My new dog has loose stools and a dry, cracked nose. Is this normal?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your puppy. Diet and parasites are the most common causes of loose stool in young puppies. If his stool is clear of any parasitic, bacterial or viral infection, then I would consider a new diet. I would consider a sensitive stomach formula such as Purina ProPlan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. Gradually transition to the new food over 5 or so days. If this does not help within 2 weeks, then you may want to consider a prescription low fat and highly digestible diet from his veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

The ingredients in the diet you are currently feeding are fine and quinoa would not be more beneficial than potatoes or carrots unless there was a known issue with them. I see Luca's stool in the pictures and they are definitely loose. It also appears that he is straining to defecate. Without knowing more, I'm suspicious that there is a problem in the colon causing him to have diarrhea. This could be an infection, or an inflammatory bowel disease. Infection is a common cause of diarrhea in younger dogs. Either way, it's best to have him evaluated by your vet, because I'm not sure that a diet change will help his current condition. A vet can test his stool ( make sure to take a fresh sample with you) and possibly do other testing to help identify the cause. Once the cause of this is identified, the correct treatment and diet can be advised. You can help him get through this by feeding bland food (boneless chicken and rice is good). Feed small portions (1/2 cup or less) three times a day. You can also add probiotics to the food (can get this at the pet store), which has demonstrated some efficacy for improving diarrhea. Ensure fresh, clean water is always available. I hope this helps and Luca gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry to hear Rusty isn't feeling well. I recommend taking Rusty to the vet with a fresh stool sample. There is a possibility he has microscopic intestinal parasites. This is common in puppies and causes diarrhea. I would not change his food as that is likely to make the loose stool worse. There is no deworming medicine that treats all parasites so even if he has been dewormed, it doesn't mean there isn't something there. Good luck and kisses to Rusty!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While this could be parasites, this is likely some degree of colitis. You can add a probiotic to her diet such as Fortiflora. You can use it for 1-2 weeks to see if it makes a difference. If it does not, you can consider switching to a sensitive stomach type diet. If no improvement, have her evaluated by your veterinarian so that the stools can be assessed. If she develops diarrhea at any point before then at that point she should definitely be evaluated by her veterinarian. Good luck!

Diet change, especially abruptly, can certainly cause mucousy stool and even loose stool. I would recommend monitoring iggy for the next few days and if this continues without resolving on its own, its best to get him seen by your vet. You can also opt to just transition him back to the Royal Canin hydrolyzed diet since that seemed to agree with him GI tract. You can also start a probiotic such as Fortiflora (available on Chewy.com) to see if this will help get the bacterial flora in his gut back to normal. I hope that your pet Iggy is able to normalize his stools soon! Best wishes and take care.

Congratulations on your new puppy she is adorable! I would not worry at all about the change in her poo, as long as she is still happy and well in herself. Some variation between bowel movements is normal. The intestines can also be affected by stress, which she may be experiencing some of with all the changes. If you notice that it continues to be loose you may consider adding some cooked, skinless sweet potato to her regular dog food.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! How frustrating! I think that Nova is allergic to the dog food. I would change brands or meat protein. Animals can develop GI or skin allergies to their food at anytime. Be sure that you have had a fecal tested for parasites and he has been dewormed well. Since he is young parasites are high on the list and I still deworm them even if the stool sample is negative. I hope this helps!