My 12-week Lab puppy has diarrhea after food changes. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

We have a 12 week old Lab Puppy, we were switching her food gradually from Tuffy’s Puppy Gold to Blue Buffalo Puppy. For 2 1/2 weeks she had diarrhea, still drank normal and her normal energy level. On Sat we put her on chicken and rice after we had eliminated her treats as the source. Her accidents stopped during this time as well. Last night I started adding Hills Science diet to her dinner, maybe 1/8 cup and she had a very soft stool this morning. Not diarrhea though. Any thoughts?? Thanks!

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Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH 193

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on April 11th, 2018

Baylee is adorable! The most common reason that we will see diarrhea in a puppy is some type of intestinal parasite. You didn't mention if your vet has checked a stool sample, but puppies can commonly have intestinal parasites. Some are microscopic, so the only way to know that they have them is for your vet to look under the microscope. And even if a puppy has been dewormed, it is common for them to have other intestinal parasites since there are no many different types of parasites and they each require a specific type of deworming. So, my first recommendation is to have your veterinarian do a fecal check on Baylee, then decide on any other treatment. You didn't mention if she had normal stool (or any stool) on the chicken and rice diet. Generally, I recommend continuing chicken and rice until they have been passing normal stool for 48 hours, then start a gradual transition back to the normal diet. If Baylee is sensitive to food changes, you may only be able to change 10% of her food each day, so it may take 10 days to completely transition her food to prevent GI upset. Diarrhea that continues for more than a few days, or is associated with blood in the stool, vomiting, lethargy or a poor appetite is a reason for a visit to your veterinarian. There are anti-diarrheal medications that your veterinarian can prescribe. Sometimes puppies need a probiotic for their intestinal tract depending on their age and diet history, so be sure to talk to your veterinarian about that as well. I have attached a couple of links below with more information for you. Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.co/article/most-common-causes-of-diarrhea-in-dogs/ Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.co/article/6-things-you-can-do-at-home-if-your-pet-has-diarrhea/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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My 12-week Lab puppy has diarrhea after food changes. What to do?

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