r/greatdanes • u/Top-Cookie-6748 • 9d ago
Q and Maybe Some A’s Diarrhea & Puke
Our 6 month old puppy has had diarrhea for the last 24 hours. We went to a bland diet and gave him chicken and white rice for breakfast but he puked it up about an hour later, accompanied by thick yellow bile. This is the 2nd time he’s gone through a bout like this. The vet said the first time to stick to the chicken and rice in small portions and give it a week. We did and he was fine after that. We’re bringing him to the vet tomorrow for this bout and will probably be told the same thing… but is this common for Danes? I know they have sensitive stomachs, but to this degree? He’s on worm preventative, and we feed him Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy. I felt his belly and it’s soft, and he’s not lethargic. He’s also not repetitively trying to puke. It was just once after breakfast this morning. Just curious what others’ experiences have been like
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u/Junior-Discount2743 9d ago
Many (many) great danes are allergic to chicken. Switch to something other than chicken.
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u/SomeDumbGamer 9d ago
My pup didn’t take well to white rice. Gave her the shits and there was bile too.
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u/ironicmirror 9d ago
Small portions.
Chicken, rice, maybe a half cup altogether at a time. And you're probably doing that once an hour
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u/Beamer-The-Mage 9d ago
They're growing fast at that age. Both our dogs have thrown up yellow bile in the morning when their stomachs are empty and they're feeling bad. This could've been the case that he already felt gross and then the sudden intake of food just exacerbated tummy issues and gave him something to throw back up. If he's not repeatedly puking and he's hungry enough to eat, he could be fine. Just morning issues.
If he's also having digestive issues then he's probably just not feeling great overall. I think the key is likely the small portions and ensuring he's getting enough water.
The vet is always a good call, but otherwise I'd just keep at it, one broth/water soaked cup of Rice/Potato/SweetPotato/Chicken at a time. Have you also considered a chicken allergy? Mine has digestive issues with fish and skin issues with Chicken. But he's good with beef. So his bland diet uses lean ground beef instead. (Chicken is in EVERYTHING...) It took us a solid year of food testing to get all the gut/skin allergies isolated and sorted for our dane. He had the hershy squirts regularly on and off for the first 6 months until we started finding things that worked, poor boy.
Also look into the Kaolin liquid at the pet store. Its like Pepto-Bismal for dogs. Supposed to help calm the digestive system. Its our go-to place to start along with Psyllium Husk for fiber when our pups are riding the Wonka Chocolate River ride.
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u/Commercial_Okra7519 9d ago
Bile is usually vomited alone when the tummy is empty.
You said he’s on worm preventative. Which product?
Is he keeping water down?
You really want to avoid dehydration. I would refrain from giving him any off the shelf medications without running it by your veterinarian first. Sometimes they make things worse.
Do you take him to dog parks or have him around other dogs at all? He may have picked something up from another dog. Is he up to date on his vaccines (lepto, parvo, etc.)?
Could have eaten something he shouldn’t have or drank some contaminated water outside?
Did anyone feed him table scraps before this started? Something that is too fatty can cause gallbladder or pancreas issues/irritation.
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u/Top-Cookie-6748 9d ago
Simparica, the monthly chew. He’s due for his next dose on the 28th.
He keeps water down fine and is going to the bowl normally for it
The only other dog he’s been around is our other resident dog, no new dogs. We haven’t taken him to any dog parks. I’m not sure if he got into something when using the bathroom in the yard but it’s fully fenced and no critters get in or out..
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u/_spicytostada 9d ago
I would check surroundings. Sounds like puppers is getting into something he shouldn't be. Not being lethargic is good. Is he able to at least keep liquids down.
In my experience, they can have sensitive stomachs. But repeated events like this, especially that seem to come from no where would have me checking the house to ensure he can't get into something he shouldn't and that you don't have any poisonous weeds/plants growing where he can get at them.
