My puppy has diarrhea. Vet recommends food change. Will it work?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ludo. He will need to see his veterinarian regarding the diarrhea. Being a young puppy, intestinal parasites are common. He could also be experiencing a bacterial imbalance secondary to the diet change and the stress of coming to a new home. His veterinarian will likely perform fecal tests and prescribe a medication and possibly a probiotic. In the meantime, encourage him to drink plenty of water so that he does not become dehydrated from the diarrhea. I hope this information helps!

I am sorry to hear about Luna, that must be very frustrating! It is possible that something in the Pedigree is not agreeing with her tummy! If she is still energetic, eating normally, there is no vomiting and no blood or mucus in the stool you can try a different food (my favoriate puppy food is Purina Pro Plan, and I recommend dry food) and adding a small amount of fiber by putting a teaspoon of canned pumpkin on the food. A probiotic made for pets such as Forti-flora (available at your vet or online) or Proviable can also be helpful. If Luna is not on a monthly heartworm preventative, it is possible she could have intestinal parasites even if she had her stool checked before (she could have been infected from the environment) so it is worth getting her stool checked again.

Dogs will frequently develop diarrhea from a diet change which is why it is recommended to slowly transition your pet from one food to another. Since worms have been ruled out, it is likely that this is your pup's issue, although there may be many reasons for diarrhea including infection, allergies and other disorders. If the diarrhea does not resolve in another day or two, you should take her back to your veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of the diarrhea.

Hello. It might take 3-5 days minimum to see if the diet will work. Often, when we suspect a problem is due to a food sensitivity, the food trial is 6-8 weeks. So, it can take time to see if the diarrhea subsides. Just make sure she is drinking plenty of water & not losing weight. Also, make sure you communicate to your vet that the diarrhea did not respond to the metronidazole. She may want to continue testing, switch to another antibiotic or medication. I would also start her on a good probiotic for dogs like Proviable or FortiFlora, both should be available at most pet retailers. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Baylee is adorable! The most common reason that we will see diarrhea in a puppy is some type of intestinal parasite. You didn't mention if your vet has checked a stool sample, but puppies can commonly have intestinal parasites. Some are microscopic, so the only way to know that they have them is for your vet to look under the microscope. And even if a puppy has been dewormed, it is common for them to have other intestinal parasites since there are no many different types of parasites and they each require a specific type of deworming. So, my first recommendation is to have your veterinarian do a fecal check on Baylee, then decide on any other treatment. You didn't mention if she had normal stool (or any stool) on the chicken and rice diet. Generally, I recommend continuing chicken and rice until they have been passing normal stool for 48 hours, then start a gradual transition back to the normal diet. If Baylee is sensitive to food changes, you may only be able to change 10% of her food each day, so it may take 10 days to completely transition her food to prevent GI upset. Diarrhea that continues for more than a few days, or is associated with blood in the stool, vomiting, lethargy or a poor appetite is a reason for a visit to your veterinarian. There are anti-diarrheal medications that your veterinarian can prescribe. Sometimes puppies need a probiotic for their intestinal tract depending on their age and diet history, so be sure to talk to your veterinarian about that as well. I have attached a couple of links below with more information for you. Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-diarrhea-in-dogs/ Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.co/article/6-things-you-can-do-at-home-if-your-pet-has-diarrhea/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is common that dogs will develop diarrhea from a sudden food change, but it can be challenging to do a slow diet change when they stop eating their regular diet. If Chi won't eat a bland diet, adding cooked white rice or cooked white or sweet potato to a diet may be a good option for her. I think at this point, you could continue the previous food since she was eating it well or try to introduce a new limited ingredient diet if that was what your vet had recommended. Sometimes 95% meat diets are too rich for dogs alone, but Chi may tolerate it with white rice or potato. However, you may also need to talk to your veterinarian about medication for the diarrhea since she has IBD and those dogs will sometimes have a harder time getting their diarrhea to resolve with diet change alone. I have included a handout with more information on IBD below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Chi feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi, sorry to hear Luna is having this problem. If she has allergies that are not responding to allergy medication, she may need some tests to determine what is the cause of her allergy. IF can be environmental, or it can be food. If it is food, you can get a prescription hypoallergenic diet from your vet. Labradors are prone to allergies and it may be more than one thing setting her off. Since allergy medication is supposed to work soon and not last long, i would call your vet and ask for a different recommendation for allergy tablets. I see the main ingredients in the food you are feeding is lamb. It may be your dog is allergic to lamb, and you can try another meat based food like duck or venison. But if she has been fine on the food for 3 months, the food is not likely the cause. Can she possibly have gotten some other kind of food? Did anyone give her a tablet scrap or treat? That could have set off an allergic reaction. In this case, you just have to wait until it leaves her system and use an antihistamine. I would try a different antihistamine with a different main ingredient. Your vet can guide you to a product available in your area. Good luck with Luna! I hope this helps!