I just got 2 new german shepard pups. I was only supposed to get one (the boy) but I couldn't leave his sister in the kennel alone. We brought the boy home (Apache) 10 days before the girl (Ki) because she was being medicated for a respitory infection. Apache seemed to learn real well with potty training, until we brought Ki home, he regressed to peeing on the floor. I decided crate training was necessary and not cruel. It is hard to not apply human feelings to my pups, I am working hard on what is best for them and not best for my emotions. They love their crates and go in willingly.
I am most concerned about the diarreah they both have. We took Apache to the vet and he was given an antibiotic. We finished those meds and he still has it. Now Ki has it. The vet wants a fecal sample if it continues. I think this vet is unsatisfactory at best. I have read everything I can get my hands on about puppy diarreah. When is an appropriate time for stress and the move to not be a factor? When should I start a change in food? How do you select the best vet for your dog? I know I wouldn't go to a bad Dr. and I don't want to take my pups to a bad vet. I feel more like a nervous Nellie than anything else and feel very overwhelmed about their care. I just want to do everything right so my dogs have the best life. I joined this forum to help make sure I am on track to doing what is best for my dogs. Any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 Quote: susan clifford

I just got 2 new german shepard pups. I was only supposed to get one (the boy) but I couldn't leave his sister in the kennel alone. We brought the boy home (Apache) 10 days before the girl (Ki) because she was being medicated for a respitory infection. Apache seemed to learn real well with potty training, until we brought Ki home, he regressed to peeing on the floor. I decided crate training was necessary and not cruel. It is hard to not apply human feelings to my pups, I am working hard on what is best for them and not best for my emotions. They love their crates and go in willingly.
I am most concerned about the diarreah they both have. We took Apache to the vet and he was given an antibiotic. We finished those meds and he still has it. Now Ki has it. The vet wants a fecal sample if it continues. I think this vet is unsatisfactory at best. I have read everything I can get my hands on about puppy diarreah. When is an appropriate time for stress and the move to not be a factor? When should I start a change in food? How do you select the best vet for your dog? I know I wouldn't go to a bad Dr. and I don't want to take my pups to a bad vet. I feel more like a nervous Nellie than anything else and feel very overwhelmed about their care. I just want to do everything right so my dogs have the best life. I joined this forum to help make sure I am on track to doing what is best for my dogs. Any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

On Leerburg.com there is a .pdf file to download called Diarrhea in Puppies.

Go here
http://www.leerburg.com/puppytraining.htm
for that .pdf and other puppy articles.

What kind of diarrhea? Pudding or liquid?

I'm responding to your other questions below, but your top priority is the diarrhea. Yes, you do want to drop off fecal samples, whether to the vet you don't care for or a different vet.

Here's a complete housetraining (with crates) guide:
http://www.leerburg.com/housebrk.htm

Crate training isn't cruel at all.

The peeing regression can be taken care of with calm consistent training, including tethering the pup to you when he's out of the crate. No scolding -- lots of praise for good potty.

What food are they getting now?

I would order this video:
http://www.leerburg.com/120.htm

and, while I was ordering, I'd get #302 as well, which is basic obedience, but also about living with dogs in general. You'll like it.

"Nervous" is counterproductive. Take a deep breath, call about the fecal samples, take them outside to pee very often, don't give them the chance to have accidents, and post back about the type of diarrhea and the kind of food.

You can always feed boiled whitemeat skinless chicken breast and boiled white rice for a few days and see if that firms them up and either start the raw diet (if that is the way you were going to go) or wean them off onto a quality kibble like Innova, Canidae or Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul.

But still, drop off fecals and have that checked too.
Putting them on chicken and rice will be easy on their stomach and will ease the diarreah.

I am feeding them IAMS dry puppy food, I was told that was one of the best. I have taken fecal samples to my vet already and she prescribed an antibiotic for Apache and said she needed the worst diarreah sample for Ki that I could get in order for them to see if their are papasite eggs. The sample I brought of hers, I was told, was not "bad enough" to be examined or to find eggs. Apache took the meds and he still has diarreah at least once a day (his is pudding diarreah at first, then it becomes the real runny watery kind). Ki will poop logs then 5 minutes later go again and it is pudding or watery depending on how many times she has to go within the time she is out.
I also heard that GS pups need alot of stimulation for learning. What is the best way to go about that? I almost feel like I can make my pups dumb by not taking every effort to challenge them. Its not like a child where I can teach them to talk and build blocks, what is considered "good learning tools" for dogs? So far they have learned that if they keep drinking or splashing their paws in the water bowl it will make a sound and produce bubbles refilling the dish. It's adorable actually.
I have lots of questions about raising my pups properly, I have made several mistakes in the past with pups and it resulted in unruley, furniture chewing, wall scrapping, accident having dogs. I don't want to make those same mistakes.

I would still put them on the bland diet until the runs clear up.

http://www.leerburg.com/puppytraining.htm

Above is a great page to start with.

Welcome to the board, Susan. Post pics of your pups in the Members Bio section when you can.

Ditto what Connie and Carol said. Would like to add that fecal samples are the first thing the vet should have looked at instead of just giving an antibiotic, IMO.

Get another vet. I can say that in Phoenix where I live, they're hard to find. I've somewhat settled on one, but have only been there once. He at least seemed to know his stuff (which is important), although he was a little vaccine-happy (I just didn't pay attention) and I didn't even bother to tell him that I feed raw. Good luck.

 Quote: Carol Boche

I would still put them on the bland diet until the runs clear up.

http://www.leerburg.com/puppytraining.htm

Above is a great page to start with.

After the bland diet, I would look again at the Iams ingredient list. Here are the first few ingredients:

Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Grits, Brewers Rice, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed)........

That's a lot of grain, and especially a lot of corn and junk by-product from the alcoholic beverage industry. JMO.

Even though meat is in first place, I would bet that grains would beat meat if you added them all together on one ingredient line.

Not the worst food I've ever seen, but far from the best. Very far.

 Quote: Susan Clifford

I have made several mistakes in the past with pups and it resulted in unruley, furniture chewing, wall scrapping, accident having dogs. I don't want to make those same mistakes.

You won't. If you follow Ed's pack leader suggestions, watch the videos at least once, and start reading the tons of free info (and you have a good start with the links provided earlier in the thread), you won't make those mistakes.

Dear Sandy,

What part of Phoenix are you in? I am stationed in Glendale but I live in Peoria. I am willing to travel quite a bit of distance for a good, trustworthy and reliable vet. Maybe you could tell me about the location of your vet. Or offer me some good advice about finding a good vet. What do you mean by feeding raw? There are several things I don't understand when it comes to the things I have read. I will take the advice and try the bland diet.

What's the DIET? I can tell you once I got my pup off of IAMS Puppy over to Nature's Variety (RICE & CHICKEN) the diahreah decreased in frequency and intensity. Now we're on Canidae and the stools have been very very firm. I believe that my pup has an issue with WHEAT/Wheat Gluten.