# Diarrhea after 1st night home (8 1/2 weeks old)



## mapjunkie (Oct 27, 2013)

Hi All

New to the forum but not new to GSD's. It's been a long time 13 years since having a puppy so I have had to refresh my mind on everything.

Anyway I will cut to the chase: We picked up our 8 1/2 week old GSD Puppy yesterday at noon(ish) and had a 4 hour journey home. We took cooked chicken to use as treats (reward) whenever he did something right/good. He had a few bits on the way home but once we got home and got started on the potty training he was rewarded every time he went to the door and every time he went potty outside etc.. He has been drinking plenty of our tap water and is eating his food that the breeder gave us and he was playing/sleeping at regular intervals. He had a very restless night (all three of us did, hubby & me included). We put him in a crate next to our bed and we were up nearly every 1-2 hours through the night, he was peeing every time he went out with only 1 pee accident when my hubby took his eyes off him to get his coat on. He pooped before bed and then again in the morning (early about 6ish). Since then he has had a lot of play and sleep time but he now has diarrhea and has since pooped 4+ times or at least now he is trying to poop with not much coming out. Started off soft then pudding consistency now he is barely getting any little pudding squirts out. He is a little whiny every now and then and has been since we left the breeders, understandable I think under the circumstances.

Do you think the chicken could have upset him, or the travel, or first day/night in a new home away from litter mates (only 3 of them) and mum, the change in water or just a mixture of everything. I am hoping it is just a little of everything, being overwhelmed etc.. I have stopped the chicken treats and am just rewarding now with praise and the occasional bit of his normal food from the breeder, we have now switched over to filtered tap water from our Berkey Water Filter that the hubby & I use.

How long do you think it will take to clear up and what should I do exactly. Feeling a little overwhelmed myself actually and don't want to make a mistake with him, we love him too much to screw up and I personally feel like we are screwing it up. There is so much conflicting info out there. We are eventually going to want to switch him onto a Raw Diet but now is definitely not the time obviously.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.........Thanks.


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## PhoenixGuardian (Jul 10, 2013)

Odds are its just stress diarrhea. You've only had him home for around twenty-four hours or so you said? I don't think I would worry too much unless it persists. If he has never had chicken before that could also be a bit upsetting to his stomach, but I think (someone correct me if they think I am wrong) that it is probably stress.
Take him to the vet if you think you should, has he had his shots?
Good luck with him


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

go to the Vet and take a stool an urine sample with you.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Welcome mapjunkie and CONGRATULATIONS on your new Fur Baby!

We had MANY sleepless nights, so be prepared! LOL!!! I don't think I slept a whole night for months when we got our pup! Hopefully he'll adjust in a shorter period of time for you.

With a MAJOR change in your life in the last 24 hours, I'd have diarrhea too! :laugh: :crazy: :laugh: LOL  Just make sure he is drinking well and doesn't get dehydrated.

Yes, definitely stress and maybe the chicken too. Just make the chicken pieces tiny tiny so he just gets a little taste for a reward. Make sure when you cook it that you remove the skin before cooking. The cooked fat can cause diarrhea. If just use your kibble as you said, keep tabs on how many you are giving him throughout the day so that he doesn't get over fed. You could measure out his daily rations and pick the rewards from it.
You can give him some "Slippery Elm" from the health food store in his feed to calm his tummy or a little canned pumpkin (NO spices in the ingredients).
Good that you changed his water. When we travel to shows with our dogs, we take our own water to use. Ya never know!

Adjustment to his new environment may take several days but he should be fine unless it persists. Do you know when the breeder wormed him? When you do go to the vet, take a stool sample to be tested.

Below is Dr. Jean Dodds (renowned vaccination researcher) Vaccination Protocol. Ask the vet if she/he can give it without Lepto in it as that sometimes causes more problems (ie: diarrhea, lethargy, itching, or worse. pm me if you want more info on this from prominent veterinarians). His immune system is being stressed right now, so I'd wait until he is adjusted before getting him any more vaccinations as the vacs pull his immune system down even further while trying to fight to build anti-bodies to all the viruses in the shot.
* Per Dr. Dodds: *http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-CHG-VACC-PROTOCOLS.HTM *
9-10 weeks: Distemper + Parvo, (MLV e.g. Intervet Progard Puppy DPV)*
*14 weeks: Distemper + Parvo* 
*16-18 weeks: Distemper + Parvo = **OPTIONAL*

Good luck with your new baby and make sure you post a picture!