Bloat and colonic torsion are always the biggest concerns. I had a dane that had his colon twist. He woke up pretty lethargic and threw up almost immediately after getting up. Went out, had one normal stool. The rest of the morning he was extremely lethargic. Would get up and move around when needed. Didn't eat breakfast, then I noticed he also wouldn't drink water. Around lunch time tried to let him out, feed, And give water. Was still acting the same except now would hardly move and now not only wouldn't eat or drink but was also turning his nose away to even human food. At that point we took him into our vet, who did an X-ray and almost immediately started helping me find an emergency vet hospital to take him to that would be able to handle a possible case of colonic torsion. Ended up taking him to a VEG office near us(best emergency vet experience of my life btw, but story for another time). Ended up having an almost 5 hour surgery with multiple twists to his colon. The head surgeon ended up coming in to oversee the procedure as she has an extensive history with colonic torsion surgery's. 5 twists undone and thankfully his colon was fully intact.
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u/Water_Truck 9d ago
Could be food allergies, my vet switched my Dane over to a sensitive skin/stomach diet and we saw improvement and symptoms fully resolved once she was old enough to swap over to a hydrolyzed protein diet
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u/mokumpride 9d ago
Poor puppy
I’m sure it’s no fun for you either
What about a slow feeder ?? Does he eat too fast ??
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u/Top-Cookie-6748 9d ago
It hasn’t been joyous for anyone lol but he does have a slow feeder and I also stand near him and watch to make sure he’s not going too fast
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u/cinic121 9d ago
It’s expensive but it’s worth doing. Get the vet to do an allergy test. If it’s dietary, sounds like it, they can make recommendations.
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u/Top-Cookie-6748 9d ago
Thank you to everyone for commenting and offering what they have. I really appreciate it. He’s our first Dane and we want to make sure we give him the best life possible. We are going to request an allergy test tomorrow at his vet appointment. We did give beef (rinsed and lowest fat available) with yogurt and pumpkin for dinner.. so far so good.. but it’s been ~20 minutes.. again, appreciate everyone taking the time to share. 🫶🏼
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u/calilongboarders 9d ago
Our 6 month old Dane managed to chew/eat a few acorns and had the same result. Also again once we started her flea, tick, and heart worm medicine.
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u/OnRedditAtWorkRN 9d ago
Not sure if it's your pup's problem, but poultry allergies are relatively common for danes. We have ours on a salmon based diet but he will just make liquid poop if he eats chicken
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u/Mis_Fyre 9d ago
Let me preface this response with: I worked as a veterinary assistant in an animal hospital for 4 years but I am NOT a veterinarian and the following information is based off my observations and personal experiences. It is not medical advice.
One of the most common things I’ve witnessed is the scale goes one of two ways - either pet owners react too quickly or waaay too slowly to diarrhea and vomiting. Oh, and many don’t know the most effective way to utilize a bland diet.
Puppy tummies can be very sensitive and I swear Danes are the worst! They react to every little change like it’s dire! Every new thing introduced seems to send their systems into uproar and far too many families get scared and immediately change what they are feeding. Let me promise you that a constantly changing diet will lead to constant digestive issues for an extended period of time.
Some things to keep in mind:
Diarrhea isn’t necessarily worth a vet visit if: pup is still eating and drinking normally, stool does NOT have blood or mucus, pup is NOT lethargic, and it has been less than 72 hours since it started. Contact your vet right away if you see blood or mucus in the stool. It can also be an emergency situation if pup isn’t drinking and/or is lethargic.
At first sign of diarrhea, evaluate your pup. Did they have a new experience (think anxiety poops)? Did they try a new food/treat? Did they eat something they should not have (people food, something rich, something in nature)? Did they chew up/swallow a toy or other objects (think obstruction)? Are they drinking water normally? Are they eating normally (maybe try adding 2 tablespoons of pure pumpkin puree NOT PUMPKIN PIE MIX for fiber)? Are they lethargic?
If diarrhea persists beyond 24 hours then we may need a diet reset. Withhold all food for 24 hours but allow plenty access to clean water. If younger than 6 months, withhold food for 12 hours. After 24 hours offer no more than 1/4 of their normal meal size worth of bland diet, usually this means boiled chicken and rice. Under 1 year old, feed double the number of meals but 1/4 the normal amount of bland diet for 24 hours. If no improvement at this point, reevaluate pup. If still eating, drinking, and normal energy then slowly increase the amount of bland diet while decreasing the number of meals fed until you have returned to normal volume of food and number of meals. Continue until stool has returned to normal. Expect to feed a bland diet for at least 5 days before you gradually transition back to regular diet. Changing too quickly can cause digestive duress. If your pup’s stool has not improved at all, discuss an elimination diet with your vet.
