Listless Puppy - Page 1

I have a 9 week old puppy, got him on Monday. Pup was on a very long plane ride, but did very good. Went to the Vet's on Thursday, got the second series puppy shots and also has Giardia. Now on medication for that. Very listless, not much appetite at all. Drinks ALOT of water. Nothing but dirahhea. Has all this been to much for his system? All he wants to do is sleep. Just breaks my heart to see him like this. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You should've had a health certificate to fly this dog, is there any mention of the giardia on there? I know in my state, dog doesn't fly with parasites. The dog is currently ill so it's not going to be it's normal self. Try getting him to eat anything, since weight loss and diarhea can kill a pup. It's been a few days, the runs should be lessening, if not, I'd be going back to the vet for another fecal to make sure there's nothing else affecting your pup. Good luck!

why did the vet vaccinate a sick pup? only healthy pups should be vaccinated. beware of dehydration! if the pup has been that sick and the runs for several days I would take it to the vet and get some serious fluids into it. Today!

There is a product called DiaBac (800-786-4751) that can clear up diarhea in three doses. That is a must second is the a foul oder to it? Your vet over loaded the dogs system with too much too soon. Try giving electroltes or pedilite (for babies) instead of the water this will help. when trying to fed use cooked egg yolks and hamburger, rice something lite on the stomach. IF all else fails get the puppy to the vet

Few European breeders worm as aggressively as we do here. Puppy probably has worms - fecals are often negative as samples can be clear or between shedding of egg cycles. All the above is good info, but I would recheck the pup every few days by taking a fecal into the vets!

Thank you for all the help!

Did you change his food from what the breeder was feeding? That can often cause the diarrhea, and the diarrhea, in turn, can lead to lack of appetite and listless behavior. (do YOU want to run around if you have the issue he does?) If you DID switch the food, you might try feeding half and half (whatever you are feeding mixed with what he WAS eating) and slowly, over a week or two, switch to the food you want to use. I would also make sure it's lower protein (26% or less) to avoid other issues such as pano. I do NOT feed puppy food usually past 8 weeks, but definitely not past 12 weeks. Hope this may help! Feel free to email me if you'd like.

Relative to Kougars' post, every dog or pup I have ever brought from Europe has a heavy burden of worms and worms can cause messy stool. If a pup was given deworming medication just prior to a trip *(which is not a good idea), it might arrive with loose stool. Once a dog or pup is here, I worm on a cycle for at least three times to clear them. A pup with diarrhea and listless behavior should be seen by a vet if there is not quick improvement. Diarrhea and subsequent dehydration can kill a pup quickly. There are a variety of causes, including viral and bacterial infections. It is not impossible that a change of food would cause it, but it is more likely that the pup is ill, especially if the stool is very watery or very loose. Just for reference, I have never had a pup or dog have trouble switching foods. They are always hungry and dive right into the Royal Canin that I feed. I feed puppy food without incident until about 6 months to make sure they get the correct balance of Ca and P. Good luck. I hope your pup improves quickly.

Giardia is a fecal oral transmission. So if the dog has diarrea and then steps in it and licks his paws can be re-infecting his self. The good thing about giardia is it is not hard to kill. A 1 part bleach 20 parts water solution will kill the parasite on surfaces. The giardia medication should be a combination of antibiotics and an antiparasite medication. This combination usualy knocks out the diarea in about 2 days. If it is continueing then I would get back with the vet. Listlessness- puppies sleep alot as it is add to that your dogs problems lack of energy and he will be listless. Most important is keep him hydrated. Food you can try boiled hamburger, rice and a dash of cottage cheese. Does help with the runs and have never had a dog turn it down. If you are not in an area where Giardia is common, alot of vets don't really know how to treat it properly. If this is the case email me privately and I will get the names of the medications the pup should be on. Hope this helps.

Giardia will cause bad direhea in a puppy and dehydrate him quickly. Bought a pup 15 + yrs ago with it and had the same symptoms you are describing. Had to get him into a vet right away and they had to put fluids under his skin. This is nothing to play around with if he is that listless I would be off to a e-clinic.