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My puppy has recurring diarrhea, even after diet change and negative test.

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Havanese | Male | neutered | 6 months and 11 days old | 11 lbs

My puppy has had diarrhea for the last 3 weeks, off and on. One day he will have formed, soft stools and the next he will have diarrhea. His diet has been switched to chicken, rice, and sweet potato instead of his dog food. A fecal test was done 1.5 weeks ago and it came back negative.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Maria DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 3rd, 2018

I would talk to your veterinarian about switching Sullivan to a prescription bland diet for a few weeks. I would also discuss medication that should help with the diarrhea. Just because a fecal test comes back negative does not mean there are no parasites. Parasites are not consistent shedders so checking a fecal sample again in a few days may help. Also, you should discuss just a general dewormer with your veterinarian just in case. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 3rd, 2019

    Unfortunately pretty much anything can cause diarrhea in dogs. So, I can't tell you what is causing his issue. Could be anything from intestinal parasites, to inflammatory bowel disease to a food allergy. I suggest you call and ask your vet if they checked for whipworms and protozoal parasites (ie: giardia, coccidia). Both are not treated by the regular, general dewormer we use so could still be a possibility. They are often overlooked if the fecal was run inside the hospital instead of being sent off to a laboratory. Maybe sending a fecal to a laboratory would not be a bad idea if that was not done. You can do it yourself as this is the same laboratory your vet would use. If the results are positive you can call your vet to get treatment. ( https://www.idexx.com/en/veterinary/fecalchek/ ) In the meantime, I suggest you start him on a probiotic - one made for dogs - I like Fortiflora. One packet on his food daily. It is very palatable so they like to eat it. It comes with 30 doses and I would do the whole 30 day course. It won't hurt and may help. ( https://www.amazon.com/Purina-Veterinary-Fortiflora-Nutritional-Supplement/dp/B001650NNW?th=1 ) Also, I have had HUGE success with people switching diets to Purina Sensitive Skin and Stomach food on dogs with chronic diarrhea. It really has worked wonders on some of my patients. ( https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/focus-adult-sensitive-skin-stomach-salmon-rice-formula ) Really, though, in a puppy/young dog parasites is the number one cause for diarrhea so please do a laboratory run fecal test.

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