[katieperez]

Hi everyone! Well we went to Ft. Woof, an off leash dog park, on Sunday and had a BLAST! Brandy is 6 months and Abram is 7 months, it was their first time at a dog park. With what I went through with Ruby passing away from parvo, I wanted to wait until at least 6 months before going to a place like that. Anyway, both of my babies have squishy poop now. I'm assuming from being around all those other dogs. You know, with all the foreign slobber, random turds to sniff, drinking from the same water buckets, and everyone playing with the same balls. I shouldn't panic right? My babies are up to date with vaccines of course so is the squishy poop from germs at Ft. Woof? I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance before I haul them off to the vet and spend money I don't have (i.e. plastic:D ) for something that's not such a concern.

[RubyPitbull]

Katie, watch them closely and keep checking their poop over the course of the next day. It might just be something as simple as all the exercise and excitement from yesterday. That does happen. Parvo wouldn't effect them so quickly but they might have drunk some water or eaten another dogs poop when you weren't watching, and picked up Giardia or some other parasitic infection. So, it won't hurt them to keep a close eye on them for another 24 hours. Unfortunately, I know you know all too well what signs to look for with parvo virus. As painful as that was, you do have the experience and know what to look for. If their stool doesn't return to normal within the next 24 hours and your dogs seem fine in every other way, pick up some samples and bring them in to the vet's office for them to run tests on. This way, you will only be paying for the tests, not a full visit. The vet will tell you if he/she needs to examine the dogs and run more tests.

[katieperez]

Thanks Ruby. I hadn't thought about all the exercise they got being the cause. Good point. That's the most they ever had at one time. They get the backyard and daily walks of course, but nothing like the dog park where they just had the time of their lives being dogs :D It was such an awesome weather day here too so they were nonstop for something close to like two hours since it was cool and windy in the a.m. They got home and just wiped out! Napped almost all afternoon! I'm not so much worried about parvo since they've had all their shots and they're big, strong, and healthy, but I knew to worry a little about all the other buggers that float around places like that. I'm glad you mentioned that about the exercise. They don't quite have diarrhea, just squishy poop. Other than that, they are themselves. I'll keep a close eye and ring the doc tomorrow if nothings changed. Thanks again. I'm a little more at ease now :) Good thing too, because I really should stay here at work instead of rushing to the vet :D

[labman]

I doubt it is the exercise. I don't ever remember soft stools following a puppy outing where we let a bunch of puppies, from 8 weeks up to a year, run in a fenced area. Yes, there is somewhat of a risk, but all the puppies are known to be receiving proper care. Likely your puppies either managed to forage something or pick up a bug. With this being Monday, I would say see if they get over it in a day or 2. If not, then the vet.

[katieperez]

Thanks labman! They are typical rottweilers, anything that goes in their mouths, ends up in their bellies! And I did see Brandy pick up a few yucky looking acorns that she quickly spit out once she heard the tone in my voice when I told her to drop it. Could very well be they picked something (and there's no telling what) up like the little devils that they are. I swear, they act like I don't feed them, the little hogs. Man, I hope that their desire to 'graze' like cows every time we're outside fades in time. I will watch them today and tomorrow. If it's still squishy by tomorrow evening, I'll do like Ruby said and take some turds into the vet to save a few bucks initially :D

[RubyPitbull]

Hate to disagree with you labman (I guess we do need to do that from time to time ;) ) but more exercise than what a dog normally gets, the excitability that comes with all those other dogs running around at the same time, along with possibly getting overheated, can cause loose stools. Although the day was cool Katie, if your rotties are anything like the ones I know, just like pitbulls, they keep going and going and don't take a break until you get them into the car to go home. Then they settle down and eventually curl up and "crash" on the way home. I do suspect due to their age, that they either drank dirty water or ate something they shouldn't have. But, it is better to just watch and wait for the next day or so. Let us know how they are doing.

[katieperez]

Although the day was cool Katie, if your rotties are anything like the ones I know, just like pitbulls, they keep going and going and don't take a break until you get them into the car to go home. Then they settle down and eventually curl up and "crash" on the way home.

Describes my pups to a 'T'. And how that morning went! Like I said, they were nonstop for close to 2 hours! They slowed down a bit, only a bit, and their tongues were just HUGE, that's when I knew it best to go home :)