Pup with diarrhea

Hi all

My OH got his 8 week old siberian husky 7 days ago and was told by the breeder he had diarrhea but should clear up in a week, we took him to the vets and was told he could have a sensitive stomache, thursday we tried him on tinned chappy as an emergency measure to try and harden him up and it did to a digree but wanted a good quality dry food that myshih tzu could have aswell, friday we were told to starve him for 24 hours and to start him on the pedigree puppy mix i have my shih tzu on but he has now gone back to a very runny bum and would like your opinions on a good quality dry mix we could put him on to sort out his problem.

Thanks in advance for all your help

Mmm who told you to starve him for 24 hours? Personally i didn't think pedigree puppy was that good.

I would take him back to the vets, a young pup can become dehydrated very easily so i would get him to the vets first thing tomorrow....unless his skin is becoming baggy in which case he may need to go today.

I would ditch the pedigree puppy...if your pup has a touch of colitis or similar then pedigree is not the way to go.

I would feed him on boiled chicken or white fish and rice at the minute. Make sure the rice is cooked until mushy in lots of water (this will help also help with keeping him hydrated) and feed him little and often so as not to overload the digestive system.

I would also seek further advice from the vets as soon as possible.

If you manage to get the puppy stabilised on chicken or fish & rice, you could look at introducing a food like Naturediet (wet complete food...very good quality) or, if you prefer a dry complete, possible look at one of the fish & potato based ones such as Wafcol salmon & potato as these types are generally considered better for sensitive stomachs.

IMO, the breeder should not have let the puppy go whilst it had diahorrea in the first place. I would contact them about it again (if you haven't already) as it really isn't fair that you have been landed with the vet bills when the breeder knew there was something wrong.

Yep - well said.

Excellent advice.

All sorts of things can cause this - too much food in one sitting could be one cause, stress could be another. With very small pups - frequent small meals are best.

What is the history with this pup - has he received any meds recently, like conventional deworming? Chemical deworming of a pup is way too heavy a toxic load IMO and can really affect the immune system of such a young body.

I would also do the chicken and rice thing - or just chicken would be even better.

I often do a chicken broth for the little sickly ones - simmer some bone-in chicken in a pan of water with some cabbage (and rice if you want) in it. Once cooked - remove the cabbage and bones and leave to cool. Once cooled, skim off any fat and serve the chicken and some of the broth.

I would also give Lectade for the dehydration. Diluted honey is also useful for this.

I would also give half a teaspoon of Slippery Elm Bark Powder mixed into a goo with tepid water four times a day - Slippery Elm Bark Powder is great for easing the digestive tract - it has a mucousy quality to it and soothes real quick. They love the taste so you'll have no problems with it.

Slippery Elm: http://www.naturallygreen.co.uk/slip...f1iv8ggls1djv3

PS - Pedigree..... awful food.

I agree with the 24 hours starved, but I wouldn't give Pedigree Mix. Use boiled chicken or white fish & rice for a while.

We tried Bruce on Pedigree mix and he had a really bad tum, he has Chappie now as it really suits him. Good luck hope he's better soon.

I agree fasting can be useful if done properly as it helps the system clear itself out completely.

If fasting is done, make sure the puppy gets honey and water and preferably Lectade aswell - the last thing you want is for the puppy to become dehydrated.

The liquid of the broth I described above would also be useful.

Thank you ALL so much for your posts, we are ditching the pedigree mix and have just gone and got him some white fish and cooking him some rice up too and will be giving little and often today, we have also got some honey and was wondering how much to give him

If he is no better with the fish and rice i am phoning the vet and getting him looked at again asap.

How long do you think i should keep him on the fish and rice if it helps him?

Thanks again for your help

A quarter teaspoon honey to one dessertspoonful of tepid water at least 6 times a day.

Try and get some Slippery Elm Bark Powder too if you can - it's amazing and really helps them bounce back!

PS - Bland diet until poop normalises - then slowly introduce normal food back in.

I like the idea above of Nature Diet, if you can afford it it would be very healthful for him.