NEW OWNER coughing, biting, blood in poop? whats wronge?

[Jes loves Chewy]

I just got my baby Chewy 1 1/2 weeks ago and he is the cutest thing ever! he is 4 1/2 months old and was rescued from a puppy mill in Indiana, lived with a few other dogs and a family for a month or so and then came to me )

he seems healthy and happy BUT...over the last few days he has been doing a weird coughing thing where it seems like he is choaking! and i never know what to do when this happens! It doenst happen when he is running around or anything, its very random. He also have been chewing his leg and his bum the last few days too (maybe because of teething?) but what worries me the MOST was he has been pooping very liquidy poop, and usually at the end there blood that pops out!

the vet told me last week to switch him from Beniful to Perina Puppy...but i hear such bad things about Perina...he is apparently allergic to dyes in food so needs only naturle ingredients...

SOMEONE HELP! the vert said just to watch him but it worries me!

[mogli]

Biting leg could be skin irritation due to allergy or infection. Need to diagnose that one ...

Coughing could be trachea problems OR kennel cough ... or just natural ... does it only happen when excited? Can you narrow it down at all?

Switching food can make for runny stool for a few days until their system adjusts ...

[ARCHIE]

First let me congratulate you on your new puppy.
Benefical is a terrible food as well as Purina. Both are filled with
animal by products, corn etc.
Perhaps you puppy is having an allergic reaction to the ingrediants.
Check out Merricks, Canadie, Natural Balance, Wellness to name
a few. All have human grade ingrediants with no fillers such as corn.
Has your puppy been wormed?
The coughing could be Kennel Cough. Check with your vet.

Welcome to YT.

[Jes loves Chewy]

it has never happened when excited, it just happens very randomly...he may be just walking around, or he may just be done eating or drinking...sometimes even if he is just sitting in my lap (

[Timmy]

I would find another vet. Take no chances with these little ones. A few weeks after I got Timmy he got sick on me too. My vet couldn't see him that same day and I just knew something was wrong with him and my mommy instints just said call another vet. Timmy was getting worse..stopped eating and was getting weaker. I called another vet and they seen him that same day. They instantly put him on IV's because he was dehydrating. Gave him some meds and within hours he was already perking up.
As far as food, I feed mine Canidae and they absolutely love it. It cost a little more that Purina but its so worth it. I give them the lamb & rice formula because one of my girls has food allergies. There are several great foods out there too.

Good luck with your baby...please keep us updated.

[marcerella02]

First.. WELCOME!!!
2nd- get a new vet
3rd- CHANGE HIS FOOD!!! probably why he has the runny poop.. and the blood in his poop is because his intestines have been irritated from the food and are bleeding... this is common with diarrhea.. all the foods suggested are great! and he is probably itching his feet becaue of his food.. it probably has a lot of corn and wheat and chicken in it!
and the coughing.. my guess would be kennel cough esp. since you say he was rescued from a puppy mill.. i'd get to your new vet soon and get him on antibiotics... kennel cough is like a cold... it can't be treated just has to run its course.. but the antibiotics are going to keep it from turning into pneumonia... you can also try using a humidifier at night or run the bath with the bathroom door closed and sit in there with him.. let him breathe in the steam. we woudl LOVE to see pictures!

[a2luckygirl]

How wonderful you gave this baby a great new home!
and know it's a good home, because you are trying hard to take the best care for him!
I am pretty new myself, but ask foster family - if he had this with them?? And a dfferent food!
Good luck with the new one!

[Yorkiedaze]

Welcome to you and your little fur baby boy, and bless you for giving this little soul a very caring and loving home. I will have to agree with others about finding a different Vet. and to switch his food. Dog food of any kind right now would only continue to irritate his intestines. I home cook and of course I always recommend "real" food. I'd put him on boiled chicken and rice for a few weeks until his intestinal track is healed, then of course I'd keep him on real food which a lot of us would be happy to let you know what we feed. The coughing could also be a soft trachea. I wouldn't put any collar or anything else on or near his neck. If it's kennel cough he would cough all the time and after a coughing spell he would wretch. There is no cure for kennel cough, but there are medications a Vet. can give to help subdue it a little. You could also put warm steam from a vaporizer near his bed to help him breath better. Hope your little one gets well soon.

[Ellie May]

Welcome to YT

The coughing or choking sounds like kennel cough or collapsing trachea.
The itchy leg and butt could be so many things. Fleas, mites, worms (for the butt atleast, alleriges...
The runny stool could be stressed related but I wouldn't accept your vet's advice to just watch. It can be very serious in a puppy. I would go to a new vet and switch foods (very slowly because this could aggravate it more). My first choice is to homecook.

Because you pup was a rescue, please get him bile acid tested.

[Jes loves Chewy]

Thanks for all advice everyone! this site is SO helpful!

i took chewy to the Vet because his nose was very dry and i was just so worried. Found out he is not only allergic to the dyes in food but also he is alergic to chicken and wheat. he is on a lamb diet and i went tot he store and was able to find someone very helpful that helped me get him new food and treats and lucky me...PetCo has a policy that if ur food does not work you can bring it back and get a store credit, so i get to take both other foods back.

the cough...he has a cold (thanks Michigan!)
The itch...allergy
the poop...clogged annul from swelling from allergy

[KimluvsLexie]

I guessing your puppy has kennel cough, it's pretty easy to fix with a shot. On the bloody stool I would definitely consult a different vet. Lexie had that a few days after we got her and it ended up being Giardia. You can never be too careful with these babies so I would make sure you get this cleared up. Oh and both those foods are horrible, especially the Beneful so get your pup on something good and switch slowly. All three of my puppies like Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul. Good luck!

[yorkiesmiles]

Originally Posted by Jes loves Chewy

Thanks for all advice everyone! this site is SO helpful!

i took chewy to the Vet because his nose was very dry and i was just so worried. Found out he is not only allergic to the dyes in food but also he is alergic to chicken and wheat. he is on a lamb diet and i went tot he store and was able to find someone very helpful that helped me get him new food and treats and lucky me...PetCo has a policy that if ur food does not work you can bring it back and get a store credit, so i get to take both other foods back.

the cough...he has a cold (thanks Michigan!)
The itch...allergy
the poop...clogged annul from swelling from allergy

Can I ask what type of food you ended up buying at Petco? There are only a couple brands that I would even consider that they carry at the Petco near me and that would be Solid Gold or Natural Balance (that's Dick Van Patten's food) While you may have found out that you need a lamb diet, not all foods are created equally and you want to consider other products in the fiid.

Glad your vet was so helpful at diagnosing everything.

Lastly, Welcome to YT --lots of good info here!! Also, you can sign Chewy up for our Little Gentleman's Club; you can do that here: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...ight=gentleman

[BLEU BOY BARBER]

Hoping all is well for you and your sweet baby now! Keep us updated.. Congrats on your rescue loveable.. It takes special hearts for those little guys!!

Hugs

[mogli]

Allergic to chicken!? OH MY!!! Chicken was one of Mogli's favorite things in the whole world.

Glad your baby is on the road to recovery.

[Jes loves Chewy]

the vet called and after he ran the allergy test found out he is NOT allergic to chicken! YEAH! we switched to Royal Canin, the person at Pet Co recommended it most out of the 4 brands of food the Vet said he can have. It does have chicken in it but the pieces are very small and easy to chew and when he gets a bit older he can switch to their Yorkie blend. So far he really likes it and it is good for him, there is lots of rice in it and its great! and he already is pooping a lot less and it has not even been a day!