Puppy behaviour

R

Rachell2492

Forums Regular
Hello fellow sheltie lovers,
Our beautiful Izzy is now 6 and a half months old.
We took her to the vet for a check up yesterday as she had been vomiting and had softer poo than normal. She has been eating much slower than normal over the past week and a half, and has been leaving food at meal times. (3 feeds a day, currently)
The vet said she had a bit of a gastric upset and would be right in a couple of days. Izzy has stopped vomiting and passed normal poo this morning. But, I am wondering if it is normal for 6 month old Shelties to slow down their eating like this, or if it is to do with her stomach upset?
- The vet gave her an anti nausea injection and she is having a diet of boiled rice and chicken with a probiotic once a day to help.

I think I am just looking for some reassurance that she will be okay, or if I am right in worrying and should look into it further. We just want our beautiful Izzy to be happy and healthy!
Thank you in advance for your support and answers.
 
I have a 5mth old who had a gastric upset last week, pretty sure from eating dirt as her bacterial load was too high and I've been through this before with young dogs. Spring and Autumn, due to lots of moisture in the ground, tends to awaken the soil bacteria as well as spores.

Anyway, puppies stick all sorts of things in their mouths and get upset tummies so I wouldn't worry too much, as long as she doesn't get into anything poisonous.

As for slowing down her eating, I bet she's eating up all the chicken! If she's not too thin, and your vet would have told you if she was, then don't worry.
 
Caro said:
I have a 5mth old who had a gastric upset last week, pretty sure from eating dirt as her bacterial load was too high and I've been through this before with young dogs. Spring and Autumn, due to lots of moisture in the ground, tends to awaken the soil bacteria as well as spores.

Anyway, puppies stick all sorts of things in their mouths and get upset tummies so I wouldn't worry too much, as long as she doesn't get into anything poisonous.

As for slowing down her eating, I bet she's eating up all the chicken! If she's not too thin, and your vet would have told you if she was, then don't worry.
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Thanks so much Caro! I had no idea that dirt could even make them sick. It makes sense now that you’ve pointed it out though.

She is always supervised when she is outside, and she definitely hasn’t gotten into anything poisonous in the house.

She sure does try to eat the chicken first. I’ve cut it up so small though, so that she can’t be so fussy but she tries.

Thank you for your reassurance and advice.
 
When my now 5 year old boy Piper was around that age he also had this problem. Vet had prescribed an anti nausea med. Puppies eat everything lol...I wouldn't worry too much. Heck, even my other boy who's 2 1/2 eats everything. I would add though that if you have a hydrangea in your yard you keep your puppy away as the leaves can make a dog quite sick.
 
How much are you feeding Izzy at each meal? By 6 months, we transition our dogs to two meals a day. It could be that she just doesn't need the 3x regimen at this point. You can always give her a spoonful or two of yogurt at lunchtime if you want to give her something. That's good for her digestion too. Just be sure the yogurt you buy is not made with xylitol or artificial sweeteners. They are toxic to dogs and some yogurts use them.

I would also keep her on a daily probiotic. My five get a probio supplement every day all their lives. It does wonders to keep the digestive system healthy. I like Dogzymes Probios from Natures Farmacy but there are many available for dogs.

Mine are all eating dirt too, so I feel your pain. It's definitely the time of year for it. Yuck! Good luck and pats to little Izzy!
 
Btw - one other thing, are you worming her regularly? I forgot once and darn it if the diarrhea didn't clear up as soon as I gave her the worming med. Puppies usually carry worms so should be wormed every month until they're 6mths..
 
Mindy is 18 months now but in her first year + she had episodes of low appetite and some GI upset. Completely agree about the “eating stuff”. I also think hormonal changes can play a role. Around the time of her first heat Mindy was very finicky with her food and lost her appetite at times. We added a probiotic also and over time, things have gotten much better in that department. Good luck with it.
 
Ann said:
How much are you feeding Izzy at each meal? By 6 months, we transition our dogs to two meals a day. It could be that she just doesn't need the 3x regimen at this point. You can always give her a spoonful or two of yogurt at lunchtime if you want to give her something. That's good for her digestion too. Just be sure the yogurt you buy is not made with xylitol or artificial sweeteners. They are toxic to dogs and some yogurts use them.

I would also keep her on a daily probiotic. My five get a probio supplement every day all their lives. It does wonders to keep the digestive system healthy. I like Dogzymes Probios from Natures Farmacy but there are many available for dogs.

Mine are all eating dirt too, so I feel your pain. It's definitely the time of year for it. Yuck! Good luck and pats to little Izzy!
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Thank you for your reply. We spoke to the vet about cutting back to 2 feeds a day, and she said to wait a week and gradually ease off the third meal.
Izzy has been much better the past few days and is munching down all three feeds.
we’ll start to cut back to two feeds over the next few days and ease her into it. Thanks for the hint on the probiotic too. I will look into this for her.
 
Caro said:
Btw - one other thing, are you worming her regularly? I forgot once and darn it if the diarrhea didn't clear up as soon as I gave her the worming med. Puppies usually carry worms so should be wormed every month until they're 6mths..
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Yes, she has a monthly worming chew. But that’s great to keep in mind. Thank you.
 
DianeP said:
Mindy is 18 months now but in her first year + she had episodes of low appetite and some GI upset. Completely agree about the “eating stuff”. I also think hormonal changes can play a role. Around the time of her first heat Mindy was very finicky with her food and lost her appetite at times. We added a probiotic also and over time, things have gotten much better in that department. Good luck with it.
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Thank you. I was curious if she could be coming into her first season and if she would have any other symptoms. I’ll keep an eye on her for this for when she has her first heat.
 
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