8 weeks old puppy has diarrhea with traces of blood?

Question

My 8 weeks old Shih Tzu had his first shots, we brought him to the vet a week ago for our first check-up(I am a New Owner) he had a stool sample for worms and he was very active and healthy until Tuesday(2 days ago)he had diarrhea(not very watery but considered diarrhea), loss of appetite, sneezing, trouble sleeping and has been less active. He's had diarrhea 6 times within the past 2 days with some traces of blood(he eats puppy food that has been recommened by vet). I want to find out what possibly be wrong with my puppy.

He had a stool sample for worms last week, but i have'nt got the results back yet.

Hey everyone, I want to thank each and every one of you for helping me out. I brought him to the Vet and found out he is positive for Giardia and Coccidia, he is now on medicine once daily for a week. I noticed after his first dose, hes been active again, his appetite has came back. I am so happy hes healing and you guys supported him, so thanks again everyone!

Answer 1

There is another stool sample test that can be taken...it tests for a parasite called Giardia...it doesn't show up in a normal stool testing. You have to have the other one. My dog had Giardia for 3 months before they did the other test. Giardia is an intestinal parastite that dogs can get from drinking stale water, eating other animals poop, drinking from a lake...the dog will only get diarrhea when the parasite reproduces. Take another sample in and ask them to test for Giardia.

And I would call them about that stool sample...it only take about 10 minutes for them to run a sample!

Answer 2

New puppies have to be dewormed about every 10 days. The worms are in a puppy's body in different life stages. So even if he was clear last time at the vet he needs deworming now, and will need to be on a 10-14 day deworming schedule for a couple months, then once a month after that until he is about 6 months old.
Your puppy also left the mom and littermates too early. A puppy should never be sold or purchased before 8-10 weeks of age. Bringing your puppy at 7 weeks old to the vet was a good thing, however it may have picked up a cold there and at that age they don't have strong immune systems yet.

What you need to do is get him into the vet first thing in the morning, do not wait. Bring a stool sample again and tell your vet you want to take some dewormer home, or they can recommend an over the counter product for what your puppy needs. Your vet may also want to run a distemper test.
But, get him checked right away, at that age dehydration can set in fast. If you have an all night emergency clinic near, bring him in tonight yet. It can be very serious, very fast.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Long story short, your dog my have a deadly viral condition. You need to seek veterinary care first thing in the morning.

While there are other things which could cause these symptoms, your puppy is at the most susceptible age for and has all the symptoms of Parvo-Virus. This is a virus that, left untreated, WILL kill your dog in less than 10 days. Many times, even dogs that live usually suffer from mild to severe neurological damage if the condition is ignored.

Has your dog been vomiting? You MUST get your puppy to the vet; the first shot does very little under 10 weeks of age and serves only to boost the immune system. Please let me know how this turns out and be at the vet’s doorstep waiting when they open tomorrow, this is an emergency situation! Be sure to take a stool sample with you, put it in the fridge until the morning, you do not need much.

Answer 4

as others said... GO TO THE VET! Don't even wait until the morning... go to an emergency vet RIGHT NOW!

Parvo is a leading killer of puppies... loss of appetite, less active, diarrhea, etc... He'll also become very dehydrated (force as much water as you can down him... the vet will give him IV fluids, but for the time being...). It IS fatal, especially for puppies - it needs to be treated at the first signs. If he's already been showing symptoms for 2 days and it IS parvo, then his chance of survival is already lessened.

Giardia is bad, too... not quite so urgent, but still needs to be treated really soon (especially in a puppy).

Blood from deworming happens, but not often... and all of the other symptoms? That's probably not it.

Generally, if diarrhea lasts for more than a day, take your dog to the vet (or at least call). If there's blood in it... take your dog to the vet immediately (don't wait a day). If the diarrhea is accompanied by loss of appetite and lethargy, go immediately. Basically, if its more than JUST diarrhea, go immediately.

Puppies are especially prone to many diseases, particularly parvo which is the main concern right now.

