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What to do if my 4-month-old puppy is vomiting, has diarrhea, and is lethargic?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed | 3 months and 2 days old | 25 lbs

My pit bull puppy is about 4 months. She vomited about 5 times throughout the night and when she woke up in the morning to poop it was diarrhea. She hasn't thrown up or pooped since, she's just been sleeping. I can tell she feels weak. Her throw up was foamy. Please help.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on March 18th, 2017

Poor Mosa! Vomiting and diarrhea, along with lethargy or weakness, are very concerning signs in a puppy this age. If Mosa isn't current on her puppy vaccinations, I would be very concerned that she may have parvo - this is a serious, life-threatening illness that is unfortunately quite common in puppies. It's also possible that she may have ingested something toxic, or has some type of stomach or intestinal infection. Since she has vomited quite a few times and is also acting weak, I would really recommend taking her to an emergency vet today rather than attempting any kind of home remedy - she will quickly become dehydrated if she is vomiting and having diarrhea, and puppies this age can die within 24 hours with a severe GI illness like this. Your vet can do some diagnostic testing to help determine the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment, including IV fluids and other supportive care if needed.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on November 13th, 2016

    Have Chewy examined by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER. A parvovirus diagnosis can be made with a SNAP test done in the clinic. If it is positive, treatment must be aggressive, including fluid support, anti emetics, anti diarrheals and antibiotics. A sick puppy should not be vaccinated for any reason. If Chewy has parvovirus and survives, he likely will have long term (if not life long) immunity. In the future, you can always have titers done.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 10th, 2016

    It sounds like your puppy may have a parvovirus infection . This is an emergency and she needs to be seen by a veterinarian or in a Pet ER right away. Parvo is life-threatening and highly contagious to other puppies and young dogs. She will need hospitalization, iv fluids, anti-emetics, pain medicine and antibiotics.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 30th, 2018

    Unfortunately , sometimes, even when a dog is vaccinated against parvo, it can still be infected. So you may want to keep that in mind. Diarrhea and throwing up can be caused by a food sensitivity, dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, an intestinal blockage, bacterial infection, viral infection, the weather, food change, stress, etc. I would fast Daisy for 24 hours and then put the dog on bland food for two days, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to regular food slowly over a few days. However, if this does not clear up the diarrhea or if the vomiting increases, or if your dog gets lethargic before the two days are up, it needs to see a veterinarian for an exam as there may be something more serious such as an infection going on.

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