UPDATE:

We have gone ONE WEEK with no loose stools. WOOT! Eureka, and all that. He did vomit this morning. I heard it. But all I found in the Crate was bile on the towel and little pieces of dirt/rocks. ARGH to that one!

He continues to behave normally, healthily in all other ways.

I love him. He's got great personality. But I have to wonder if all the pups have digestive issues or is it just mine.

Others here are much more qualified to deal with this, but if he's eating dirt it might possibly be a defficiency in his vitamin/mineral intake...

anyone else have some more knowledge regarding this?

I've heard that before ... but he eats EVERYTHING. He loves grass & hay & the kitty poop. Unfortunately, as I have been reading more and more, I think that our breeder is the root cause of the kitty poop, et cetera.

As I said, he's got great personality ... but the difficulty with urination potty training, the coccidia as a new pup in our home (from stagnant water source), the eating of the cat poop, the removal of the mother from the litter at 5 weeks. Let's just say if we were to add another puppy to the mix, we wouldn't go to the same breeder.

This isn't my 1st puppy, it is just my 1st time having so many "ISSUES" with a puppy and it is our first Golden. I've only had mixed breeds before - Shepard/Husky mixes.

Louanne, you previously said your pup chewed on walls so just a quick thought: if you have old paint, it could have lead in it; also if you have old joint compound (the stuff used to fill in gaps between drywall sheets), it could have asbestos in it. I don't remember when asbestos (or lead in paint) stopped being used, but it can still be found in homes. If that's the case for your home, it could be a problem source of poisoning for your pup.

Louanne, can you try tethering the pup to you whenever he's out of the crate?

If you always have him right next to you on leash, you can prevent him from eating random crap.

After a few days see if he gets better... if he does, then the sickness was probably caused by the strange things he's eating, if it doesn't get better, then it could be some kind of parasite or infection that the vet missed.

Just a thought

You are correct and that is a valid point as I am in a very old home (200 yrs old). Luckily for me, the downstairs where we spend our time has been completely re-done in the last 5 years. Horse hair plaster has been removed, Paneling from 1970's has been removed. New Sheetrock, No Lead Paint, New Windows, New Casings, New Doors, et cetera.

He was chewing on the walls where there is wood, meeting tile. I apple bittered those specific areas and the bottom wood tread that he liked, and that behaviour has gone away. Thank Goodness.

When we are upstairs (which has not been redone except for my son's room and my room), he is on leash, directly to my sons room and into the crate. I appreciate the information as I will continue to limit his exposure to the upstairs as he gets older, as we do have horsehair plaster, lead paint on the window sills, and paneling from the early 1970's.

Downstairs I've expanded his allowed rooms from the kitchen to the kitchen and the sitting room. He chooses to stay in the kitchen with me, if that is where I am working. He follows me into the laundry room and bathroom when I go there. He is a treasure, but i'd like to have a digestive system replacement on him! :-)

I think it was 1978? perhaps 1976 that the government stepped in with lead paint regulations. Another point of interest is if the pup is eating dirt outside, dirt can be loaded with lead too-depending on the age of the home, exterior paint "back in the day" would chip off and heavy levels of lead could/can be found especially around the perimeter of the older homes. Even if the home has siding, if it was built pre-regulation, there may be lead paint beneath the siding, the lead could be an issue in the dirt. I do not remember the full list of symptoms that may present with lead poisoning...if any of this applies (Ie: age of home, etc), I'd bring this issue up with your vet though.

WHoops! over lapping posts! Well, 200+ year home, it applies. I live in an old home too, "this old house"

Good Point. It is worth considering and checking into.

I hadn't remembered what Michele said about possible lead in the soil but it's absolutely true. Good call Michele. Very probable.

The reason I brought up the lead and asbestos was cause I know Maine has some wonderful old homes

Louanne, you could probably take some samples of your dirt around your home and in your yard to a college lab perhaps, or the Dept of Agriculture in your area and ask for an analysis. You might want to call first and see exactly how to gather the samples and from what areas to get the samples.