Should I take him to the vet?

[KingstonsMom]

Kingston is sick with diarrhea, but I'm not sure if I should take him to the vet or wait it out. His poo was fine yesterday morning but by the afternoon he had diarrhea. He messed on the floor twice during the night and still has diarrhea today, although the amount of stool is decreasing. His personality is fine, he still wants to jump and play. I took away his kibble today, fasted him for 12 hours, and then fed him rice. I'm planning on mixing in some plain chicken tomorrow. He's almost 6 months old and has had all his vaccinations so that shouldn't be a problem. The only major concern I have is that I took him to the dog park on Saturday. I hope he didn't pick something up!

Should I take him to the vet? Do dogs need to see a vet everytime they have diarrhea?

[arasara]

Is Kingston drinking normally?

If I changed kosmo to only chicken and rice abruptly he will guaranteed get the runs. I can't change any food on him cold turkey like that. Does Kingston act dehydrated/lethargic at all?

If you're concerned about dehydration I would definately get it checked out as it's better to be safe than sorry and these little guys can dehydrate very quickly. Just because they have had all of their vaccinations doesn't mean you're guaranteed that they will not catch anything. ;(

Good luck, maybe someone else can shed some more light for you!

[Cathy T]

I am so not qualified to give advice on this! Personally...I would see how he does tonight. But that said...let's see what someone a little more knowledgeable on this can suggest. Be sure he is getting plenty of fluids though. When Jakey would get an upset tummy I would be sure to let him lick some ice cubes to be sure he got fluids. Diahhrea can be very dehydrating.

[KingstonsMom]

He's drinking normally (I even had to refill his bottle today) and he is his happy, playful self. If he doesn't improve tomorrow, I will definitely take him to the doctor on Thursday. I just didn't know if diarrhea is ALWAYS a cause for major concern.

[Cathy T]

I just didn't know if diarrhea is ALWAYS a cause for major concern.

Not necessarily. My guys still get it on occasion...usually after too much excitement. The concern is the toll it can take on puppies. If he's drinking okay and his energy level is good I wouldn't worry about it tonight. But if it continues into tomorrow I would take him in in case he's caught a bug. Jake had coccidea and it wouldn't have cleared up on its own.

[Lani]

Lucky's had his bouts with it. The first time I was terrified because I had let him out on a few occassions and thought I'd exposed him to Parvo or something! He'd had 3 sets of immunizations but because of his age he was still at risk.

Lucky was even a bit less playful than usual (but later I realized it was a hot day and the A/C wasn't on .... realized that after I turned on the A/C and he perked up!!!)

I called the emergency vet here and the advice they gave me was to to watch him and give him the chicken/rice as you are doing. They also suggested I take his temperature - which I did. Walked to the pharmacy & got a super fast digital thermometer that takes an accurate temp in 9 seconds and some vasoline. The vet told me the "normal" temp for a puppy and Lucky was normal. I called the vet's office (this was 9pm or so at night), and they didn't think I needed to bring him in but see how he was the next day.

The next day he got better, and then it came back a week later and we've had bouts of it on and off ever since. He's usually been good on the rice & chicken baby food, but when we ween him off that his stools got loose again. He's had 3 fecals in the last few weeks - all negative for parasites.

Finally, the vet gave him a prescription diet. Eukanuba Low Residue Puppy. It is supposed to be for puppies with sensitive digestive tracks, and I am happy to report it is working for Lucky. I'd like to have him on a higher quality food with no animal bi-products, but for now, I'm happy that his stools are firm so apparently for Lucky it was just a food sensitivity.

I did a post on Sensitive Stomach diets, and it seems Lucky and Kingston aren't the only ones with runny poo - how bad is the diarrhea? Can you call your emergency vet in your area for advice about whether you need to bring him in?

In any case, if it does not clear up, you might want to talk to your vet - if he's otherwise healthy maybe the vet can test for parasites and if those are negative, then perhaps it is just a diet issue.

Good Luck

[Karlin]

I'd imagine he just picked up a bug or ate something in the park that disagreed with him. The latter happened with Jaspar at about the same age -- vets said just to do what you are doing -- withhold all food for 12 hours or so then give small meals of just chicken and boiled rice and see how he does. You can also give a little bit of pepto bismol -- I give mine about a fourth of one of those tablets.

More info on dosage:

http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=1456

A dog sensitive to aspirin can be given kaopectate instead.

I have found that pepto bismol does a good job of settling their stomach when needed.

It's reallyyoung puppies that can dehydrate dangerously if the runs are protracted (though any dog with diarrhea that is ongoing should see a vet of course). As long as he looks pretty good and is drinking I am sure he will be fine. If after 48 hours he isn't then vest usually suggest ringing them in. Remember you can always call your vet and ask, too; most vets (mine included) are happy to give advice on something like this.

[Barbara Nixon]

Keep up the bland diet for a day or two after the trouble appears to have gone away. It will give his tum chance to recover. You can use white fish instead of chicken.

[Lani]

How is Kingston doing today?

So interesting I responded to your post yesterday because today Lucky's going to the vet ... I didn't give it a second thought ... his stool is firm finally but now he's got blood in it. That said, when I called to make the appointment they did not seem overly concerned ... they said maybe it is stress colitis (sp?) or maybe an obstruction or something ... I'm taking him in after work and they just told me to have him fast during the day today. I hope it is something not too serious for both our little guys.

[KingstonsMom]

I hope Lucky is okay! Last time Kingston had diarrhea it was determined to be collitis as well. Let me know what the vet says.

Kingston is still having runny poo but it's much less frequent and in much smaller amounts. I wonder if that means he's getting better????