5 week old pup

by Penny
(Chester,SC)

I just recently acquired a 4 or 5 week old female pup. We named her Akiva Raine.

The owners were very neglectful and I do not think this pup was fed or watered properly. She stunk of feces and urine when we took her and she was just overall filthy.

I asked the previous owner what they fed her and they said they mixed wet and dry food but couldn't tell me what brand they used, so I got what I thought was best when I bought her food. In addition to wet and dry puppy food, I also bought milk replacement to mix with her food.

She has been eating like a pig at feeding time, but she now has diarrhea. I am assuming this is because of the food. Should I put her on a rice and chicken broth diet for 24 hours to see if her stool hardens up a bit? She is literally peeing out her butt and constantly.

Her water intake is good, she is alert and playful. No blood in stool.

Is she having a reaction to the food or could it be more serious such as parvo. I don't want to be paranoid, but the poor thing finally has a good home and I would hate to see her die from something that I could have prevented.
Should I worm her yet? Her belly is just bulging. Could the diarrhea be from worms?

I have never cared for a pup this young. I have 4 grown dogs and I am hand raising a kitten. I called my vet, but she has not gotten back to me...Help!


Hi Penny
It sounds as though you have your hands full! This is one lucky little puppy, and I really hope that you can get her all taken care of and healthy soon.

I'll try and answer all your questions as best I can, I also suggest that you take a look at this page on my site - New Puppy Care, it has tons of tips and advice on caring for a new puppy and links to many articles and other pages.

As for the diarrhea, it could be a result of the change in diet, stress, worms or disease/infection etc. The main clues to a serious illness such as Parvo is how the puppy looks and acts. If she's happy, alert, playful and eating and drinking normally in spite of the diarrhea it's likely not to be parvo.

If she's looking totally depressed, her eyes are dull, she seems exhausted and disinterested in anything around her, has no appetite and can't keep water down... then you need a vet immediately!

If she's having chronic diarrhea it's important to keep her hydrated, so encourage her to drink as much as possible. You can even add some warm water to her dry food to increase her fluid intake. It will probably take 5 - 7 days for her body to adjust to the new food, but don't be tempted to change it around as that will only make the situation worse. Adding some plain boiled white rice to her meals could help though.

She looks like a Pitbull or Pitbull mix, and they are one of the breeds that are at high risk of Parvo, I would strongly suggest that you take her to a veterinarian as soon as possible and get her started on her puppy shots .

The distended belly, voracious appetite and diarrhea also indicate a worm infestation. This isn't life-threatening in the short term but is very unpleasant for the puppy, and if left untreated can have serious health implications. Dont' be tempted to try over-the-counter worm treatments, they're ineffective at best and can have unwanted side effects. You need a vet to take a fecal sample to determine what kind of worms she has so that he can prescribe the right medication.

I hope this helps some, I know how many things there are to think about with a new puppy, and this one sounds as though she's desperately in need of some TLC.

I wish you the best of luck with her and hope that her story has a happy ending!