puppies with loose stool

by nicole
(new york)

i have a litter of 5 week old puppies and they have loose yellow color stool. just noticed some small tinges of blood it comes and goes.

i gave them rice and chicken. cooked and some canned pumkin. i dewormed them about 5 days ago and they did have worms. what do i do for the loose stool. should i be concerned?

they are not acting sick in anyway. they eat play and are 100% normal!



Hi Nicole
The loose stools could be caused by a number of things - changes in diet, the de-worming medication, or eating things they shouldn't and so on.

The streaks of blood indicate some colitis (irritation of the colon) and this can happen for similar reasons.

As long as your puppies are acting normally, seem happy, healthy and active, and are eating and drinking normally I don't think you need to be concerned at the moment.

The most likely cause is a combination of the change in diet and the deworming. Just make sure they get plenty of water, and resume feeding them their normal diet. I would expect this problem to clear up within a few days.

However, if they start to experience recurrent or severe diarrhea, vomit, seem lethargic and disinterested in their toys/food etc. you will need to get them to a vet quickly.

Young puppies are vulnerable to canine illnesses and can get very sick, very quickly if infected. I would also recommend getting them vaccinated as soon as they reach 7 weeks of age.

Hope this puts your mind at rest. Best of luck with your puppies.