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My 8-week-old puppy has diarrhea and is lethargic. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 9 days old

We have a 8 week chocolate lab. This morning she started with diarrhea and continued throughout the day. It is mushy like. Around 9pm she started to seem lethargic ,not herself. What do you think?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on January 10th, 2018

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Mocha is adorable! Since she is only 8 weeks old and is now lethargic I think you should have her seen when your Vet reopens. Bring a stool sample with you. Also bring any paper work showing vaccinations you received when you got her. Causes of diarrhea are: intestinal parasites, viral (parvo virus) and bacterial infections, she ate something gross that upset her tummy, toxin ingestion, food allergy/intolerance, new food/treat/human food. I hope this helps and I wish Mocha a speedy recovery!

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    Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 10th, 2019

    I am sorry to hear about your concern for your puppy! While some puppies are more mellow than others, we do become concerned if a puppy seems actually lethargic. Diarrhea can be seen for a variety of reasons, one of the most common in puppies being intestinal parasites. If your pup hasn't been examined by a veterinarian I would highly recommend making an appointment for an exam, and bring a recent stool sample with you if possible. The vet will examine her, discuss her history with you, may test the stool sample and may recommend additional testing depending on their examination findings. Symptoms that would be very concerning/require immediate veterinary care would include repeated vomiting, diarrhea with blood in the stool, extreme lethargy.

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