3 week old pitbull diarrhea and won't eat

by jason
(Harrogate TN)

He won't eat and has diarrhea but sleeps ok. He stopped eating about 5 hours ago.

His nose isn't hot and his gums aren't white. Tried formula and other options but nothing seems to work.





Hi Jason
Any sudden change in behavior should be evaluated by your own vet, especially in a puppy so young.

At 3 weeks of age this little one is almost ready to begin weaning and not eating for a few hours isn't a huge problem, as long as he is happy and contented otherwise.

However, puppy diarrhea is a more worrying issue and there are a whole host of reasons why this could occur. If he's exclusively being nursed by his mom then a tummy upset due to eating something he shouldn't is unlikely, but still possible if he is able to roam around and get into things.

A Dog Illness is another possibility, but again if he's being nursed by his mom and hasn't been in contact with other dogs or out of the house, the possibility of him having contracted something contagious is slim. But still possible! Pitbulls are one of the breeds that are particularly susceptible to Canine Parvovirus, so that's something you need to be aware of and guard against.

I can only really recommend that you get him checked out by your vet asap so that you can find out what's going on and get him any treatment if necessary. It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially with such a young puppy.

Hope this helps, best of luck.