My puppy has diarrhea & stomach pain from diet change. What to do?

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.

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.

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!

We can have diarrhea due to stress (of a move to new home) or diet changes, however in young dogs we also worry about intestinal parasites (both worms and Protozoa that aren't killed by deworming) and in some cases depending on vaccine status parvovirus. For this reason it is best to have your pup checked at the vet and bring a stool sample for them to test. Until then you can pick up a probiotic for dogs at the vet or pet store and try feeding plain cooked white rice and boiled shredded chicken breast for a day or two.

Hi there! Sorry to hear that she is not feeling well. The clinical signs you describe are concerning when they occur in a puppy as they can be seen with serious gastrointestinal infections such as Parvovirus. Other possibilities include intestinal worms and dietary indiscretion, among other possibilities. The sooner these conditions are treated the better the outcome tends to be. For this reason, I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian to check for these possibilities and to start therapy based on findings. At the very least they can address dehydration if present and start her on anti-diarrhea medications. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed for your girl!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Giacomo. I'm sorry to hear you are having all of these problems with him. About 75% of the time ongoing diarrhea in puppies is related to intestinal parasites or diet. So have your veterinarian ensure he does not have any parasites including giardia. If he is negative and has been properly dewormed, I should start him on a prescription low fat diet that is highly digestible. I use Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diets EN as it is safe for use in growing puppies. If this diet does not resolve the diarrhea, he may require a diet for a food allergy such as a hydrolyzed formula. I hope this information helps!

Hello, I am so sorry Paris is not feeling well. I hope your veterinarian has examined her stool for intestinal parasites & ruled out the possibility that this is a virus such as Parvo. Even if there are no parasites, I would still deworm Paris with fenbendazole for a minimum of 3 days, possibly up to 5 days using the same dose each day. Then I would put Paris on complete fast for a minimum of 12-24 hours. After this fasting period, start her on a bland diet of very small amounts of 25% boiled, skinless chicken & 75% boiled, white rice. You can also use a little low fat cottage cheese. Give her frequent small meals of only this food for the next 3 days, then start to transition her back to her regular diet. If the still has the diarrhea after 3 days using a bland diet, you can repost asking for me & we will try to figure this out. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I hope Paris is feeling better soon. Take care.