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Why does my 7-week puppy have loose stools and strain after food change?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boston Terrier | Male | unneutered | 1 month and 17 days old | 4 lbs

My puppy is 7 weeks old. Ive tried gradually changing the food he eats... now however his stools are fairly loose, sometimes watery..and he acts like its hard to go... sometimes he'll even go multiple times on one trip outside.. should i be worried?. Or is this just because of his diet and/or stress?... hes still playful, eating and drinking, sleeping alot, plus whining a good bit

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Claudia Fioravanti

Veterinarian

Published on September 8th, 2017

It could be the food, perhaps try to continue feeding this brand for another couple of weeks and monitor the stools. My other question would be if he has been wormed , it is very important that he is treated for parasites that he could have caught from his mum, or when at the breeder. Ideally a feacal exam should be performed. If this has already been done, you could consider giving him some probiotics but I would wait another week to rule out the diet change or parasites as a possible cause. Btw he is very very very cute ! Hope this helps !

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    Answered By Mariya Gugel, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 18th, 2017

    Congratulations on your new puppy and I'm glad he is liking his new food! The watery stool can be due to a few things, but because it coincides with the change in food, it is likely to be due to the rapid change. Dogs will sometimes have a few episodes of diarrhea if their food is changed quickly. There is nothing wrong with the food and Snoopy can continue to eat it - the diarrhea is just due to the change and should resolve quickly. In the future, try changing Snoopy's food gradually over the course of several days. Keep an eye on Snoopy to make sure that he does not continue having the diarrhea or develop new signs such as vomiting. If the diarrhea continues over the next several days (especially if it has blood or mucus in it) or Snoopy starts vomiting, he should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible to rule out intestinal parasites or bacterial/viral infection. Good luck with your new puppy!

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 21st, 2017

    Hello, sorry to hear about Snoopy. A change in diets can definitely cause loose stools. This is often self limiting and resolves within 3-5 days. You may add boiled (skinless and boneless) chicken to his diet and plain white rice as a source for a bland diet to help digest his food easier. If his stools do not improve in a few days, then have him evaluated by your veterinarian. Other causes of loose stools in puppies include having infections such as parasites or viruses, therefore have him evaluated in 3 days or sooner if he does not improve of if he develops vomiting and a decreased appetite. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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