Puppy Question

[flutterbye]

I have a 9 week old male Pem and had a question. When I brought him home 2 weeks ago he had soft poop. I was told by the breeder that was normal seeing as he was taken from his littermates and mother. A few days later, it turned to water and I ended up taking him to the vet. They said the brand of wormer and vaccines the breeder used are known not to take, so they redid them seeing as he could have had worms still or a tummy parasite. He was also put on an antibiotic. Anyway, he still has somewhat runny poop, but there are times that it is almost normal. I don't know if I should be concerned, or just take it as this is the kind of poop he will have. He eats good, drinks plenty of water and is active (when he's not sleeping!!). Any experience with this by anyone, or any insight on it would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!
Linda

[Michael Romanos]

It takes a little while for worms to disappear and for the effects of whatever he was incorrectly given to work out of his system. Take a good look at the kind of meals you are providing for him. I would give the little fellow four meals a day - one main meal divided into four. Cut down to three when he turns four months. Don't give him milk of any sort. If he is getting hard kibble (there are some soft kibble products on the market) soften a little wirh a little warm water soaked in the measured kibble for 10 minutes but don't give him any other soft mushy food for awhile. He needs premium puppy food that is completely balanced and contains at least the 38 necessary and recommended vitamins, minerals and nutrients. If this doesn't work, it could mean that his food requirements need to be further specialised. My current Pem has produced few hard stools - they are usually quite soft but not soft enough to mess his trousers and can usually be scooped up with with a litter bag. That's the way I prefer it for a little Corgi.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by flutterbye

He eats good, drinks plenty of water and is active (when he's not sleeping!!). Any experience with this by anyone, or any insight on it would be greatly appreciated!!

Worms themselves can cause diarrhea too. Give him a little while longer to get them out of his system.

Meantime, white rice cooked in chicken broth will firm up his stools. One day of white rice and chicken broth won't hurt him any. Or even make it two of his meals for that day. You can also add in something bland like strained baby meat. (Check for onion powder as onion's aren't good for dogs.)

Peggy

[flutterbye]

Thanks!! I feed him Wellness, which I've heard nothing but good things about. He gets no milk products whatsoever, or has he gotten any wet food yet. I know this may sound gross, but when he does poop, there are "chunks" which I am assuming would be the hard poop mixed in with the soft, semi runny stuff. He goes back for his 9 week shots this week and hopefully all is fine. Will they deworm him again? Being as it's been a while since I've had a puppy I wasn't sure how often they did it.

Linda

[Michael Romanos]

If he has had a bad case of worms that went untreated for awhile, the vet could possibly recommend another dose of worming.
I do not recommend hard kibble given to a Corgi pup straight from the package to the food bowl. There are also special dry food for Corgi pups with sensitive tummies. Ask your vet either by phone or when you visit shortly. Tafler talks about cooked rice and cooked chicken (both boiled) - I would much prefer brown rice over white unless there is a very special reason for a short course of white rice for a tummy-uipset dog - as a measure for a few days to help restore your Corgi's digestive system. Good idea. My Corgi usually gets a couple of tablespoons of cooked brown rice daily and at present he also gets Hills Science which contains Brewer's Rice. The Hills is also strong on chicken and powdered chicken bones ( calcuim etc) and Taylor also usually gets a daily slice of Chunky dog roll which is a semi-wet food and is chicken based.

[glencorgi]

A second course of de-worming is good protocol to make sure to get any that might have have been in an uneffected stage of their life cycle.

Loose stools when a puppy first arrives at its new home is not an unusual occurrence. A lot of stressors going; leaving dam and siblings, new food often, new water, new people, new environment. The heat of summer can also be a factor.

Is your vet wanting to re-do all the vaccinations? Or just continuing a regular puppy schedule? Sometimes vets will not honor a breeder's vaccinations and want to re-do them all, which is not in your puppy's best health interest. Do you by chance remember the name of the vaccine the breeder used?

Wellness is a very good food and as it is baked instead of prepared as "normal" kibble is, it is much easier for a puppy to handle. Moistening is optional. It is a fairly rich food though and if it might be too rich for your puppy, that could be contributing to the loose stools. He could also be adjusting to it after the switch from his former food.

The boiled chicken and rice Peggy recommended does help tummies get settled down. You might also want to add a TBS of plain yogurt (make sure it has active cultures) to help get his digestive tract back in balance. You can also add a TBS of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) to his food. Pumpkin adds fiber which will help firm up the stools or help get things moving if constipation is a problem.

Debbie

[SARATARA]

Linda- I would also recommend brown rice, but I would not recommend Hills Science Diet the powdered ground bone that Michael is talking about is chicken by-product. I would check the ingredients on the bag of food and make sure that your food doesn’t contain any by-products.

[Michael Romanos]

Sara - you're basing your opinion on a misguided notion.

[flutterbye]

The brand of vaccines that the breeder used was Galaxy I believe. When I got him, he had had his 3 and 6 week shots and 2 doses of dewormer is what is written on the medical record she gave me. Is there a puppy food anyone would recommend other than the Wellness he is getting now? I was thinking about switching it to see if that helps. He is perfectly healthy except for the runny poop. Thanks for all the great advice!! I'm off to make another thread lol

Linda

[Michael Romanos]

All the top producers of dog food include in their range specially formulated food for puppies. If you are put off by Hills, the next best is Royal Canin.
Just found out that Hills does produce a standard food for dogs with sensitive tummies but it is recommended only for dogs over 12 months. However you can purchase from your vet ( via a vet's prescription) a Hills product for puppies with sensitive tummies called Hills ID which is great for pups with gastromonic conditions.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by flutterbye

The brand of vaccines that the breeder used was Galaxy I believe. When I got him, he had had his 3 and 6 week shots and 2 doses of dewormer is what is written on the medical record she gave me. Is there a puppy food anyone would recommend other than the Wellness he is getting now? I was thinking about switching it to see if that helps. He is perfectly healthy except for the runny poop. Thanks for all the great advice!!

Your breeder gave shots at 3 weeks of age? Wow, 6 weeks is considered early nowdays. I think the current recommendation is to start at 8 weeks. I recommend being careful about giving shots too close together. Too many can cause upsets to the immune system. Be sure to let your vet know that shots were started at 3 weeks of age.

Wellness is a fine food. Innova, Canidae, or Eagle are other foods I can personally recommend.

I personally don't feed a puppy food. I feed an adult food. And yes, contrary to Michael's beliefs that is perfectly fine. In fact some breeders recommend (me included) not feeding a puppy food as it can make puppies grow too fast. An adult food is formulated for ALL life stages and is just fine for puppies. My last two litters have not had any puppy food. (And one of them just finished his Championship!)

You might try just feeding an adult formula as that will not be as rich.

You might also consider adding some pumpkin (NOT pie filling, just straight canned pumpkin) and some yougurt (with live cultures) to his food. Pumpkin helps to firm the stool.

Peggy

[SARATARA]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Sara - you're basing your opinion on a misguided notion.

Mike-you think that your opinions are facts. (With no proof I might add)

I at least have reasons to think the way I do. I do not go off of just one person’s opinion just because he is a vet. and is paid to promote dog food.

This is from the AAFCO website:
Definition: Chicken by-product meal consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.

To me that definition does not say powdered chicken bones.

Sara-with an H