A bad case of English bulldog puppy diarhhea
11 Sep 2009
Ever wonder how your English bulldog puppy got a nasty case of diarrhea? Diarrhea in puppies can look like a soft pile to a stream of liquid, and everything else in between.
No need to panic at the sight of your puppy’s soft stool. There are several possible causes for the change in consistency.
1. A change in diet
When you switch your puppy from one brand of food to another or from switching from dry food to canned or homemade food are all very common reasons for loose stools. The food switching can be done as long as any change in diet is made gradually over at least a week.
Start by replacing a small amount of the regular food with the new one. After seven days or so, gradually increase the amount of new food while decreasing the previous type of food. At the end of the wek, your puppy should be happily and well-adjusted to its new dog food without any evidence of upset tummy. It will do your English bulldog puppy good, not to mention for your peace of mind.
2. Stress
Puppies are born with very delicate digestive system which is often affected by stressful situations. Among the situations that can trigger diarrhea are weaning from the mother dog or siblings, adjusting to a new home, a ride on a airplane, a visit to the vet, and over-excitement.
3. Eating something your puppy shouldn’t
Little puppies are curious in nature resulting to a boundless exploration thinking everything is edible. Puppies also wander to garbage cans and tend to snack on the dirty leftovers. Puppy diarrhea is most likely going to happen.
What you should do:
Focus on eliminating the cause of diarrhea. Next step is to replace lost fluids with a regular fresh water supply. You can also use Pedialyte (found in baby section of grocery stores) to replenish the lost fluids of your puppy. Offer it alone or mix it with your puppy’s water.
If your English bulldog puppy is drinking well, it will be lively and bright eyed. If it is not exactly showing the said signs, you should monitor your puppy especially when it shows signs of other illness such as vomiting, lethargy, among others. You can give half teaspoon of Pepto Bismol for every 10 pounds of weight for every 4 hours, to a maximum of 8 doses. It will coat your puppy’s intestines to afford a chance to heal and get rid of diarrhea.
When your pet had its 8th dose of Pepto Bismol but is not showing any improvement. Take your English bulldog puppy to the vet to have it checked for parasites, worms, or other diseases.
Lactobacillus naturally found in yogurt can help add good bacteria back into the digestive tract. You can add a tablespoon of vanilla or strawberry yogurt to your puppy’s meals. Puppies definitely love yogurt!
If none of the tips above works and your vet has ruled out parasites in your puppy’s system, switch your puppy to a bland diet for one week. Bland diet consists of rice with no seasonings mixed with plain cooked hamburger meat or skinless chicken. It will be an -easy-to-digest for your puppy and can be used in a chronic case of diarrhea.
There are some cases of loose stools to last up to 6 months of age with no particular cause except of a sensitive stomach. No need to worry about it since it will eventually get better.
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