beagle puppy diarrhea

by laura
(ny)

My beagle puppy is about 5 months old. about 2 weeks ago she started having diarrhea. She was on medication for a kennel cough (which is another problem) she has a cough when she gets excited.

Her vet said to stop the meds and give her rice for 3 days. It seemed to have helped a little but than made her constipated. I have now went back to giving her her old food (canine caviar) and she's back to having soft stools.

The vet seems to think nothing of this. what do you think?


Hi Laura
If your puppy's stools are soft and not watery, her diarrhea is probably not something to worry too much about in the short term. However, the aim is to have your puppy's stools be firm, regular and a once or twice a day habit.

I would guess that the original diarrhea was a result of the medication she was on. Giving plain white rice is a very common remedy for diarrhea and usually effective in this sort of case. I'm not familiar with the brand of food you're using but believe it's a canned food.

Canned food has a high water content and is less nutritious overall than dry dog food. If I'm correct in thinking it is a can, I'd suggest that you switch your puppy over to a high quality, dry food. I'd suggest you check out my Dog Food Allergies page for info. on foods especially designed for dogs with sensitive tummies. YOu can also find out how to rate any dog food according to it's ingredients on my Dog Food Comparisons page.

This should help sort out the problem. Give it at least 4 weeks on any new food before deciding whether it suits or not. My Puppy Diarrhea page may also be helpful to you.