Puppy Diarrhea!

by Wei Yee
(New York, NY)

I just got my puppy yesterday. When he came over from Minnesota - I'm in New York City now. When he first got her, he pooped and he had solid poop.

Over the last 24 hours, his poop has went from solid to practically watery and the most recent one that I just found had some reddish mixture in it.

Now.. I'm scared. What do I do?!

Hi Wei Yee
Watery diarrhea, especially if it has blood in it is definitely a cause for concern. BUT, given the fact that your pup has literally just experienced the stress of a flight, a new home, new people and maybe a change in diet, it's possible that these factors are responsible for his diarrhea.

Clues would be whether or not he seems ill, and again because of the stress and homesickness he's experiencing you can expect him to lose his appetite a bit and maybe sleep more than normal.

In terms of illness or disease what you need to look for is frequent, watery diarrhea usually accompanied by repeated vomiting. An extreme lethargy or tiredness (where he's not interested in any toys, treats, petting etc. and can barely find the energy to lift his head), and an inability to keep food or water down in his tummy.

If you recognize these symptoms in your pup he could be suffering from one of the serious, contagious dog illnesses that puppies are prone to, and you need to get him to a veterinarian immediately.

However, if the diarrhea is the main problem, and he seems healthy and happy otherwise (eg. playful, bright-eyed etc.), you can probably afford to wait 24 hours or so to see how things go. Do make sure he's getting enough water to drink as little pups can get dehydrated quickly. If possible feed him the puppy kibble the breeder was feeding him, if you ever need to make a change in dog food, do it gradually over a period of about a week or so to prevent tummy upsets.

You can find more information on dealing with puppy diarrhea on my Puppy Diarrhea page.

Best of luck with your puppy!