Ask Dr Claire
My 7 week old pup had his 1st vaccine yesterday and he now has diarrhoea, is this normal?
In short, it’s not normal for a puppy to have diarrhoea after a vaccination.
Diarrhoea is just a symptom and can be the result of many underlying causes.
In this case, we need to find the cause of the diarrhoea so that we can treat your puppy’s problem (not just the symptom). This will help us reach the best treatment plan too.
Some of the underlying causes of diarrhoea in a puppy might be:
- Infectious disease (bacteria, viruses, parasites)
- Parasites (intestinal worms)
- Gut problems (inflammatory bowel disease, intussusception, tumours, obstructions, food intolerance or food allergies)
- Dietary change (pups need gradual transitioning to new foods)
- Stress induced
- Dietary indiscretion (aka what many puppy owners know all too well – they will eat anything and everything!)
If your pups diarrhoea continues for more than a day, if he is lethargic, vomits, has a reduced appetite, or has dark coloured or blood in the stool, a hands-on examination from your local vet would be a great place to start, and as soon as possible.
Puppies can become dehydrated and go down hill easily, so always better to lean to the side of caution.
If you’d like to chat in person, you can book a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail, as soon as possible.
We’re here to help!
Chat soon,
Dr Claire