Common Causes of Puppy Diarrhea

Puppy diarrhea can be triggered by various factors, often linked to their instinctual emerging curiosity and still immature, developing immune systems. Like many young mammals, puppies explore the world by tasting and chewing on interesting or new objects they find in their busy explorations. This behavior can lead them to ingest non-food items like grass, sticks, or even feces of various animals including their own, which may result in gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea. Additionally, parasites such as worms or infections from bacteria or viruses can be culprits of diarrhea in puppies. Stress, sudden or gradual dietary or water changes can also disrupt their digestive health. Growing puppies can find themselves off balance due to many varying factors, and they will be especially sensitive during and in the weeks after weaning.

Post Weaning Diarrhea

At Painted Blue Aussies, we place a high priority on the health and well-being of our Australian Shepherd puppies and Mini American Shepherd / Mini Aussie puppies. We take proactive measures by regularly treating them for a broad spectrum of common parasites and maintaining quarantine practices for unvaccinated puppies to safeguard against viral infections. Despite our best efforts, we acknowledge that diarrhea can and does still occur. The weaning process of transitioning from milk to solid foods is an especially sensitive time for our little ones, and that transition can produce symptoms off and on in our experience, for two weeks and sometimes up to six weeks.

Through experience and research, I've come to understand that weaning diarrhea is a natural, common, and unfortunately inevitable occurrence in puppy development, as well as in many other mammals and livestock. When we encounter diarrhea during or after weaning in our puppies, our priority is to provide gentle support and care to help them navigate through this digestive upset. Despite our best efforts, puppies may experience varying degrees of severity, ranging from soft stools to watery diarrhea, which can occasionally include traces of blood due to gastrointestinal irritation. This can be a normal part of the changeover of gastrointestinal flora and irritation as new bacteria settle in to aid in the digestive process of solid foods.

Recommendations For Managing Diarrhea

It can be frustrating when our Australian Shepherd puppies or Mini Australian Shepherd puppies / Mini American Shepherd puppies don't seem to be feeling their best. One of the most important things we've learned when dealing with transitional diarrhea is the value of time and allowing the nature of the body to work for itself. As long as they are eating, drinking, and playing happily, they often just need time for their systems to adjust and find equilibrium.

While we can recommend a few products to provide gentle support for their digestive systems during this process of establishing equilibrium, it's important to remember that these interventions can sometimes have unintended consequences and may even cause loose stools themselves. However, when used appropriately and in moderation, they should not cause harm and may offer some relief. The products listed below are products we occasionally use for puppies who find themselves out of balance.