[baileykendall]

I got a pure bred German shepherd puppy 3 days ago. It wasn’t akc certified but he’s from a reputable breeder. The first night we fed him wet food and he had liquid diarrhea. The second day we fed him dry nutrena puppy food and watered it down a little. He was fine eating it and his bowel movements were still soft but they were not liquid. Today is the third day we’ve had him and I fed him a cup of the dry food around 10:30 this morning which he ate pretty quickly. Ever since then he has been back to having liquid diarrhea and he has threw up twice. He will drink a little bit of water and when I take him outside he’ll still follow me and walk around but he won’t eat any food. He turned 8 weeks yesterday and he weighs around 5 pounds. Is it because his diet has changed or is there something else serious going on? He received pyrantel pamoate at 2 & 4 weeks, Fenbendazole for 3 consecutive days at 6 weeks, he has had dewormer but is due tomorrow for his next, and had a parvo shot Friday night. I think it might be side effects from the parvo vaccine he had Friday?

 

[Pytheis]

I would get that pup to a vet ASAP! Liquid diarrhea and vomiting are very scary in a pup, especially a young one like that. Parvo, distemper, all kinds of parasites, not to mention dehydration. Yikes.

Good luck! Please keep us updated on how he’s doing.

 

[Sunflowers]

At 8 weeks he should be a minimum of 10 pounds.
Get him to a vet immediately.

 

[baileykendall]

Thank you! He received pyrantel pamoate at 2 & 4 weeks, Fenbendazole for 3 consecutive days at 6 weeks, he has had dewormer but is due tomorrow for his next, and had a parvo shot Friday night.

 

[John T24]

I would also find out exactly what food the breeder was feeding... and use that , until you can slowly change to something else... if necessary.

 

[wolfy dog]

I would also find out exactly what food the breeder was feeding... and use that , until you can slowly change to something else... if necessary.

But first to the vet. If he is sick, time is off essence and you may not have time to experiment with food brands.

 

[John T24]

But first to the vet. If he is sick, time is off essence and you may not have time to experiment with food brands.

Absolutely.

 

[selzer]

Things to ask the vet to check for: Coccidia, giardia.

Yes, feeding different food and changing the water can cause the puppy's system to react, but 5 pounds at 8 weeks is very small. So, if he is 8 weeks, then we have to ask why? Was he the runt? Does he have MegE?

You say he is not AKC certified -- they do not certify anything. They register puppies and litters, so your dog doesn't have papers from a reputable kennel club that holds the stud book and pedigree of the dog. It's not the end of the world, but you'll have to go some to convince anyone that your breeders are reputable when they ignore the easiest and first step of breeding. A necessary step for knowing what dogs to put together and what dogs not to put together.

And there are only a couple of reasons why they wouldn't use registered dogs and register the litter. All of them are unacceptable.

Most important is getting your pup healthy and growing properly, proper nutrition. What IS this breeder feeding the puppies. That they used a couple of different types of wormer could be a good sign or a sign that there is a worm load and they are trying to get it under control.

Get him to the vet and have them show you what to look for, how to check for dehydration, refil (on the gums), and taking the temperature of the puppy. This gives you good information on your pup's condition before you go to the vet.

 

[baileykendall]

The owner told us she was feeding him half and half purina puppy food and ol'roy adult food. We know two vets and one told us to give him some pepto and the other one closest to where we live said he can get him in tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes thanks for the advice!

 

[tc68]

Do you have a written contract with this breeder? You bring the pup back from the breeder's and right off the bat, it's got health issues. Not a good sign...especially from a "reputable breeder." Now it could be that the pup is stressed from being away from its littermates and familiar surroundings, but 3 days in and still liquid diarrhea? My suggestion is to go back to your vet. At the very least, give your vet a call. You also need to talk to your breeder.

How many pups were in this litter? Why is it only 5 lbs at 8 weeks old? Was it the runt? What food was the breeder feeding them? Maybe the food the breeder was feeding was the reason it's so small.

 

[baileykendall]

Update!

Thanks everyone for the advice! We were definitely planning on taking him to the vet this week, we were just a little rushed to get him in sooner. He is doing alright just had a few worms. He was due for his next dewormer round today so we got that along with an antibiotic. We think he was under weight because the lady told us he was bottle fed for the last few weeks because his mother got sick and her milk dried up. We knew it was a risk buying from someone that wasn't certified but we did do our research to make sure we still weren't getting a dog that had serious health issues. We're just thankful it was only worms and didn't turn out to be anything worse.

 

[CatMan900]

Any puppy with liquid poop and throwing up should be an immediate vet visit

 

[Frisco19]

I went through this a few weeks ago with my 5.5 month old pup. No vomiting but bad diarrhea, for days on end. For me, it was my own fault, I did a hard switch of his kibble to a grain free kibble. I'll save my shame for doing that. He had diarrhea the first few days, then he stopped eating then he stopped drinking. The lack of fluids made me bring him to the vet ASAP for a fluid injection. He was lethargic before the fluids but like a new dog after. They also gave me anti diarrhea meds and sold me a bag of prescription kibble, which he didn't like and I ultimately made my own remedies.

After the vet, feed him boiled chicken, white rice and pure pumpkin from a can. Give him small meals three times a day.

For reference, almost all kibble will produce soft poops, wet or not. That's the downside of kibble, it's got everything in it, but poops will be soft. Stop the kibble and go to boiled chicken rice and pumpkin for a week. I also fasted my dog for a day, but I am not sure that is wise given the ago of yours. Get him drinking water first, that is crucial. I sound like I know what I am doing, but the credit goes to all the fine folks here who helped me through it. GSD's have crazy sensitive stomach. I also feed raw for dinner. Chicken thighs and bones also help bind them up.

 

[Luminous]

Show it to a vet immediately as this can be a problem.

 

[T'Challa!]

I got a pure bred German shepherd puppy 3 days ago. It wasn’t akc certified but he’s from a reputable breeder. The first night we fed him wet food and he had liquid diarrhea. The second day we fed him dry nutrena puppy food and watered it down a little. He was fine eating it and his bowel movements were still soft but they were not liquid. Today is the third day we’ve had him and I fed him a cup of the dry food around 10:30 this morning which he ate pretty quickly. Ever since then he has been back to having liquid diarrhea and he has threw up twice. He will drink a little bit of water and when I take him outside he’ll still follow me and walk around but he won’t eat any food. He turned 8 weeks yesterday and he weighs around 5 pounds. Is it because his diet has changed or is there something else serious going on? He received pyrantel pamoate at 2 & 4 weeks, Fenbendazole for 3 consecutive days at 6 weeks, he has had dewormer but is due tomorrow for his next, and had a parvo shot Friday night. I think it might be side effects from the parvo vaccine he had Friday?

Puppies are very sensitive to new foods, I dealt with the same thing. Stop switching foods stick to one and a vet visit can be avoided.