2-Week Old Puppies

Question
We had a stray dog dumped at our house -- well she has now two weeks later blessed our house with 7 additions - very adorable puppies; I am feeding the mom Beneful (seems to be the only thing she will eat)and Calcium Tablets that I picked up at the Vets...the puppies have just started really using the restroom and they have the "squirts" diahrea....should I be worried about this?  

Answer
Hi Belinda,

When a puppy(s) has watery diarrhea you need to be very careful that the pup does not get too dehydrated. If you cannot stop the diarrhea within 24 hours you need to get it to a vet.

Acute diarrhea in a puppy should not be treated at home due to the potential for parvovirus. It really is important to seek veterinary help pretty quickly, especially if the diarrhea is preceded by or accompanied by noticeable depression.

It's a good idea for the vet to examine a stool sample to make sure that there are no signs of intestinal parasites and to look for signs of bacteria associated with intestinal problems. As you may know, it's not unusual for a puppy to be born with worms.

Have you tried feeding the mother dog a puppy food while she is nursing? A nursing dog needs to be receiving extra nutrition. If you aren't already doing so, try feeding her several small meals throughout the day, or let her have access to unlimited dry food throughout the day, and eat whenever she feels like it.

I hope I've been a help.

Best of luck!

Patti