Ask Dr Claire

Is it normal for newborn puppies to have diarrhoea?

In short, it’s not normal for a newborn puppy to have diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is really just a symptom and can be the result of many underlying causes.

In this case, we really 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 young puppy might be infectious conditions such as worms, Coccidia, Giardia, and bacteria; and also stress. There are many more.

Hand reared puppies are more likely to get diarrhoea than those with mum. Puppy milk from the supermarket isn’t a balanced food for puppies and can cause major deficiencies when fed exclusively. Commercially made preparations for puppies are available and are better but even these have nothing on mums’ milk.

It’s important to weigh your puppy every day to ensure there’s daily weight gain––it’s the best way to assess healthy growth.

A hands-on examination from your local vet would be a great place to start, and as soon as possible, don’t delay – puppies can go downhill very rapidly.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire