Please help...diarrhea for past 4 days
 

My almost 6 month old yorkie JoJo has had diarrhea for the past 4 days and I'm worried sick about him. I'm balling my eyes out right now cuz I'm so worried. He's had diarrhea in the past but only for less than a day, and it was usually due to a new treat his tummy wasn't used to (such as a bully stick), but then it would subside. Well this time I didn't change anything...his diet is exactly the same as it always was.

One thing that did change was that I moved. But his stools were normal the first 5 days or so, so I don't know if I can attribute that to his diarrhea. Also, I noticed this started the day after he got his rabies vaccination, but my vet said that the vaccine shouldn't have caused this. I called my vet on day 2 and she suggested putting him on a bland diet of chicken/rice and calling her on monday if it hasn't gotten any better. I've also started to give him only filtered/bottled water. Well, now its even runnier only it has a gritty texture to it, probably from the rice?

He is still happy and active and playful. I've been scouring the internet for answers but all I've done is worry myself more with horror stories of puppies dying suddenly. It's very late Sunday night and I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight for fear that something will happen to him. Should I just be calm and take him to the vet tomorrow, or does anyone suggest I find an emergency vet and take him tonight?

I know I sound crazy but I love him so much and I don't want anything to happen to him. Please please someone help me with what I should do.

Oh, btw, his diarrhea has ranged in color from normal brown to a greyish color. Sometimes it's like a pudding consistency, others it's almost watery. Again, please help. I'm scared out of my mind for my baby.

I don't see why it couldn't cause diarrhea but that isn't the most common reaction.

Are his gums pink?
If her were mine, I'd probably stay up with him and if his gums are anything other than pink or he continues to go downhill, I would go to the ER.

After two days I'm not sure why the vet said to keep watching him. Dehydration is extremely serious. Can you get PediaLyte in him? If you are worried about dehydration, it is an emergency.

Ellie May,
Thanks for responding. I just checked his gums and they are a healthy pink thankfully. Also I'd like to add that his appetite is still normal.

I also questioned as to why my vet would recommend just monitoring him at first, but honestly, I've never been through this before with my previous dogs so I didn't think much past it. Also, the day he got his rabies shot they did a stool sample (his second one) and it came back normal, which she reminded me on the phone, and told me that since there's no blood and mucous that I should try the bland diet first before doing anything else.

As far as dehydration...I read from other posts these past few days that dehydration can happen with diarrhea, so I've made sure he's drinking plenty of water. I've also been giving him ice cubes for him to lick. Should I still give him PediaLyte if he is drinking plenty of water?

PediaLyte restores electrolytes. It is very important. PediaSure and Gatorade are sometimes used. Remember to check for artificial sweeteners and other off-limits ingredients.

A bland diet wasn't a bad idea, neither was waiting awhile. I just think that having you wait the whole weekend with a possible vaccine reaction is too long.

Ok I'm gonna go out now and get him some PediaLyte. I think there's a 24 hour Walgreen's nearby.

I'm gonna have him sleep with me tonight instead of his crate so I can keep a closer eye on him throughout the night. I'm taking him to the vet first thing in the morning.

Even if this is something that isn't serious (which I'm praying it's not), I know it must feel terrible for my little guy having to go through this! My heart is aching for him.

I've never heard of diarrhea being a reaction to the rabies vaccine but I suppose it could be that. Since you've just moved, it might be more likely that he got into something in the yard that wasn't at your previous house. Also, if the prior residents had animals, it is possible that it could be a communicable disease. Parvo comes to mind, but I don't want to scare you with that. Since your pup seems healthy otherwise, it probably isn't but with an incubation period of 7-10 days, your vet may want to check just to rule it out if he can't come to a firm diagnosis.

After a very long night with very little sleep, I'm off to the vet now. JoJo was up all night with the diahrrea...he probably went 10 times poor baby. I collected a stool sample so I'll be taking that in.

I'll keep everyone updated and in the meantime please pray for my little guy!

Well we just got back from the vet and she suspects it's a reaction to the rabies vaccine (this is his normal vet...the one I talked to on the phone was a different dr.). She said that she doesn't think it's a parasite as they just did a fecal screening the day before he started getting sick, but they are gonna go ahead and check his stool again just to make sure. In the meantime, she prescribed Flagyl and he'll be on that for 7 days combined with a bland diet.

She said his temperature was good and he even has gained a tenth of a pound since last week (from 5.8 to 5.9lbs) so that's good. She also said that he's *slightly* dehydrated but nothing serious and plain old water is fine to keep him hydrated. Overall she said he looked healthy and he was playful and energetic and flirting with all the ladies!

I'm still worried though and will continue to be until I see his stools firm up and see what happens when he goes back to his kibble.

Interesting that your vet would rather you use water than PediaLyte.

I'm no vet but I do know that dehydration leads to electrolyte imbalance and that can lead to cardiac arrest. So honestly if my dog had diarrhea that many times, I would be doing more than just the normal amount of water, especially if the vet said she was at all dehydrated just by doing a physical exam...

Flagyl hopefully will help.

I remember way back in the day I had a cocker pup and he was having diarrhea and he was still eating and gaining
It was coccidia.
You said you moved, sometimes stress will bring this about.

I was thinking the same thing, but at the same time I was reminding myself that this person should obviously know what they're talking about.

I have the PediaLyte. Would you suggest that I give it to him anyway, just as a precaution? It couldn't hurt, right?

PrestigeousYT,

How was the coccidia treated? Did he get better?

I guess he could be under stress due to the move, especially since I was living with my boyfriend but now I've got my own place and I have broken up with him. But honestly, one of the reasons I left him was because he used to hit JoJo (hard) and scream at him. JoJo was so scared of him that he would whimper down and his ears would go back and he'd walk around with his body close to the floor in a fearful manner, that poor baby! I just couldn't take it anymore and I had enough of the abuse to my little angel. I used to tell him he's just a puppy for crying out loud! But anyway, I can imagine sometimes there may be stress/depression of possibly missing someone, but I can't see how JoJo would miss him or stress about him since he was so cruel to him all the time.

Ugh. I just want him better. :(

That's really up to you and you should do what you are comfortable with.

I just want to point out, when a child is dehydrated, what can be given? Gatorade. Athletes drink Gatorade/Powerade because they are sweating and losing electrolytes.

I can only tell you what I would do if it was Ellie.
Some vets may say it isn't necessary but there are others who do say to use it. Ellie's vet is aware that she has gotten PediaLyte before and has never told me no. And if she did tell me no, I would have her explain why. There are also electrolyte restoration products available just for animals.

If the diarrhea continues, he needs to be on an IV.

Any type of stress or shots can bring about diarrhea. Also you can freeze the Pedialyte in ice trays and use when needed. I think when the bottle is opoened it only last in the ref for 48 hours.
I'm so sad that your baby was put on medication. This only adds to his compromised immune system. As for pet food, even if you don't change a thing, the rendering plants never make two batches alike. You just never know "what" your pet is eating. I strongly suggest getting him on home cooking right away. Funny how when dogs get sick, the Vets put them on chicken and rice hehe.

First of all, I know how you feel. My Gypsy does this every once in a while. For no apparent reason she will get insane diareah.

They gave us flagyl, which sometimes help, but is a REALLY GOOD thing to give your dogs every once in a while because it kills everything.

It turned out that Gypsy just had a REALLY bad virus and we just had to wait it out.

You are doing everything right! Hang in there!

It's been a few hours since his first dose of Flagyl, and he's gone 3 times since then...and now I'm noticing mucous in his stools. Maybe it's the parasites coming out?

Also, he is now seeming almost depressed. He doesn't seem to want to play anymore and is just sorta laying there or sleeping. About an hour ago he was laying in his bed and just started crying out of the blue! OMG it broke my heart! He's never done that before, especially since I was right there with him and the only time he ever cries is if I leave the room. And he was crying while he was laying down...he didn't get up or even open his eyes. It really got me worried so I quickly grabbed one of his toys to entice him to play catch, but he didn't seem interested. Thankfully though, he hasn't cried again since.

I want to try to get his spirits/energy up somehow...is it safe to take him outside for a walk? He loves going for walks. Or should I confine him indoors until he's gotten better?

I have never seen Flagyl cause mucus. You need to call your vet and them know that he lethargic. Because that could be nother symptom.

Give him lots of snuggles and keep him warm.

Sometimes if it is a virus, you just have make sure he stays hydrated, warm and that his sugar is ok. But lethargy could be a sign that he is getting a little bit more dehydrated, so I would let your vet know.


HUGS!!

Kate

My CeCe is very ill mostly with vomiting but has had a few episodes of diarrhea as well for te past 2 1/2 days. She figured out how to escape their safe domain while we were at work on Friday...so we don't know if she "got into something" or if it is viral.

I always keep Pedialite on hand as well as NutraCal. We administered her both over the weekend to try to prevent dehydration & keep her blood sugar level.

My husband and I were up all weekend monitoring her,in the wee hours of the morning she starting making noises..not crying, kind of like a moaning. She was obviously in pain. Our vet took her 1st thing today....even with our attempts to prevent dehydration she needed further help. She received sub-cutaneous hydration therapy (because she is only 3.2 lbs after a weight loss of about 8 oz) shots to soothe her irritated stomache (doggie Pepcid ac) and nausea medication . No fever was present.....her temp was actually low.

As a precaution, an ex-ray was taken to rule out any kind of obstruction (since she escaped)and very well may have gotten into something....that was ok. Our vet also did bloodwork to check for Pancreatitis and other possibilities. She put her on an antibiotic and anti diarrheal.

I can't tell you how fast this all happened and how fast she went down hill and how dangerous this could be! Although she's not feeling too much better, I'm glad that we took her in for medical attention. She is presently resting more comfortably and hasn't vomited (or had a bowel movement) since the vets visit this morning. She even took a little drink of water on her own.

We're hoping it is nothing serious but just won't know until the test results are all in. We're also hoping that if it is viral, that Sasha doesn't get it because she is so small and is liver impaired ...I just don't think she could take it! CeCe has always been so healthy & energetic.

It's so important to recognize certain "signs" our pets display when they are ill and to be prepared....just like in rearing children, to know when to see a doctor and to know when to have faith.

Thank goodness for YT...I've learned alot here!

Sorry your baby is so sick. It sounds exactly like Cali's symptoms. When I left yesterday morning she was fine, within a few hours my dtr called said she looked real sick. Then she threw up 4-5 times and had bloody poop. She was shaking and couldn't get comfortable. Looked pathetic. Took her to ER gave her shots and Flagyl for today and SQ fluids. She had a rough night and seemed better this morning but all of a sudden about 30 minutes ago she started to act like she was last night. I hope all of our babies get over this soon, It is so scary.
Yorkielove77 what dose of flagyl did they give you? They gave Cali 30 mg 2 times a day. I hope your baby feels better soon.

Yes... it's so scary! I don't think we will be sleeping much tonight, either. She is so lethargic......but at least she is keeping the couple of sips of water and the meds down....thats a good sign. It just breaks our hearts to see them this way, right????

Update:
 

Well thankfully it looks like the Flagyl is already working! After his first dose yesterday he had 3 more loose stools, but with mucus in them, and then he didn't go at all for the rest of the day. Today he finally had a close-to-normal poop!! The end of it was kinda runny, but the other end was firm, so I think that the soft part was the last (hopefully) of the diarrhea.

He's also got tons of energy this morning and is back to his normal self! I am soooo happy and relieved. :D