Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum, I just bought a Siberian Husky and a Welsh corgi on March 23, so we have had them for over a month now, (we got the husky at 7-8 weeks old, which we think was too young to be taken from the mother, the husky is now 11-12 weeks old) the corgi is perfectly healthy no problems, but the husky on the other hand has had nothing but problems since we got him. We and my wife are new to the puppy scene, I've had dogs before, but we both have never had a husky, we read all the time that they have sensitive stomachs and what not. But we bought him from a breeder, and they said he is perfectly healthy nothing wrong, and we got him home, and took him to the vet that next week, come to find out he has lice, so we got meds and all this stuff to get rid of that, and ever since day one of owning him, he has had the runs, like he has some serious pressure built of everytime he goes because it shoots out like a rocket and gas gas come out with it, and its nothing but liquid mess, we've brought him to the vet 4-5 times now and they gave us umpteen million antibiotics and pro-biotics, this goo stuff, and powder looking stuff, they have changed his food 4 times, he wont eat the canned food they recommended, and we are just out of option sin our head, and frankly out of money to spend on trying to get this puppy what he needs to feel better but the vet keeps sucking our pockets dry trying this that and the other thing and we just don't know whats wrong with him. He doesn't have a fever, he keeps growing, so they say its not Parvo. Anyone else ran into this problem? We need all the advice we can get. We have also thought about calling the breeder and giving the puppy back and getting a different one or just getting our money back in return of the dog and just keeping the corgi, we are just not really sure what to do. Please Help! Thanks!

Hi and welcome to the forums!

Did you get a stool sample taken for worms, just to knock that possibility off the list? I'm not an expert or anything of course, but to me he sounds like he's just a normal Husky. It's very common for them to have runny poop when they first come home, especially if you switch them off of the food that the breeder was feeding them. Also they do have sensitive stomachs for the most part, so changing their food four times in one month isn't going to help that at all. The quality of the food matters as well. If the food is low quality then that may also contribute to his pooping problems; what kind of food are you feeding him?

Also what breeder did you get him from? A reputable breeder will make sure that their puppies are extremely healthy, and most of them would be willing to help cover the cost if the puppy was truly sick when they sold them. I wouldn't return him either though, with time and effort they are well worth it. Good luck!

Aidan, you beat me to the punch on a lot of this, but I'll keep my post the way I had originally written it before I saw you answered first.

Did the vet do a fecal test? Could be worms. Was the husky puppy de-wormed by the breeder several times during the first eight weeks? Is he up to date on his shots? You may also want the vet to do a giardia and coccidia test. Those are two common bacteria that often affect young puppies. A stool sample is required to test for both of those bacteria.

Instead of canned food I would stick with dry kibble. You can put a little water in it to make it moist and make it smell more appetizing. Go with a wheat-free high-quality brand high in protein (at least 30%), not cheap junk like you get at the grocery store, which has fillers like corn and wheat not normally found in a dog's diet.

I sympathize with you about the vet bills, but I will also ask you that when you brought home two dogs at one time, did you estimate beforehand how much you may have to spend in vet costs, for food, leashes, toys, collars, etc., each year? If it looks like you can't afford it now, you may not have thought this out far enough and may be in over your head. Remember, caring for a dog, much less two dogs, is a 10-to-15-year responsibility. Vet bills will be even higher when the dog is a senior and its body starts wearing down.

If the breeder you got the husky puppy from is reputable, he or she would have given you a health guarantee for at least two years and if for any reason you cannot care for the puppy any longer they would take the puppy back. The fact that the pup had lice when you first brought him home concerns me, because it means the pups could have been raised in less-than-optimal conditions.

Hope this helps. Keep us updated.

Do some research on the best food options for the breed, do not assume that the vet is giving him the best food simply because they are selling it, they get kickbacks from "vet food" so its in their interest to push it.
I would strongly recommend looking into the food first, and give it a decent trial period. 4 food changes in one month is pretty rough on his system. Grain free may be the best option for him. A lot of huskies do better on grain free.
Secondly, get a different vet if possible.
Do not send him back to the breeder, they dont honestly sound like they gave him to you in good condition and he isnt a toy you can return. He needs someone to responsibly take care of him, and this is the time that you need to step up for that. Two puppies at once is a big undertaking, and an expensive one too. You have to be ready to take the costs on. I understand this wasnt expected, so you wouldnt know he would need to be at the vet 4-5 times in a month, but keep in mind that there are options of insurance to look into for them once you have recovered from all these visits.

the best thing you can do is research, an excellent, and cheap remedy for soft poop in dogs is bland diet. you can find a lot of research here about that. Pumpkin is also great for it. A few teaspoons of pumpkin puree (in the can, the straight, non spiced one) can work wonders.

