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My puppy has diarrhea and is throwing up. When should I call the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 23 days old | 17.8 lbs

My shepard started having diaherra yesterday morning then 2 normal stools today now diaherra again. She's eating, drinking and playing fine. It's 1:30am here and she just had diaherra in 3 spots, no blood no rancid smell just like normal poop smell and threw up her food. However, I got her to drink water and some pedialyte. Do I take her to the vet in the am or can it wait until Saturday? Please don't say the usual go see a vet, She will be 12w next Thursday and has had 2 rounds of vaccines.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on August 10th, 2017

A few bouts of diarrhea is not an emergency, particularly in the absence of chronic vomiting or other clinical signs and a normal temperament. Considering switching to a bland diet after a 12-24 hour fast, something like boiled chicken / hamburger and rice. If this helps resolve the issue, switch back to the puppy food after 2-3 days. If the diarrhea does continue or the vomiting becomes more frequent, I would not wait until Saturday to have her checked. There could be something serious going on such as an infectious / inflammatory disease process or a gastrointestinal foreign body. In the meantime, consider monitoring her home by checking her gums for pinkness / moisture, her skin for normal elasticity, and her temperature (99.5-102.5). Hope this helps you make your decision.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Amber W

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on August 14th, 2017

    Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Puppies can commonly come down with diarrhea due to GI parasites or if they ingest something they shouldn't. You may want to try a bland diet for Bentley today (boiled chicken and rice) and if her diarrhea and vomiting persists then I would take her to the vet. Puppies can get dehydrated and low blood sugar quickly so I wouldn't allow the vomiting and diarrhea to go on for longer than 12-24 hours before having an exam with a veterinarian. I hope Bentley is feeling better soon!

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 26th, 2017

    Poor girl. It sounds like her stomach is really upset right now. She may have eaten something she shouldn’t have. A viral or bacterial infection is also possible. I would suggest feeding her a bland diet of boiled plain chicken and rice or cottage cheese, in small portions every 8 hrs. Then offer her some non-flavored Pedialyte diluted with water to keep her hydrated. Hopefully she keeps this down until you can get her in to your vet for further treatment. Check your local listings because some vets have regular hours on Sunday. She really needs to be seen by a vet for further care. They will likely run a fecal exam to check for parasites and get her on a short course of antibiotics and antinausea medicaiton to help control her symptoms. I hope Daisy feels better soon. Best wishes and take care.

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