6 week old beagle pups with loose stool

hey all i got a litter of pups that are 6 weeks, i wormed them at 4,5 weeks and am going to do it again tomorrow. i have wormed them with safeguard goat wormer 10% fendbendazol, sp? and they are getting fed 4 health puppy food. some stools are real loose but still hold up in a pile not a puddle. and some are nice hard normal looking stools. any ideas what could be going on?

Also i had a litter of 4 pup last year out of this same bitch, 2 out of 4 get fed fiber with there meal to help keep stool hard. possibly hereditary? or am i doing something wrong?

crossroadbeagles,
Loose stool could mean a bunch of differant things,sometimes just over feeding will do it,or something else going on like coccidia.It's like a bacteria in thier belly.One concern about diaheria in pups is dehydration.If they are real young it could just be the transition from milk to solid food.Not real sure of your age of pups but whelping is always a pain in the but with some.....I usually soak a batch of puppy chow until well soaked and they get most water from that,but alot of times they get a loose stool from it because their little bellys cant process the water food quick enough.Maybe stiff'n the food a bit and then between offer water....Remember a safe puppy wormer is best.....Albon is a perscribed liquid for coccidia.It helps fight the bacteria/parisites in the gut.....Hope this helps.....

thanks for the replay bill, if Coccidioses is a possibility should i notice a mucus membrane with the stool or blood in the stool?

also i have had the pups on watered down puppy food for 2 almost 3 weeks now, i have just started swapping them over to no water with the food just dry, they are 6 weeks today

Thanks again
Courtney

If over feeding is a possibility than how often should i feed them, 3-4 times per day and just enough food where they finish it all but seen satisfied?

coccicidia will have a horrid odor like no other.. the stool i mean.. you will know there is something wrong just by the smell..

Crossroadbeagles,
I would continue doing what your doing just try to keep a eye on the pups that are have'n diaheria,Mucus and blood are usually present but not always....It's a one cell parisite that causes havoc.If only some have it and some dont it's generally a eating too fast deal.Over feeding is enough to get loose stool.Are they completely weened already or still with mom?I know I always had the tendency to feed all they want to eat,but at that age they just keep eat'n
Here's a guide to what to watch for;;;
Diarrhea is a passage of loose,unformed stools.In most case there is an increased number of bowel movements.Diarrhea is most common sign of intestinal disease.
Food in the small intestine takes about eight hours to get to the colon.During the time the bulk of it is absorbed.Eighty percent of the water is absorbed in the small bowel.The colon concentrates and stores the waste.At the end,a well formed stool is evacuated.
Transit time in the intestinal tract can be speeded up for a variety of reasons.When food passes rapidly through the bowel,it is incompletely digested andarrives at the rectum in a liquid state.This result in a large,loose,unformed bowel movement.This mechanism accounts for the majority of accute diarrheas of short duratation.
In attempting to narrow the search for the cause of diarrhea,it is important to decide whether the disease is located in the small intestine or colon.Begin by examining the color,consistency,odor,and frequency of stool,as well as the condition of the dog.
Color;;;
Yellow or greenish stool= indicates rapid transit (small bowel)
Black,tarry stool= indicates bleeding in the upper digestive tract.
Bloody stool= red blood or clots indicate bleeding in the colon.
Pasty,light colored stool= indicates lack of bile (liver disease)
large,gray,rancid smelling stool= indicates inadequate digestion or absorption(Malabsorption syndrome)

Consistency;;;;
Watery stool= indicates small bowel wall irritation(toxins and severe infection)
Foamy stool= suggests a bacterial infection
Greasy stool= often with oil on hair around the anus indicates malabsorption
Excessive mucus= a glistening or jellylike appearance indicates colonic origin

Odor;;;
foodlike,or smelling like sour milk suggests both rapid transit and malabsorption(Over feeding especially in puppys)
Putrid smelling= suggests an intestinal infection.

Frequency;;;;
Several in a hour,each small,with straining= suggests large bowel inflamation
Three or four times a day,each large= suggests small bowel disorder

Hope some of this info helps ya a little bit.....My opinion is over feeding....It's the most common cause in puppies...

Awsome bill Thanks

well bill anyone reading this is becoming very well educated and this post is something that will not be discussed by anyone questioning the knowledge or culpabilities of houndsmen. this post is tremendously informative to any animal owner for sure. you have posted a most intrigueing response and anyone who follows this post will be educated for sure awesome information.

I recommend you feed the dog with pumpkin. This will help bulk up the stool. This is also a natural treatment for diarrhea.