Consistency in food will be key here. if you find a good grain free food that is within your budget, dont change it in a week, give him time to adjust to it. and also make sure you are feeding him the proper quantities, this can cause problems too sometimes, over or under feeding.

Hey everyone,

Yeah we got away from going with what the vet is telling us for food, and we talked with a few other people and they said to go with a no corn, or wheat type food, so he is on Natures Recipe Lamb and rice. So far no luck with regular stools, im guessing it will take a while to get use to the food, so we just gonna stick with this for a few months and hope to see an improvement. The cruddy thing is our vet doesnt want to give him the shots that he needs until we get the stools under control, which, in my opinion is ridiculous because he needs those shots and everything otherwise we might have some problems, and we cant take him out and about and play with other dogs, so not quiet sure, just thinking about changing vets because they are not helping out a whole lot.

The vet refuses to vaccinate your dog as necessary because of runny stools? I would start looking for another vet immediately. Others can correct me if I'm wrong but runny stools should pose absolutely no barrier to vaccinating against dangerous diseases, unless the vet is worried that the "dead" viruses in the vaccination could aggravate whatever might be wrong, but since it's still unclear what the issue is that's causing the runny stools, that shouldn't pose a barrier to proper vaccination.

Yeah, I agree. I would find another vet. Unless the stool is really, really bad and the dog isn't strong enough to take a vaccine, I don't see a reason not to vaccinate. How much are you feeding per day? Over feeding can cause diarrhea. My pup is just about 15 months and eats 1-1.25 cups per day, any more than that and he gets fat and gets the runs. I had a lot of problems with him having the runs as a puppy. It seemed like everything gave him diarrhea. His nickname was squirt for a long time. Ha ha. If I gave him more than 2 cups he would get diarrhea, if I gave him an extra treat or two, I mean anything! It was so frustrating. For a while we carried water bottles instead of poop bags on his walks. Anyway, I understand how annoying it is, but he still got his regular shots, and they were never delayed because of diarrhea.

At this point I would suggest resetting his system. Feed him a bland diet for a while and see if you can get regular stool from that. Once you've had regular stools for a couple of days, gradually reintroduce the food you are thinking about sticking with. The first day of reintroduction would be mostly bland food and a little kibble, the next day a bit more kibble, etc. There are some really good posts on here regarding feeding a bland diet and resetting a pup's system.

A good resource is dogfoodadvisor.com, which provides ratings of a lot of the dog foods out there. Most people on here will recommend a 4 or 5 star food. The Nature's Recipe you mention above is a 3.5 star so not too bad. But since it is Lamb and rice it's not grain free which could very well be an issue for your pup.

I wish you luck!

My puppy had really runny stool from the beginning as well. I use to feed him rice and boiled chicken with a little pumpkin until it went away and slowly weened him onto dry food from there.

I don't think the breeder, necessarily sent you home with a sick puppy, our rescue, Rusty, went through a very similar thing when we brought him home. He was happy and healthy until we got him home, then the next day the explosive diarrhea and horrible gas started. We took him to the vet and they gave him probiotics and we put him on the bland diet for at least a week. Once his stool became firmer we slowly introduced the kibble, like a handful at first.

I think coming to a new home can be quite a shock on their systems. Even for Rusty who was 9 months when we got him. Your puppy was much younger. Rusty also is more sensitive to treats and foods then our other Husky. Hopefully once you get him regular he will have a less sensitive tummy.

I would be concerned with your vet not vaccinating though, and for changing the food that many times in such a short time span. I think your instinct to find a different vet is a good one.

I would try the bland diet with him, boiled chicken and rice, my dogs- and yes the healthy one had to have the special food too - loved it and it really does work.

Don't feed him for 12 hours and then give him some ground beef . Works every time with my puppy.