Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 4/24/2010

Question
Hi! I have had my puppy, Zoe, for about 2 months. She was great with going to the bathroom outside for the first month and 1/2. I would take her out 4 times a day( when we woke up, lunchtime, dinnertime, and before bed) She had very occasional accidents that were easy to take care of. But now she is going pee about 10 times a day and poop about 4 or 5. I have never seen anything like it in my life and it is worrying me, because now she can't hold it to go outside at the normal times so she is finding places to go inside and is ruining a lot of my belongings. I was wondering if maybe this is a medical condition or something else to be worried about and what i should do about it. So that yo are aware, she is approximately 6 months old. Thanks!

Answer
There certainly could be a medical problem like intestinal worms or another parasite, but in my experience, puppies that poop that much are being overfed.  Pups should get 1 level 8 oz. cup of food per 10 lbs. of body weight per day divided into 2 or 3 feedings.  If changing the feeding does not help, then have your vet check the puppy.