# 16 week old GSD with constant diarrhea



## Flynn (Jan 15, 2013)

We have a 16 week old German Shepherd male. Is it normal for him to have such a sensitive belly. We got him when he was 7 weeks old and he has had 3 bouts of diarrhea. Our vetenarian told us that GSD have sensitive GI's. We have not changed his food or treats. We buy him the Purina Pro Plan Puppy formaula, which from what i have gathered is good food. We give him milk bones or treats we buy from bulk at Tops Market. The treats we buy in bulk are made somewhat locally and in the USA. I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions or tricks to try?
Thank you


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

GSD's do tend to have sensative tummies but if you are feeding the same food it shouldn't be too bad.

Are you talking loose stools? or watery? Is your pup able to hold it or is it explosive?

I know when I walk my dogs alot they poo more and it's looser. It's the watery/explosive poos that are bad news in my house. Not so much the thick brownie batter type results. 

But that's my dogs.

Did you talk to your breeder and see what their experiences are? Plus they should be able to immediately check with the other puppy owners to compare and see if there is an issue.


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## m1953 (May 7, 2012)

As mentioned gsd pups can have very sensarive digestive systems. My vet suggested a heaping tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin helps and it,really did the trick. Nala is 10 months old now and I still give it to her with one of her two meals ..


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

What has helped our dogs often is feeding them raw green tripe for a few days and after that once in a while to keep their gut healthy. It seems to work as medicine.
I also would look at other foods. I am not a fan of Purina.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

you may want to take a look through the diet and nutrition section and look at what has been posted. your purina, imho, may not be the food you want to continue on.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Has your puppy been checked for worms, Giardia or Cocidia? All can cause diarrhea.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

Purina Pro Plan Puppy formula, is a absolutely terrible dog food. I would recommend changing dog food right away, Anything that you can buy at the grocery store is terrible.

The Dog Food Project - Ingredients to avoid


http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/dry/


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

At that age I'd worry about worms first. Have you had a fecal done?


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## Mojo54 (Jan 22, 2013)

You might want to have the dog tested for EPI. I had a Shepherd that had bad diarrhea for a while. We went to 2 different vets trying to find out what was wrong. Finally went to a specialist and they sent some blood work off that came back positive for EPI. That means that their pancreas does not absorb food like it should and the dog id not getting any nutrients from any food. This can be treated but not cured. If your dog has this, and I pray he doesn’t, then you will have to give him an enzyme treatment every time he eats.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

lhczth said:


> Has your puppy been checked for worms, Giardia or Cocidia? All can cause diarrhea.


This is my suggestion as well. EPI does not typically present until 1 - 3 years of age. 


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

My pup has had trouble with giardia, just around Christmas. I treated her and she improved drastically! Recently, she's had loose poops again, so I'm just having another fecal done today.

I'd definitely check for that. It's very contagious and very prevalent, not at all uncommon in young dogs with underdeveloped immune systems. 

I'm hating giarda hard right now! If my dog's got it again, I'm going to have to think about taking her out of daycare, as I'm pretty sure it's highly probably that's where she's being exposed.


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

if you can, treat the giardia with Panacur. It has worked great for me.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

you got the pup a bit on the young side , probably had a recent vaccination , may not have been wormed .


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