How to collect and store a puppy diarrhea sample for the vet visit?

I'm so sorry Naddie hasn't been feeling well for so long. Although lyme disease could cause a fever we typically see joint pain and swelling, no vomiting and diarrhea with clinical lyme disease. Naddie could have an intestinal parasite, gastrointestinal infection, or a disease like pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease. Your veterinarian will likely perform a complete physical exam and may recommend blood work, x-rays or ultrasound of the abdomen, and a fecal analysis. The stool sample should be okay to test for parasites if left refrigerated overnight, but it would be ideal to obtain a fresher sample in the morning before the appointment if possible. Hope she is feeling better soon!

Poor pups! The most common cause of diarrhea in puppies this age is intestinal parasites, so I would recommend taking a fecal sample to your vet to be checked tomorrow morning, if you can. He/she can prescribe an appropriate dewormer or other medication if needed, depending on what is found. If the fecal exam is normal, then it would be best to bring the puppies in for an exam sooner than next Monday if possible since they may need an antibiotic or other medication to treat the diarrhea - it's best not to let this go too long, since young puppies like this can get very sick, very quickly.

We can have diarrhea due to stress (of a move to new home) or diet changes, however in young dogs we also worry about intestinal parasites (both worms and Protozoa that aren't killed by deworming) and in some cases depending on vaccine status parvovirus. For this reason it is best to have your pup checked at the vet and bring a stool sample for them to test. Until then you can pick up a probiotic for dogs at the vet or pet store and try feeding plain cooked white rice and boiled shredded chicken breast for a day or two.

At this point, I don’t think it’s the soup. Common causes of persistent diarrhea in a puppy would be intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral infection, continued dietary indiscretion (meaning he keeps eating things he shouldn’t), or, less commonly, a food sensitivity to his current puppy food. Since this has lasted longer than 24 hours, I would recommend taking Sunny to the vet for evaluation. They can check a stool sample for parasites and evaluate his vaccination history to make sure there weren’t any gaps, then proceed with a recommended treatment.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Remi. I am glad that he will see his veterinarian soon. It doesn't sound like he is feeling well at all. Try to collect a fecal sample to bring to your appointment. His veterinarian will likely run some tests on it to try to determine the cause of his diarrhea. I also would not feed him prior to his appointment. This will rest his gastrointestinal tract and hopefully slow down the diarrhea. It will also allow a blood sample to be collected if necessary. I hope this information helps!

Poor Morticia! The diarrhea could be due to many conditions including eating something she shouldn’t have, bacterial over growth, parasites or even organ disease. If the diarrhea has continued beyond 24 hours, I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. With continued diarrhea, there are often bacterial shifts in the gut that will make matters worse regardless of the initial cause. Make sure to bring in a sample of fresh stool. The doctor will check her for parasites and bacterial over growth. Many times a bland diet can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. I hope Morticia starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

I am sorry to hear about your puppy! I would recommend scheduling an examination at a veterinarian for Bolt and bringing a sample of the stool with you. One of the most common causes of diarrhea in puppies is intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms, as well as Coccidia and Giardia. We don't normally see the parasites with the naked eye, so tests in the vet clinic must be done to test for the parasites. If your puppy becomes lethargic, starts vomiting, or has bloody diarrhea these can be signs of a virus called Parvovirus and the puppy should be seen by the vet right away.