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My puppies have diarrhea. How serious is it and when to see a vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 30 days old | 7 lbs

my puppies have diarria

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on December 30th, 2016

I'm sorry to hear that! The most common cause of diarrhea in puppies this age would be intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, or coccidia. Young pups like this can get very sick, very quickly so I would recommend taking them to the vet today for an exam if possible. He/she can do a fecal exam to check for parasites or other abnormalities and get them started on appropriate medication to treat the problem.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Debi Matlack

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on January 2nd, 2018

    The diarrhea could be caused by any number of things; intestinal parasites, a bacterial infection, even being constipated will sometimes manifest as diarrhea because liquid feces is all that will get by the impacted fecal material. It could be as simple as a dietary indiscretion, meaning he might have gotten into the trash and eaten something that didn't agree with him. Since he is so young, I recommend getting him seen by your vet as soon as possible since young puppies can dehydrate easily and their blood sugar can drop to dangerously low levels. Your vet will likely do a fecal analysis to check for parasites or bacterial infection and based on these results will be better able to advise you on how best to treat him.

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    Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on September 15th, 2019

    Diarrhea can have many causes in puppies, including food intolerance or allergies, intestinal parasites, dietary indiscretion, bacterial or viral infection, stress colitis, among others. I would recommend having Duke examined by a vet to determine the cause.

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 28th, 2019

    Hello. Most often, diarrhea in a puppy is due to intestinal parasites, but infectious agents can also cause diarrhea. If Jax is eating & drinking normally, have a fecal analysis done by your veterinarian. She will be able to discover if the diarrhea is due to worms, coccidia or giardia. If Jax is not well, then we worry about Parvo, distemper, bacterial infections, & even a possible ingested foreign body. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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