Oh yes - I'll never forget when little Twiglet was really poorly, it was worrying and hard work in equal measure xx (She had a similar thing and the vet put it down to a tummy bug, but she was only 8 weeks old so had to go on a drip for four days, poor wee scrap - she soon bounced back ) Nnn
It must be incredibly distressing for, great that you have been able to do some training. Re the drinking, and I know you've had good advice already, but when Cassie was small some one recommended putting icecubes in her water to help with teething pain. I used to do this and she got in the habit of playing with them in the bowl. Now everytime I throw out old water and put fresh down for her she drinks a bowlful, no matter what time of day. Ice cubes might encourage Red's fluid intake.
Thank you Selina. We took Red to the place we let her off lead, she had a walk and run off lead - again no treats, just praise and using the whistle as she ran to us. Got home and she went straight to the water - had a big drink - then outside for more diarrhoea but not quite as sloppy as earlier. She is sleeping again. I am beginning to think this must be a bug as she hasn't had any of her normal kibble (only the food from the Vets) since early yesterday morning. Ice cubes were going through my mind earlier and if she hadn't had the big drink, I'd be trying that. This morning when she was barely drinking, I put a bit of honey in some water and then put my hand in the water - she was licking it off my hand so at least I knew she was getting a bit of fluid.
Update on Red. After a weekend of lots of horrible diarrhoea, giving her Pro-kolin twice daily and the Hills Prescription canned food, I was wondering what kind of night we would have and what today would be like. Well so far so good. She had a good night - I didn't as she had diarrhoea right up to bedtime so I was imagining the worst! She has had 2 poos so far today and they have been 'proper' poos - the first I have ever seen like this from her in the two months we have had her!!! Took stool sample to Vets, got more canned food and Pro-kaolin on their advice, and also bought a bag of Hills kibble to use as treats. I have prepared some Kongs with the wet and dry food for the freezer for times when I want her occupied on her bed whilst we are eating etc. Hopefully,the kibble will suffice as a high reward treat in training tomorrow. Will have to be patient about sample results but at least that is now on it's way to the lab. Spent a fortune at the Vets but if necessary, I will stick to the Hills food for the time being.
Just catching up with this. What a horrible time for you and little Red. Hopefully the sample testing will show something which can be easily addressed. Poorly puppies are a real worry
Oh my, just reading this as been working all weekend. Poor little Red (and you), she's really going through the wringer at the moment. Crossing my fingers that she gets better quickly and the vet can identify what the problem is. Bailey sends licks x
Hi, Just coming into this a bit late, sorry to hear what you are going through, sounds horrible. Picking up on something @Boogie said, Monty had giardia as a puppy, it was really difficult to get diagnosed and then get rid of. I do feel for you. Hope you get some sort of positive result from the vets tomorrow. Anything you can do to get her drinking water is a good thing. X
Ick - I hope you get it sorted. Charlie has a terrible intolerance to chicken - gives him terrible runny poo. So just the right food can help. If you need a dog to drink, whisk tuna flakes in water. The flakes slowly sink down as the dog drinks, and the dog has to keep drinking to get to the tuna. You can take the bowl up if needs be if you don't want them actually eating the tuna at the bottom.
Thank you everyone for your kind comments. After two well formed poos yesterday, the last one of the day and the first of today have been quite soft and she has had the pro kolin too. I feel the puppy blues descending again unfortunately as this is just draining me. The dislike and disinterest of our beautiful gentle older lab doesn't help as we are still having to keep them separate apart from a daily trying them together. Red jumps all over her and whilst there is less biting there doesn't seem to be any progress. Usually ends with us having to rescue Sky (older one). Feel our lovely home has become a house of two parts - me stuck in the kitchen with Red for large parts of the day except when she is sleeping. I do leave her in the kitchen whilst I have to do quick jobs and I do take her through and she will sit on her bed with a Kong and her lead on and we now have a crate in the sitting room so when she starts pestering the older one she goes in there. Today I have my older granddaughter with me but she is scared of Red (I am working on this) so how we are going to manage today, I really don't know. Sorry this is a whinge - if I could get the diarrhoea/soft poo thing sorted, think I could be more philosophical about the other issues resolving themselves with time but at the moment, I just keep thinking what the hell was I thinking when we decided to get a puppy?
