My new puppy has diarrhea – Dog diarrhea information and causes | Pet Medical Center | Veterinary Clinic

A newly acquired puppy can have diarrhea for several reasons and more than likely the new puppy will require a visit to the veterinarian to diagnosis it.

Puppies raised in the proper environment should come to the new owner healthy, without intestinal parasites, and properly vaccinated by a veterinarian. If your new puppy does not come to you with the above mentioned services visit your veterinarian as soon as possible.

The top reasons puppy have diarrhea are intestinal parasites or intestinal disease. If the female was properly de-wormed during pregnancy the new puppies should not have intestinal parasites. If they were not de-wormed it is likely that the puppies could have round worms or even hook worms. If the environment has a large number of breeding females and the area was not well maintained the puppy may even have coccidiosis. It is important to take the puppy in for a fecal exam to check for worms, even though the breeder stated they de-wormed the puppy. The most common de-wormer used does not protect against many of the intestinal parasites.

Intestinal disease that is most commonly seen is parvo virus. Parvo virus is seen mainly in puppies coming from females that were not properly vaccinated or puppies that were picked up from the street or from a shelter. Puppies in the later probably have not received proper vaccinations to prevent parvo virus. In these cases the puppies have no immunity to the virus and quickly become sick. Even if these puppies are vaccinated immediately, it more than likely would not be enough to prevent the disease from taking over.

So, if your new puppy comes to you with diarrhea, don’t try over the counter medication, diet change, or over the counter de-wormer, get them to your veterinarian immediately. Call us at 281-326-2832 for more information or to schedule your pet’s appointment.