Sick puppy - black diarrhea and vomiting

by Max
(Miami, FL)

We just rescued a puppy that's about 2-3 weeks old. A friends neighbors didn't want her so we have her and haven't had her shots done yet since we just got her. But last night out of the blue she began to poop a lot. Its a very dark (black) and watery stool. My girlfriend said she was gagging without any vomit at all.

I have since gotten home and she has taken a poop and it was still dark and watery. I haven't heard her gag at all. No fever, no loss of appetite. She's still wanting to eat. She's just pooping really dark poo and we are falling in love and don't want anything to happen to her.



Hi Max
Are you sure this pup is only 2 or 3 weeks old? At that age a pup should still be nursing, and barely has it's eyes open. It definitely shouldn't be away from its' momma!

If she is only 2 - 3 weeks old and has been feeding from her momma, then dark very soft stools are normal. The gagging isn't, but that could be due to her eating/drinking different food etc., especially as she's so young.

I do think perhaps she's older than this though, and I'd strongly recommend that you have her examined by your vet right away. First of all you need to know how old she is, secondly you need to know if she's healthy. Only your vet can tell you this. You can check out my Puppy Development page to get a better idea of what stage your pup is at right now.

In puppies who are being (or have been) weaned, puppy diarrhea that is dark like this is often a sign of infection. The color is caused by blood in the feces. Canine Parvovirus is the first thing that comes to mind in puppies that haven't had their puppy shots.

This little girl is still a tiny baby and it sounds as though she's been through a lot already. I'm glad that she's found a home where she's being loved and taken care of, but she also needs veterinary care so that she can grow up healthy and strong.

I wish you the best of luck with her and hope that she's doing much better soon.