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-   -   Sick puppy (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=96835)

  • May 29, 2007, 06:10 PM
    Zoebear
    Sick puppy
    My puppy has a warm nose and is not eating her afternoon meal and has runny poop what can be the cause?
  • May 29, 2007, 06:59 PM
    labman
    Rather than run to the vet tomorrow, you might wait another day as long as it seems to have plenty of energy. They come down with short lived viruses sometimes, and it goes away quickly. Don't let it go until the weekend.

    If you are new to having a puppy, you might look at the sticky, https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post251802
  • May 30, 2007, 04:50 AM
    pawsdogdaycare
    I would agree, it is not uncommon for puppy's to come down with colds etc. I would monitor the situation carefully and see if it improves.. One thing to keep in mind is that due to the relative small size of a puppy they can quickly become dehydrated.. a method for checking dehydration is to pinch the fold of skin on the top of their neck i.e... the scruff and let go and see how rapidly it goes back to the original position.. if it is slow and creeps back to the beginning position.. insure your puppy is getting fluids.. provide a 50% milk to water solution to intice him to drink.. you can also raise his lips and press a fingernail into his gum line until it turns white then release, if it slowly creeps back to pink this can be another sign of dehydration or shock.. Best solution if it does not improve is to take the pup to the vet.. as they have the facilities and equipment to make an accurate diagnosis


    URL deleted. AMHD accepts paid advertising.

    The above is good advice except for giving a puppy cows' milk. It has lactose they can't digest. Gatoraid might be a better choice.
  • May 30, 2007, 07:08 AM
    pawsdogdaycare
    ‘Cats and dogs along with most other mammals lose, to a variable extent, their ability to digest lactose (milk sugar) with age, because the activity of the enzyme lactase declines with age’ Source ‘Manual of Companion Animal Nutrition and Feeding’ by BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association).

    A dogs milk contains 3.7% lactose, while a cow is roughly 5%, at a 50% dilution ratio it would bring the total to roughly 2.3%, also gathering from the post that this is a puppy.. It would still have the digestive enzyme available to process the little bit of lactose that would be present in that mixture without a detrimental effect on the puppies health.
    pawsdogdaycare.com
  • May 30, 2007, 09:13 AM
    labman
    Yes, give a puppy with an upset digestive tract something it may not be able to digest. There is nothing in the OP to suggest it is a very young puppy.
  • May 30, 2007, 10:44 AM
    pawsdogdaycare
    Ok, let's make a bench mark... the term "puppy" tells me that it is a young dog. I don't know exactly what the cut-off would be... 6 months? Regardless under a year would still posses the digestive enzyme to process milk.. As well a female dog naturally produces milk.. Again we argue over sematics.

    As for Gatorade,
    Also stay away from drinks with simple sugars in it. The dogs body will send water to the gut to mobilize the sugar thereby dehydrating the dogs muscles. If you want to use a sugar based drink at least use one that has a complex sugar in it. Maltodextrin seems to be the one that works. The salt in the gatorade will do your dog more harm than good.
    .. I would always lean toward the natural i.e.. Milk, water, before processed, sodium, potassium salt, and simple sugar and carbs..

    For every vet the recommends gatorade, there is another that won't... etc etc. etc...
    So I value your opinion, and we will let the informed masses make there decisi
  • May 31, 2007, 02:26 PM
    DocWill
    At the very impressional request of someone I regard as an influential authoritative source of proper k9 normality's. I will shed a portion of my well rounded wisdom of diarrhea. For those learning,Diarrhea is the frequent evacuation of watery poop Vomit is the forceful expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth. I will list step by step what to do at home in each of these events. Remove all food and water!!
    - Check for signs of dehydration. (easiest way, feel upper gum line, is slimy? dry and tacky gums point to excessive fluid loss.)
    If the diarrhea and/or vomiting continues or the pet acts ill, seek veterinary attention. Diarrhea and vomiting can quickly lead to serious fluid loss and electrolyte imbalance, especially in the very young and the very old and very small.
    If no vomiting occurs for 6 to 8 hours, begin to give small amounts of clear liquids (water, Gatorade, Pedialyte, or other electrolyte solution) frequently. A rule of thumb is to give 1 teaspoon per pound of body weight every 2 or 3 hours throughout the day and night.
    Isolate the sick pet from other pets.
    What not to do...
    Do not medicate your pet without talking to your veterinarian. This masks symptoms Vets need to see, unless your dog speaks fluent English. Do not allow the pet to eat or drink anything until there has been no vomiting for 6 to 8 hours. Vomiting and diarrhea are associated with a host of problems which are referred to collectively as gastroenteritis. Some cases are quite severe (e.g. poisoning), and some are not (e.g. dietary indiscretion). If fever is present, infection may be a cause. Most infections which cause diarrhea and vomiting are contagious, so it is wise to assume that other pets might be vulnerable if they are exposed.
    New diet, schedule,environment,excitement and illness can all cause diarrhea. Its also 90% of the owners reason for seeing the vet. Persistent and excessive of either vomiting or diarrhea is reason to seek help from your vet. A day of loose stool is not to overly concerning to me if the puppy is current on vaccines. Puppies can find things inside there little tummy without even the puppy knowing he just ate a lizard or bug its so fast. Simple tummy upsets usually clear up in 6-8 hours. Excessive vomiting not only dehydrates them it also becomes hard for them to stop, because they have access to water. They gulp down tons more water and the vomit starts all over again. When your tummy hurts do you want anything else dumped into it? Dogs can't mentally work out that more water is not better. Again 6-8 hours nothing at ALL oral.

    Dogs nose has no valuable medical presentation of health condition unless its bleeding or missing. Dogs always need a body core temp taken from that smelly opening under the tail. Yes I know its not fun, but its accurate. Hope all this helps. Kiss your dog, make your cat mad.
    Well translated, Pawsdog, dogs and cats are basically lactose intollerant. You see on TV and movies little kittys getting milk from a dish. What you didn't get to see was the smelly poop that shoots out the back of the poor little thing.

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