can anyone tell me if it is normal for a puppy to have yellow diarrhoea? My 13 week old lab puppy has had this off and on since i got her. She has had 2 lots of antibiotic,and I have to keep putting her back on a bland diet,after weaning her on to Burns. I can see the point in it being lighter on the bland food,but not on the Burns.I am trying the tree bark powder just now,and it is thickening up a bit,but would this mask another problem?Sorry to be graphic,but it is the colour of custard,and roughly the same consistency.

We had this with our lab when she had a really yucky tummy upset. Not long after the runs she started throwing up. I fasted her for 24 hours and gave her plenty of water. We fed her the bland diet once the runs had stopped. It isn't a reaction to the antibiotics is it? That can give the runs too.

No she was actually better on the antibiotics,but as soon as they were finished(2 weeks ago) the diarrhoea gradually started up again. I think I will take her back to the vets on Monday and take a sample with me. She has been like this more or less since we got her. i contacted the breeder after a week,and she told me to feed her rice and baby food,not chicken,as it tends to make it worse,but 6 weeks on,and its not much better

You could try live yoghurt too, to help replace the good bacteria in her stomach that the antibiotics will have killed. It won't affect anything the vet decides to do.

Kath.

Good idea to go to the vets. It may even be food intolerance of some sort. They can have reactions to all kinds of things and the runs can be that they are unable to digest something in the food. The fact that it stopped for a bit and then builds up again might suggest that.My lab is an "allergic" dog and it is my understanding that allergies and intolerances are common in the breed. Are you feeding anything with lactose(milk) in it? This is a common culprit for puppies. Once they are weaned cow milk can give dreadful runs. Had that with my old retriever when he was a pup.

If the diarrhoea does clear up while she is on antibiotics, while keeping her on her regular food, then it may be she has contracted a really stubborn bug that needs a different type of antibiotic or a longer, single course of treatment.

If it is a food allergy than Burns could be the problem. Even though it is an excellent food your dog could still be intolerant of it. I believe Burns only makes one formula for puppies - check. Sometimes switching from whatever base meat you are using to lamb or fish or venison or chicken can make the difference.

If you want to try a different food you might want to switch to Naturediet for puppies. Naturediet has an excellent reputation for clearing up "poo problems."

Stacey

Hi Stacey,
Yes I actually went to the naturediet site,and went down to my local Pets at home yesterday,but they had no puppy variety in stock,so came away empty handed.I will try any kind of food to clear this up,and maintain good nourishment,growth etc.,but I fear that she has an infection which may need a stronger antibiotic than the Synolux.She had a lot going on when I got her,ear mites,lice eggs ,vaginitis(which is still there)so I am inclined to think she may have a bacterial infection. Although she is small for age,she is lively,alert,and very greedy.I will take her back to the vets with a sample of faeces,as I want a more detailed diagnosis. I can't go on like this,this morning there was some blood in it,so I am off to the vets with her. Thanks to everyone who replied. i will keep you informed
Jean

Jean do go and get the sample checked but persevere getting the ND for puppies as it is excellent food. You can order directly form the website.

Lucy

Have you tested for Giardia?

Hi Lucy,
I couldn't find a link on their web site for ordering on-line,but phoned a few of the stockists they had listed here.I got a case of the Puppy delivered tonight from a pet shop. he was saying it was good stuff,but was not as popular here in Scotland as in England. However he assured me that he can get it ,so thats OK. Itried to get to the vets,but my 2 regular vets are on holiday(school week),and they have 2 locums covering. i will try the Nature diet this weekend,and see if that makes a difference. If not I will go and see one of the locums. Tohme,what is Giardia? Is it a bacterial infection?. Thanks for your help,.I will let you know how she is doing on the nature diet.

Just mail them !

I did,but so far no reply,and i wanted to get the food asap.If it does the trick I will order a few cases on-line.The pet shop charge 62p per carton . It was £10.60 for a case of 18.They give a 5% discount on each case. i will probably get it cheaper on-line,but had no option today,I was just too glad to get the puppy variety.

Jean

Lucy,
I got an e-mail from nature diet today saying they had attached a list of prices etc for ordering on-line. Unfortunately my firewall didn't let me open the attachment,so I don't know how to go about ordering it. I am not very computer literate,but my son is,so maybe he can retrieve it for me. Started Star on the food today,and she loves it. So far,fingers crossed, only one poo(that I have seen,as she eats them) and it was not too bad.She actually seems a bit more settled tonight,so maybe it has been the food all along.It's cheered me up a great deal too,as I was at my wits end worrying about her. I am still giving her the Tree bark powder,so that is probably helping too. Whatever it is,I am grateful to you all for all the advice.I love this site. Wish i had had a PC when my GSD's were poorly. Even if they could not have been saved,I know everyone would have understood what I was going through,and lent their support.

I have got the new list so I can send it !

Keep with it as ND I think will do it !

Lucy
xx

Giardia is a very stubborn bacteria. It is generally contracted from drinking infected water (ponds, streams) and can also be contracted from eating contaminated food (especially likely if a dog has eaten out of rubbish bins, or putrified meat.)

Stacey