Moms


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## mapjunkie (Oct 27, 2013)

Thanks. He is very happy, playful and going to the door to pee. He has had a couple of peeing accidents when we haven't gotten to him quick enough. He does seem to pee A LOT, small bladder I suppose plus he is only 8 weeks old. His poop seems to be improving a little, it is looking like small semi solid stools/bits surrounded by a bit of watery runniness, clearish watery, muscosy etc.. Which is better than it was a few hours ago. We are going to skip one of his meals as per a local very reputable GSD Breeder. I just let him out a minute ago after a nap and he went and pee'd and pooped. His poop was looking almost normal (no blood, his normal color) and then right at the end it was nothing but bloody mucus. Just missed my vets Sunday Hours (9-10). Not sure what to do right now.


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## mapjunkie (Oct 27, 2013)

He had his vaccinations on Thursday (24th October) and he was also wormed then. He had his health vet check and microchipped. Weighed in 7.3kgs (16.7lbs).

He has already been wormed twice.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

The vaccinations could be causing this. Do you know exactly what the shot was? Sometimes the vaccination will produce what the actual disease *looks* like. In this case Parvo. "Vaccination Reactions Can Mimic Disease" by Dr. Michael Dym: Chronic Illness May Develop After Your Dog's Vaccination | Truth4Dogs
What To Expect After Your Pet’s Vaccination | Dogs Naturally Magazine
_Per Dr. Karen Becker: __*"Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule for determining whether your puppy's diarrhea is mild and will resolve quickly or is a symptom of a serious threat to his health._
_Generally speaking, if your puppy suddenly develops watery stools – especially if they're streaked with blood – and has any other symptoms like vomiting, I recommend you seek immediate veterinary care. Very young puppies can become desperately ill in a matter of hours and it's better to be safe than sorry. __Insuring he's not over-stimulated and gets plenty of rest and quiet time should curb his stress reaction to a new environment._
*_Other types of pests that can cause diarrhea in your pup are protozoan parasites. These are single celled organisms, the most common of which are coccidia and Giardia._
_If your puppy is carrying a protozoan parasite in her intestinal tract, her diarrhea will typically be watery and very smelly. You might see blood or mucus in the stool, and your pup will generally have other symptoms like vomiting, loss of appetite or fatigue."_

The Causes of Puppy Diarrhea that Could Be Fatal
There is also a "tea" recipe at the end of this article made with Camomile and Slippery Elm.


Hope this helps!
Moms


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## KimberRG (Oct 12, 2013)

my wife and I just went through this 2 weeks ago. We picked up are puppy at 7 weeks old and the same thing happened. now that she has settled into the house she is back to normal at 9 weeks old. Just make sure that your puppy has plenty of water and try not to change the diet to much.


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## mapjunkie (Oct 27, 2013)

Thanks Everyone.

Update: Koda's bowel movements are fine now, we are currently weaning him off his current food onto a better more holistic 80/20/0 food. He has had zero poop accidents in the house but has had a few pee accidents. At first it was because I took my eyes off him but today though it was like 10 steps forward and 5 back. He was playing and he just stopped and pee'd (twice), no warnings, no signs, no anything. Bearing in mind he does normally go to the door and sit. We have been trying to teach him to paw at a bell hanging off the door but he has never used it with me. However he has rung it when my hubby was looking after him a couple of times but he was not sure whether he rings to go out to pee or to go out to play and then pee because he is out already LOL. Anyway he is getting there. He is still a baby though so all being said he is doing well I guess.

One question though: We feed him in his crate (Metal Cage type), he gets rewards for going in his crate etc.. He doesn't much like it though. When he is awake he pants a lot and when he is asleep he breathes quite fast and shallow, moves around a lot and repositions etc.. totally different to when he is sleeping at our feet in the living room, then he will sleep soundly for a long time. At bedtime he gladly walks into his night crate (Airline Type), he will be a little restless but generally it is better than the daytime. 

I am wondering whether he will ever like the crate as there will be times we will need to leave him (2 hours on Thursdays in the future). We also can't take up his water too early, he is always desperately looking for it and when he gets it he will drink away all the way up to bedtime. I'm not sure what to do about the water situation, he stresses himself out in the crate, panting etc.. (but the hubby and I need some down time) and then he will drink loads. He seems to be a very active puppy, doesn't sleep loads and wants to play a lot especially in the evenings so then he will drink loads.

Feeling a tad overwhelmed at the moment. Koda will be 10 weeks old tomorrow.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


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