My puppy got diarrhea

[Anthony Leong]

I was feeding my puppy TOTW salmon and on 3/7 I started feeding her Orijen Puppy food.  I guess maybe I didn't transition the food long enough, but for the 1 week her stool was fine, but 3 days ago she started to have diarrhea.  I need some help.  I'm planning on taking my puppy to the Vet tomorrow.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Let us know what the fecal test shows, Anthony. 

[Anthony Leong]

What should I feed her?  Should I keep feeding her the Orijen puppy food or maybe give her some yogurt or pumpkin?

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Karen is the expert so hopefully she'll chime in, but I would say to stick with the Orijen until you get the fecal results back.  Your pup already had giardia so maybe it didn't fully clear up and that is what is causing the problems now.  I would give a little pumpkin, but my guys are older and i'm not sure when it is ok to start giving pumpkin to a puppy. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Pumpkin can be given at just about any age. 

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

that's what I thought but didn't know for sure since I skipped that young puppy phase with my guys.

[Anthony Leong]

She just vomited once again and I really got no clue what's wrong with my puppy.  I think it's more than just feeding her a new dog food.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think she probably has giardia again. It can be very hard to get rid of, or she might be reinfecting herself outside. Is she always supervised outdoors? 

[Julie and Charlie]

I don't know how old she is, but if she's under 16 to 20 weeks, get thee to the emergency vet. If she's vomiting and has diarrhea, dehydration is a real possibility, especially in a little one. I wouldn't wait.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think if you're taking her to the vet tomorrow, we should wait to see what the fecal shows before changing anything about her diet. It's only one more night, nothing you give her between now and the appointment is going to make much of a difference. Don't let the vet sell you Rx food or Fortiflora, and if the fecal shows giardia, insist on that he give you Panacur, not just metronidazole. 

How old is your puppy, what does she weigh, and which formula of Orijen are you giving her? Which formula TOTW was she getting before? How long has it been sicne she's been on 100% Orijen?

[Anthony Leong]

My Vet is my good friend for over 37 years.

My puppy is 4 months 1 week old.  The last time I took her to the Vet 3-4 weeks ago, her weight was 7lbs.

Yes, my puppy is always supervised when she's outside and on her leash. 

Someone said to me, maybe she got sick because it was too cold outside. 

My puppy been on 100% Orijen for probably 7 days.  She loves Orijen very much, because she doesn't play around with her food, she would just chow down everyday quickly, Whereas TOTW she'll always play around with her food and not eating her food quickly.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Anthony, she didn't get diarrhea or vomit because it's too cold outside. That just doesn't happen. 

I understand that the vet is your friend, but most vets are trained to sell Rx food & Fortiflora, and they really believe it is the best thing. Also, up until recently, it was thought that metronidazole was the best treatment for giardia. Not all vets have the latest info on that. We have had many people here whose vets argued about the Panacur until they went online and read the updated information, so that's why i'm advising you on that. 

There are a lot of reports online about puppies from your breeder with ongoing problems with giardia and coccidia, for several years. http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/manor-lake-labradoodles-w...

And since she came home with giardia, my guess is that either she never got rid of it completely the last time, or she is reinfecting herself somewhere outside. But let's see what the fecal shows. 

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

I have the same breeder as Anthony, those reviews are troubling. I feel fortunate that our experience was totally different (no giardia, visited the breeders house, prompt responses) but I just don't know what to think. I know giardia is common in the NW (and the breeder lives on a lake) so I assumed that was the issue but the other issues are not so easily explained. :(