My puppy has a cold, diarrhea, and licks paws. What's the right diet?

Human Cerelac is not an appropriate diet for a growing puppy. He should be fed a puppy milk replacer such as Esbilac or Pet-Lac. The diarrhea may be due to the diet or intestinal parasites (worms). Simba should be examined by a veterinarian. If left untreated, the diarrhea can lead to dehydration which is dangerous in puppies. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Consider a veterinary probiotic to promote gut health. You could also mix in a bit of plain yogurt if a probiotic is not available.

It sounds like he has a skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo but he may need an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory to treat. For the diarrhea, withhold food for the day and then try a bland diet, like boiled chicken and white rice. If the diarrhea persists than he should be examined by a vet for treatment. He could have a parasite or infection and your vet can prescribe medications to treat.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Diarrhea can be caused by many things such as diet, intestinal parasites and viral infections. I would recommend initiating a bland diet as outlined below. However, with the symptoms you have described, it sounds as though he may also be dehydrated. I would recommend taking him in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. He may need fluids administered under the skin for hydration and further testing (parvo testing) since he is so young and still has the potential to come down with parvo if he has come in contact with it. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Poor Malachi! I can give you a home remedy to try to see if that helps him, and some warning signs as to when you need to rush him into an ER vet. Withhold food for 8 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, there is blood in his diarrhea, he starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Supplement Toby with a puppy milk replacer such as Esbilac or Pet-Lac. Provide fresh water at all times. Monitor his weight to confirm gains. You can make a gruel using puppy food and milk replacer and offer that to him as well. At almost 8 weeks, he should not be going to his mother to eat for every meal.

I recommend getting him in to see your vet as soon as possible about the loss of appetite and diarrhea. Puppies that young can dehydrate easily and their blood sugar can drop quickly to life-threatening levels. The diarrhea could be caused by parasites, a bacterial or viral infection, or possibly swallowing something he shouldn't have, irritating the GI tract or, more seriously, getting stuck and causing an obstruction. The skin I'm less worried about, though that can be addressed at the same visit. Many puppies develop what is called puppy pyoderma, which is roughly equivalent to acne in humans. Most outgrow it and it rarely gets bad enough to require medication, but sometimes antibiotics and therapeutic bathing is needed to help them heal more quickly.

It is very concerning that a puppy of Jackie's age isn't eating much food. Cerelac is not an appropriate diet for a dog, he needs a puppy formulated food. Puppies need higher amounts of calcium, calories, and protein than adult dogs, and a puppy formulated food will provide that for him. When he's 12 months old, he will need an adult dog food. I do not recommend feeding him anymore celerac, and put him straight onto a puppy food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. As for milk, it causes GI upset in dogs, so only give him water. You can add water to his dry dog food or feed him a canned puppy food to get more water into his diet. Finally, I'd have him seen by a vet for a health check. As I said above, it is concerning that he isn't eating much, and a check with the vet is always recommended. Good luck, I hope this helps!