I hope the results come through soon so that it's sorted and on its way to becoming a distant memory. It's exhausting having a puppy and doubly so when that puppy's unwell. It sounds as if you're making progress with socialising Sky and Red, even if it doesn't feel like it - crates can be a life-saver! Good luck for today!
Betsy and Charlie were like this. Charlie is a total gent, and wouldn't tell a puppy off in a million years, and Betsy was SUCH a bitey puppy. At first, they were just separated unless Betsy was in a very sleepy mood. But it got better. I'd just keep having them together with Betsy wearing her little puppy harness and a short light line and every time she behaved outrageously towards Charlie I'd just pick up the line and gentle stop her so Charlie could move away. I did it again and again - she eventually got the message. Now she is all grown up and a very interesting smelling young lady the table are very much turned and we have to stop Charlie from sticking his nose up her bum all the time!
Aah Julie, can't tell you how much this has cheered me up. My DH keeps saying they will be ok but I haven't seen much improvement except Red is less bitey. Your strategy though is brill and why on earth haven't we thought of it?
I look back on Monty's early puppyhood with general weariness because of this - I don't like to draw parallels too closely as you are still waiting for your results, and they might be quite different. but Monty would have a few good poos, then the squits terribly, then soft poos, then get better... just as we were thinking the 'bug' had gone, we would have a good week or so and then it was back to square one. Was scared to take him places as he might just produce an un-pickupabble poo - in fact he did, I remember now, in the middle of the Asda car park on a Saturday afternoon ..... I can't imagine what it's like for you having to sort out issues with keeping Sky happy too, I do feel for you. Any news on results yet?
Were you ever able to find out what Monty's 'bug' was? No results yet. Red is happy on the Hills Prescription Diet - firm poos like she has never done since we got her. Makes me question the chicken (been feeding her on Arden Grange Chicken and Rice which is a good quality food) not necessarily for the diarrhoea at the weekend but for the general sloppiness of her poos up to now. Considering Fish4Dogs food as she can't keep on the Prescription food forever but it's such a 'mine field'. Think I will phone the Vets for advice - need to get Red weighed anyway. At training last night, they said a few dogs had been poorly with stomach upsets but as Red's started nearly 4 days after the last training session, I can't see a link there but who knows!!
Skinner's field and trial Salmon and potato is good - Tatze is on it and has always had kickable poos ..
Hi @Atemas , pleased to hear Red's poo's not so sloppy, she must feel better for that. Yes quite agree that the dog food market is a mine field. Hope you have a better day all round.
Bramble as a puppy had sloppy poos, she was also a nightmare to toilet train. Never thought it would end, she was 6 months old before we got it sorted, Benson had it nailed at 10 weeks old! Most of spring last year was a blur of wet vet bed, getting up in the night, and trying to organise three dogs. Now, Bramble is older, Casper is calmer, and Benson, well I do believe he may be growing up Regarding diet, we changed straightaway to a single source protein diet. This sorted her tummy, we were quite strict on treats too. She did scavenge though. you had to be sooo quick with her! We added fibre when she got loose stools which really helped. She still has a sensitive tummy, and have found if we avoided chicken and beef she is fine. Now it's spring, and we have wonderful walks in the early morning with all three, a far cry from this time last year!
It was giardia, (with a bit of campoilobacter from memory) but it wold have been the giardia he had for weeks and weeks, lulls you into a false sense of security that it's gone then reappears. If you know it's that. its not too difficult to get rid of - we had to disinfect / bleach everything, every hard surface, scrub every bit of his cage, wash all bedding and toys as hot as possible, jeyes fluid on paving stones. Bathe monty in medicated shampoo. And then repeat the whole thing 10 days later, while he had 2 weeks of antibiotics. (though these may have been for the CB, can't remember) And then, wonderfully, everything was as it should have been, and I stopped thinking that runny poos were normal.
This time last week, Red had the terrible diarrhoea. After a week on Hill's Prescription food (and Pro-kolin for several days) which she likes, it is time to start introducing new food. I have bought Fish4Dogs puppy food so hopefully that will be ok. Her poos have been well formed and easy to pick up and less frequent. No results yet from sample. I am still questioning the chicken that was in her original food and roast chicken I was using as a high reward treat as her poos were never as firm as they have been this week. Feel a bit nervous about the switch but the vet nurse said to take a week over it.
