Hi all! We brought Remington home 3 weeks ago, which puts him at 11 weeks old. I grew up with a Lab, but as an adult have always rescued dogs, so Remi is my first puppy. I'm finding that life with a rambunctious 2.5 year old and a new puppy is a bit crazy! Remi is a sweet boy who enjoys eating, including things he's not supposed to i.e. sticks, rocks, acorns, mushrooms, grass, crayons, dead frogs... You get the idea! House training is going well and he enjoys sleeping in his crate next to our bed. I suspect that he has a bit of a stubborn streak in him though. I spend quite a bit of time pulling things out of his mouth and worrying that he is going to get a blockage. He is just so fast with those acorns, and it doesn't help that we live in the woods, surrounded by oak trees, and literally thousands of acorns. We had some issues with diarrhea this past week, and I put off calling the vet for a few days because he wasn't vomiting and was eating and drinking fine, lots of peeing, and acting normal. Then it seemed to improve and he was getting back to 'normal' after a few bad nights of waking 4-5 times and pooping (outside). But it seems that he's worked himself into a pattern of not pooping much during the day and then having to go 3-4 times at night and when he goes its diarrhea, which is exhausting for everyone. I spoke with the vet on Friday, and they suggested a fecal sample, but they don't open again until Tuesday, so I've been watching him like a hawk! Today, he had breakfast at 6:30, lunch at 12, and pooped for the first time at 3:30! When he did finally go it wasn't liquid so I think he's on the mend, but doesn't seem right for a pup to go that long without eliminating. It seems to me that if he's eating 3 (small 1/2 cup) meals a day, shouldn't he be pooping 3 times a day as well?? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
I should also mention that there have been no changes to his diet. When we brought him home his stool was fairly firm, and now it ranges from liquid to soft serve ice cream (horrible analogy, I know...) The only new thing I introduced was a raw bone I bought at the grocery store. But he only had it a few days and just looked so gross that I chucked it out. I wonder if that could contribute to the loose stool?
Hi. I only give Harley a bone that will last no more than one meal. I wouldn't keep a bone around for several days. This could be part of his upset tummy. What time does he have his last meal if the day? It could be a bit late in the day hence him going overnight. I used to take Harley outside twice every evening to get her to have a poo before bed. I treated her hugely when she did. Only took her 2 days to realise that I wanted her empty at night
Hello! Congratulations on your new pup. I hope his tum is more settled now. I think Naya is right about the bone upsetting his tummy; the other thing was waiting to call the vet if his poo is runny. I wouldn't wait too long in case he becomes more unwell. The other thing to consider with runny poo (which might firm up then go back to being runny) is the presence of parasites, which would be determined by taking a poo sample to your vet. It does happen (not wishing to be all gloomy) and can eventually make a puppy really unwell. Just something to be aware of. I hope your vet is reassuring and that Remi is better soon. By the way, I always gave my pup a small meal about an hour before bed and had no problems with night poos but they are all different and maybe your pup will do better by not having a late meal. The upset tum could have caused the topsy turvy poo timing so it may right itself.
Hi, I'm a new puppy owner too, I read in Pippa's The Happy Puppy book that when a puppy goes from four meals a day to three, it can cause some puppies to get diarrhoea, Dexter is 13 weeks old and got loose stools when I tried him on three meals, so reverted back to four meals a day. Like Remington (great name), Dexter will eat anything and everything. Yesterday he was allowed out for his first walk and as we also wanted to try him off lead, we went armed with roast chicken. Dexter loved it but this morning had an explosion of runny poop as my husband informed me, yuk. He didn't go again until this evening and had three loose poops but not runny, on the trot. He usually has firm poops at least shortly after each meal, after a night in his crate and before bed. The before bed one is not always happening now. As I say, I'm not an experienced puppy or dog owner but hope this may help. The Happy Puppy book is great, I can highly recommend it. Donna
Hi, even my 18 month old Cooper got runny poo's when I gave him a raw bone (he had never had one before and a friend brought one for him). Maybe his tummy could not handle it. I tossed it after his very firt runny poo! Hope your vet can help you out/
Hi Azure, welcome to you and your pup. Sorry Remi hasn't been well - good advice to cut out everything but his normal food. They are like babies at this age and if they are upset for long can get dehydrated, so make sure Remi is getting plenty of water - maybe mix extra in with his food and make it really sloppy. Always a good idea to run it past your vet if you are worried. Is your 2.5 year old a human pup or a canine one?
Update on Remi: @drjs, the 2.5 year old is a human o Remi seemed to improve over the weekend, and poo has returned to normal, but I brought a fecal sample to the vet first thing this morning just to be on the safe side. They called earlier and said that the first panel of testing showed spirochete (?) bacteria (may have spelled that wrong..) and I went in and picked up an antibiotic. He must have picked it up somewhere outside, or from that raw bone... We'll never know. Remi was fine all day! My husband mistakenly fed Remi his dinner before I returned home from the vet with his meds and when I got there he was drooling ALOT and just seemed off. But I wanted to get the first dose in him so I mixed up a few bites of food with his pill along with a little yogurt. He scoffed it down and within 10 minutes became incredibly sick. He threw up 3-4 times and had serious diarrhea at least that many times. Here's the thing, along with all of his food, there were a few small mushrooms (easily identifiable, we've been down that route before), a TON of small rocks, gravel and sand, as well as some grass, bits of acorns, and something else that looked suspiciously like the fuzz off a tennis ball. I was and still am very concerned. I called the Veterinary ER and updated them. He seems to be resting comfortably now, and as soon as I get my sick toddler to sleep I'm going to offer him a very small meal of rice and chicken. If he can't keep that down, then it's off the ER, so please cross your fingers or say a prayer that he is able to hold down his dinner. Aside from my concern that he had a blockage, I'm at a loss as to how to keep this dog from consuming things that are bad for him. I'm not exaggerating when I say that he never leaves my sight unless he's in an Exercise pen on the lawn, in his crate, or in the garage (he's on a run and loves the concrete floor, and isn't able to get into anything harmful.) I'm a stay at home mum and the dog is left alone in a crate for maybe an hour or two a day! I follow him everywhere when he's outside and I can't believe how much junk he threw up. I spend the better part of our outside time pulling things out of his mouth... Would it be inhumane to put a muzzle on him when he's outside? All he wants to do is eat everything in his path!
Update: we just left the vet and they think he seems fine. I will continue with the antibiotic for the bacteria in his tummy and watch for further vomiting. Bumping for help and advice regarding getting him to not eat everything in sight. A muzzle seems cruel but I'm at my wits end.