Since you're a new dog owner, a quick briefing... diarrhea on its own... probably not a big deal. Feed a bland diet of rice and cottage cheese and if it doesn't go away in a day, call the vet. If its accompanied by other symptoms, go to the vet (especially bleeding and/or lethargy). Vomiting? On its own, probably not a big deal... bland diet. Lethargy, blood, or anything that looks odd? Vet immediately. If they eat chocolate, macademia nuts, onions, bones (especially chicken bones and any cooked bone - they splinter and cause internal bleeding), chemicals, etc... Vet immediately. Basically, if anything seems wrong, remember that they can't tell you what's going on (it may just be an upset stomach, but they can't tell you that), so you kinda have to consider the worst... like with a human baby... parents call the doctor for tiny things that they wouldn't worry about for themself, but since the baby can't say, "oh, it's just ____" you have to be safe and investigate EVERYTHING... dogs are the same.

Answer 5

It's possible your puppy was already exposed to a virus before his shots were able to immunize his system. What were the shots that were given? At 6 weeks he should of had: Lyme Disease, Distemper, Adenovirus 2, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, Leptospira, and Caronavirus. With a second booster at 9 weeks. These immunizations are usually combined in an effort to minimize the number of injections. But your puppy wouldn't be fully protected until after the booster. I think your puppy may have Carona Virus. It is similar to Parvo, but not as deadly, unless, your puppy has a weak system. I know from raising puppies for 25 years. We had 2 litters at one time. One litter was about 6-7 weeks, and the other were just 2-3 weeks. My sons would love to play with both litters. They got a kick letting the puppies try to nurse their fingers. My husband put an automatic watering dish that had been on our open patio with the older litter. We didn't know it should have been sterilized first. Cats as well as racoons, and other roaming wild varmits can carry Carona and not be affected by it. The older litter began having diarhhea. We rushed them to the vet and they were vaccinated, but we were told to make the kennel area sterile, and to keep it very warm 80-90 degrees. The younger litter came down with it the next day. One had already died. We rushed that litter, and the dead pup to the vet. He confirmed Carona again. He vaccinated them, but told us not to be surprised if we lost more. The older litter pulled through, but only 3 of a litter of 8, the younger ones, made it. Until your puppy is fully vaccinated, you should keep him in a sterile environment. Dirty hands, dirty shoes, dirty play toys, other pets, and even visitors to your home can all carry viruses. Get your puppy to an emergency clinic or to your vet first thing in the morning. Good luck, I know this will be hard on you.

Answer 6

VET, NOW, TODAY!!! Worst case scenario is parvovirus, which is fatal if left untreated, and sometimes fatal even with treatment. Even if it's not parvo, diarrhea in a dog this small and this young is serious, it doesn't take much for these guys to spiral down out of control. Vomiting and diarrhea lead to dehydration and not eating, not eating leads to hypoglycemia, hypoglycemia leads to hypothermia-bad stuff. Could be as simlpe as parasites, but the sneezing isn't normal either. Best not to take chances at this age. It's vet time.

Answer 7

Most likely the reaction to the wormer your vet used,they will pass some blood when being dewormed.But as far as puppy food,I'd give him straight PUPPY CHOW..I've raised many dogs ,many breeds and some got loose stools and some didn't..And dry Purina Puppy Chow is all I fed mine,with fresh water daily or as needed. The diet of a pup is crucial in their stool firmness,some Vet recommended puppy foods (unless it's Puppy Chow) can be harsh on a baby's stomach. Watch him and if he doesn't get better call your Vet and tell him your concerns..Also make sure when you take him out that he isn't chewing on weird stuff..

Answer 8

Call your vet ASAP . Are you sure your Shih Tzu didn't get into chocolate - or bacon- or any other kind of table food/ meats ?
Foods like bacon can give them a pancreatic attack and will shorten their life . Especially a puppy . If it wasn't table food , he got into something he shouldn't have . Good luck .

Answer 9

Go To The Vet!

Diarrhea in that young of a dog is one thing, but if he has blood in the stool, this is NOTHING to fool around with--go to the vet!

Answer 10

If they didnt tell you the results, they were probably negative,which is good.The shots themselves dont always protect against the diseases. We have had a small invasion of the parvo virus in puppies recently, so I would take him in ASAP before he becomes extremely dehydrated and let the veterinarian check him out.Good luck