Maltese puppy questions

Question
we have a 9 week old maltese puppy and today she is having a yellow vomit and dirhea. she was fine this morning and now is is sick she has thrown up once and have loose stool 4 times? what do we need to do?

Answer
Hi Katie,

Yellow vomit just means your puppy's stomach was empty. By itself, it doesn't mean anything more than that.

Puppy diarrhea can be a serious concern. It can be caused by changing her food too quickly, over feeding, stress (if you've only got her recently) a case of intestinal parasites (very common in young puppies) or a viral or bacterial infection.

You should contact your veterinarian as soon as the office opens.

Until then, give your puppy frequent sips (even if it's as little as a tablespoon once an hour)of Pedialyte, or low-sodium chicken broth or water. Puppies can become dehydrated quickly, and that can lead to serious health problems, so it's really something you need to prevent.

When a dog has diarrhea it is a good idea to take the dog off solid food for 12-24 hours. This allows the irritated stomach to rest. Dogs and puppies can easily go for a day without food. They cannot go without water. If your puppy will not drink then she needs to go to your vet.

You can read more about puppy diarrhea here:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/diarrhea.htm

Best of luck!

Patti