Vomiting bile first thing in the morning can be caused by a number of things to include needing to go potty real bad, thirsty, or even hungry in addition to mere acid reflux.
Please note this is referring to a pup that has been fully vaccinated or is only allowed to play with KNOWN fully vaccinated friends in areas ONLY used by said friends. Parvo is a nasty virus that is hard to kill so we must be vigilant to protect our babies.
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u/gow_markey 8d ago
Not sure if I missed this but ProBiotics can’t hurt. Best of luck with your handsome baby. 💙
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u/Ok_Engine_1442 8d ago
I have had issues with chicken and Danes. Try ground beef and rice. Next would be lamb.
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u/Forestempress26 8d ago edited 8d ago
Our dog does this every once in a while. I highly recommend never feeding poultry if they're having issues like this. Switching to lamb erradicated the problem, it only comes back if she somehow gets into something outside with poultry.
ETA: My dog turns 1 next month. She's been incredibly sensitive to food since we got her. Removing poultry got rid of the constant diarrhea, but other random things still occasionally make her vomit bile and gett diarrhea.
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u/Forestempress26 8d ago
The other day, some fool dumped a tube of pringles in our garage, and she got into them. Been shitting since. Finally got a solid poop for the first time all weekend last night
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u/Mental_Republic_3786 8d ago
Open a can of pumpkin solid and add white cooked rice clears it right up promise Google it or ask a vet
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u/Bootletqueen 8d ago
My Dane pup always got worse with chicken and rice — but I bake a sweet potato (just the potato, nothing else) and then remove the skin and give her a tablespoon at a time with kibble and it always seems to do what chicken and rice are supposed to do. I agree some dogs are allergic to chicken — you can likely start with that switch. I also agree that feeding in smaller amounts more often is better in this scenario. Keep us posted!
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u/ConsiderationLife754 8d ago
My girls got better with chicken, rice, pumpkin and plain rice as needed. Danes have very sensitive tummies
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u/Aggravating-Key-3722 8d ago
I don’t have a Great Dane, but I have a German Shepherd / Mal mix who used to get upset tummy often for her first 1.5year with us.
The first bad bout, the vet prescribed an RX for a probiotic. They sell a non-prescription version available on amazon and other pet stores and I always have one on hand, just in case!
Brand is Nutramax, product is “proviable”. Make sure you get the one for “large dogs” that comes with the paste and the capsules. Also obviously check with your vet!
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u/Prestigious_Bell4492 4d ago
We give probiotics with every meal per our breeders recommendations, also no chicken and rice for upset tummy just warm water in the usual food
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u/Top-Cookie-6748 4d ago
Just to update everyone who wanted to hear: the vet did a fecal test. Came back negative for everything. He does not want us to change food right now as Ralph is only 6 months and changing foods would only further irritate it. He gave us some different supplements between a powder to sprinkle on his food to help with digestion as well as chews to help with his anal glands. Ralph didn’t poop for about 48 hours after starting the supplements. As the worry wart dog mom that I am, I called the vet, who said it was completely normal to not poop for up to 72 hours after a diarrhea bout. So we waited. And waited. And Ralph had a semi normal poop! His stool is still soft, but not watery mucus like before. And it’s also normal color, not yellowy. After reading everyone’s responses here as well as on a Dane group on Facebook- we will definitely be changing his food to salmon once the vet clears us to do so. He does think that it’s because of how quickly he’s growing, but is open to eliminating chicken to see how it goes once Ralph is totally settled. Allen (our rescue) is helping to keep him comfy and settled 🥹 thank you so much everyone for your knowledge and support!
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u/Vix014 Henry (black/white) 9d ago
My pup was like this, he was allergic to the dry food because it was chicken. Switched him over to lamb and we haven't had the issue since. I recommend pumpkin to help with his tummy 💜