New here, puppy Questions!!!

[Chocolate_Lady_Love]

Hello! I have a 5 month old Chocolate girl named Lady. We got her at 11 wks, and she’s been a joy and a challenge! She’s my first dog to ever own, so it can become overwhelming when you run into a problem and you suddenly feel out of your league... again.

My main question is about diarrhea. She has had it off and on for a couple weeks. I have tried getting her into the vet but times are hard because of their safety measures, so appointments get backed up because they’re bringing animals in one at a time. So I made the next available apt., which is 2 days from now.

What confuses me is the ranges of her poop... one time it’ll be completely solid and normal, and the next one could be completely watery and foamy. So strange, and very worrying and confusing. I never know what it will be and don’t see any pattern about it... I started her on a new dog food (integrated with old food over a week) and the diarrhea came after, so wondering if food could be the culprit? How do I know what’s causing it? I’m hoping when I go to the vet they won’t run a ton of tests trying to find out what’s causing it... I’m nervous about going for some reason. By the way, she still plays and goes on her walks just fine, although she has been lazier during the days and perks up to play in the evenings when the family is all home. She’s still eating normal... I’m wondering if I’m over feeding her also I know the vet will give me advice... is it normal for a puppy to be having this much tummy trouble?

[zeta1454]

Really you will need to wait for a vet diagnosis as there are so many possible causes for upset tummies and if there is a health problem it will need tests to confirm.

It is possible that either the change in food or the quantity may have upset her digestion. It could be useful until you see the vet to try using her original food or the new one but not in combination and also reducing the amount. Guidelines for feeding on packs can often be far too high.

Have you spoken with your puppy's breeder about this as they may be able to offer some advice too?

The good news from your post is that your pup is still active and happy so it is not likely to be anything too serious

[Oscar 12345]

Hi Sierra, sounds like colitis with the range of poop you are seeing. My advice would be to go back to the previous food whilst waiting for your vet appointment. See if she gets back to normal consistent pooping that will rule in or out the new food. It is quite common for schnauzers to have tummy problems, I think they are very sensitive to highly processed dog food. Many on here feed raw and I can honestly say it solved my young boy's problems overnight. Not all dogs are the same but that is my experience.

[GoEmGo]

I remember when Monty was a pup and we had some tummy issues initially. I made the mistake (that you haven't done) of changing food far too quickly. That was my fault and Monty's digestive system responded as you might expect! I know stress affects Monty (and did so a lot as a pup) Any car journey used to result in a very watery poop because he hated the back seat of the car! Thankfully, this has now improved but did last until he was around 6 months old. They are sensitive little things though, so it could be something non-food related.

Monty also had colitis at 6 months, but touch metaphorical wood, nothing since then. We have found that Monty can eat for England. He is highly food motivated (ie greedy) and enjoys his grub. We have him on a pretty limited (but fulfilling) diet of natural food for Monty. He eats Forthglade wet and compressed dry for main meals, and has a sprat after his long morning walk. And an evening Lily's kitchen biscuit. This suits him to a tee. He's a good weight, looks trim and his tummy is good.

I hope you get to the bottom of what is making Lady's digestion go a bit awry. I'd definitely feed a little less and see if this helps in the first instance