My puppy has diarrhea, swollen stomach. Is her diet the cause?

This sounds like she has intestinal parasites. Young puppies usually have roundworms and often hookworms and can have a swollen stomach as a result. Left untreated they can cause anemia, diarrhea and poor health in a puppy. You can purchase pyrantel dewormer at PetCo. Follow the label directions. I do also recommend a veterinary exam with fecal check and to start her vaccinations. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bella.

The change in diet could lead the diarrhea and larger belly if Appa is eating it really fast. Keep an eye on her for now. If you see vomiting, the diarrhea continues over the next 24 hours, she becomes lethargic, or she stops eating, have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

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!

I would recommend a vet check to determine if there are nay underlying medical causes but the fact she eats well is a good sign. Monitor for regular stools and no pain or vomiting and ensure she is dewormed regularly with an appropriate puppy wormer (every 2-4 weeks depending on the product). Keep her isolated from other dogs (especially dog parks etc) until she is fully up to date with her vaccines

Awww, she’s a cutie!! If she’s still acting normally... seems comfortable, is energetic and ready to play if prompted, and hasn’t seemed nauseated or like she’s trying to vomit, I would just give her some time. She may have eaten really quickly and have some gas buildup or something of that nature. If she starts retching like she wants to vomit, or if she seems very dumpy and lethargic, take her to the vet. You can check her heart rate as well. Her heart rate at rest should not be faster than 130 beats per minute. If it is faster than that when she seems calm, take her in. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there! Ali is a very cute pup :) From what you describe, I'm not hearing anything that sounds particularly abnormal. Many young puppies will have a noticeably round, firm belly after eating - this is because they don't have much abdominal muscle or fat yet, so you often notice visual changes like this when they are "full" from a recent meal. Intestinal parasites can sometimes contribute to a rounded belly in puppies, so I would recommend having your vet do a fecal exam to check for this problem. As long as her poop seems to be a normal consistency (not overly hard, or diarrhea) and she doesn't seem painful or uncomfortable when she goes to the bathroom, I wouldn't worry too much about whether she poops in one large piece or several smaller pieces. Since you mentioned that she has not had any vaccines yet, I would recommend taking her to the vet as soon as you can to have her vaccinated, as she is at risk of getting serious diseases like parvo and distemper.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your puppy. Some puppies are so small that their stomachs visibly distended after eating. If this is the case, her stomach should look normal again some time later. Going forward, feed her smaller more frequent meals and use puppy formula as opposed to goat milk. I hope this information helps!