhere said:


> That's a fair question... over the last few years of researching dog foods I have found that Diamond foods seems to have more than their share of recalls. Maybe because it comes in so many labels, I don't know?? It's not so much TOTW it's Diamond foods in general and just my personal opinion. FYI you can get it much cheaper at Costco under a different label, about half the cost if you are interested in saving a little.
> 
> The suggestion for the PP was from what I've read on this forum, it seems to be a favorite. I don't happen to use either brand. But you make a valid point... what works for one dog may not work for another, regardless of who makes it. There are many factors for food choices and hope they can find one that works for their pup.


Thanks! We tried Pro plan and it didn't work for her, but she's an interesting one!! LOL


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

It didn't work for my girls either but she wasn't a puppy. She had a very sensitive tummy and it took a while to find something that worked well for her. We finally settled on Nutro Lamb & Rice. Then they changed the formula and everyone had tummy problems, it was awful and messy... 

I don't even remember what puppy food my new pup was on but the breeder instructed moving over to 4Health adult food at 4 months. 4Health is Tractor Supply's version of Diamond foods so with my bias against Diamond had to make an alternate choice. Someone suggested adding cranberries for the marathon UTI we were dealing with and salmon to boost immune system. I ended up going with blue wilderness salmon w/cranberry. 

I get my food from Chewy.com but if they happen to be out and a delivery is delayed (which I've had happen) I needed to be able to pick a food I could actually get at a nearby store. The closest "pet store" is almost an hour away so choices were limited. Gratefully this food worked, stools firmed up and we have stayed with it. But it's certainly a strain on the pocket book! Main reason I don't recommend it often. I really don't like BB as most dogs have soft stools and eat them, yuck. I was shocked the Wilderness variety worked so well.

Picking foods is tuff and sort of a personal thing for each of us for many reasons. Isn't it wonderful when you find something that works for your kids! Thanks for the question BTW, if I'm going to suggest something it would be better to back it up with why.


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## BaileyzMom (Nov 26, 2015)

We had similar issues with Bailey as a puppy. We had switched from Purina PP LBP to Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul as we had great success with that from a previous dog, and I had something against Purina for no reason... I bought a small bag to start with and she did fine. Then a large bag and the loose stool started. So I returned it for a different bag/batch thinking there was something wrong but the problem just kept getting worse. Our vet initially thought maybe she was sensitive to chicken, but when he looked at the ingredient label with me, he suggested that even though the protein ratio was similar between the two foods, the Chicken soup brand had many different protein sources, and maybe she was either 1) sensitive to one of them, or 2) too many different protein sources. Over time her little system just couldn't handle it any more. He suggested we switch back go Purina PP LBP and since she was already having watery stool and on Metro we just switched her (should be a transition), but with the very first meal, her stools went back to normal.


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## cadams77 (Feb 14, 2017)

*Everything is good!*

Everything seems to be okay now. Haven't had an incident in over a week. I think the antibiotics helped him a lot and we finished those yesterday. Glad to see him back to his normal self! Thank you everyone for your help!


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## Murphy Wade (Jul 6, 2017)

When my Sheltie Joe had giardia 4 years ago it was as you described. The first two samples showed nothing. The third was a charm. If your guy has this it's tricky to catch because it's not omnipresent. I will say that when they did finally find it we ended up going on 2 rounds of the meds. All is well now.


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