A couple of days ago, Kiba had stool with blood in it. The stool was pretty runny too. I took him to the vet and now he seems okay but I was really worried for a while...the vet gave me some anti-biotics to give to him before breakfast and dinner.

Anyways, I can't get him to stop biting, so instead of fighting it I went and purchased a pair of padded leather gloves and now I play with him like that (I try to take his attention off of furniture and things hes not supposed to chew on).

He still has the lead problem when were walking, but now I just go with the flow and he comes if I call. Another cool thing is now he stops whatever hes doing when I say sit. He also eliminates on command! (Saves ALOT of time)

What can I do to challenge him mentally at this stage though? We play hide and seek but I don't know just how challenging that is for him.

 Quote: Nathan Tierney

A couple of days ago, Kiba had stool with blood in it. The stool was pretty runny too. I took him to the vet and now he seems okay but I was really worried for a while...the vet gave me some anti-biotics to give to him before breakfast and dinner.

Um, they ran a fecal, right?

Cher

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Honestly, I'm not sure. The reciept says:

OFFICE CALL
Treat Diarsanyl, duopen, Tribrissen
Dog License
Tribrissen 480 mg

Then below that it says:

TRIBRISSEN: THIS MEDICATION IS AN ANTIBIOTIC. USE IT AS PRESCRIBED ON THE LABEL. OCCASIONALLY, ANTIBIOTICS WILL CAUSE VOMITING, DIARRHEA, LOSS OF APPETITE, OR A RASH. SHOULD ANY OF THESE THINGS OCCUR, STOP THE MEDICATION AND CALL THE DOCTOR.

None of these things have occured and he seems okay. Doesn't seem to be any more diarrhea but the stool is a little reddish...

Nathan,

I'm just curious why they put him on an antibiotic? Did they say what they were treating him for? (Yes, diarrhea, but did they say what they think is the cause of it?) Usually a dog (or puppy) with bloody stools needs to have a fecal test for parasites. (I'd be worried about whip worms, for one.) If the vet didn't suggest a fecal then I'd probably ask them about it. It's a pretty straightforward test.

He's a cute pup!

Cher

No, I asked him if it was parvo and he said he didn't think it was. He didn't say anything about a fecal test, he just gave the pup some medicine and then gave me some anti biotics. Should I take him back in for a fecal test? I don't want to risk anything.

Nathan, check these links:
http://leerburg.com/diarrhea.htm
http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/diarrhea.html

Nathan,
I'm no vet but it sounds like your pup has plenty of energy. From what I've seen most pups that get parvo have very little energy, especially after a couple of days.
If I was you, I'd continue to redirect your pup to a bite toy. In my opinion if you don't, you'll wish you had later because if you give up on it and just give in to protecting yourself your teaching him it's o.k. to chew on you. It won't be long and those gloves will feel like your wearing a piece of paper. Protecting yourself is o.k. but the behavior is what your after.

Nathan,
I would be concerned about certain types of worms as well as Coccidia and/or Giardia. Coccidia is usually stress related and may abate on it's own, but there are things you can do to help your pup get better. Giardia is a tough one to treat. (Just been through this with a foster) It is contagious to people and other pets, so you would certainly want to rule out this nasty bug!

Some worms can also be hard to get rid of, so it would be good to know what your pup actually has. There is nothing wrong with calling your vet and asking what (exactly) you are treating your pup for (with the antibiotic). If they are vague, then I would ask the vet to run a fecal. I would ask how they want to go about doing this ... should you collect a sample or would they rather do it there?

Food-related stool changes are not uncommon, but they usually don't produce bloody stools. If food-related changes are to blame here, then why prescribe an antibiotic for this symptom?

I dunno. I'd just want to know why I'm giving my pup antibiotics and what (exactly) I'm treating. Pups are prone to all kinds of intestinal parasites. I'm rather surprised (given the symptoms) they didn't run a fecal first?

Cher

Does anyone think that the fact he came from a pet store have anything to do with him being ill?? I've never had a dog from a puppy store, but the 3 people I know who did, had a lot of problems for the first year.

Yes, I think so too. A gal here on the forum recently had the same problem with her puppy purchased from a pet store.