Whenever we place a puppy in a home we always discuss the 3 most common reasons why a French Bulldog puppy may have a loose stool when joining your home. Don’t worry the majority of time your Frenchies stool will be fine and even when loose it’s not typically an emergency.

The top 3 most common reasons a French Bulldog puppy may have a loose stool.

First, joining a new home is an environmental stressor even though he is going to be the spoiled center of attention and loving his new position in life. Just as people can run back and forth to the bathroom when stressed so can little puppies. This is their first time away from their siblings and meeting all of their new two-and-four-legged family members.

Second, giardia is everywhere and in everything and common in puppies and immune compromised adults. Remember your puppy has only been alive for weeks and still building up his immune system.  When your puppy leaves us he will have had two rounds of the dewormer called Panacur. This deworming also gets rid giardia as well. It is our best attempt for your puppy to not have giardia when coming into your home. Anything that poops on the ground such as deer, rabbits, birds, other dogs, etc… and then your puppy walks through it and licks his paw he could get it.

Third, coccidia can flare up when under stressful situations as well as picked up in the ground by anything that defecates there as well.

When you take your puppy to the vet within 48 hours of pickup for its puppy wellness check, your vet will take a stool sample. They will be able to tell you if either of these are present. Fortunately, the medications for these are fairly inexpensive (around $20). The important thing is you need to give the puppy every dose whether he likes it or not. The medications for coccidia tastes like syrup and is easy to give your puppy. The medications for giardia taste a little bitter and you will need to figure out a way to help your puppy get it down. If your vet recommends flagyl (other name metronidazole),  you can have it compounded to taste delicious but realize it will need to be compounded by a compounding pharmacy and will be a bit more expensive.  

What if my puppies stool has mucus or bloody?

Before your puppy leaves he is given DA2PP at 8 weeks old and if your puppy joins you after 12 weeks old then they will have an additional shot at 12 weeks old. The vaccination DA2PP covers Parvo. The chances that it is parvo is close to zero. Even when mucusy and even with some blood, it’s likely due to stress or your puppy may have eaten something he shouldn’t.

Do not change the food when brining your puppy home.

Changing food can be an additional stressor on a puppy. Many puppies do fine but some do not and end up with loose stools. We do not know how to predict which puppies won’t do well switching foods. As a result, we recommend keeping your Frenchie on the same diet for one month after bringing him to your home. Then if you’d like to change it, feel free to do so. Also, we have found that Frenchies stools stay harder on Royal Canin Small breed puppy food than other puppy foods. That’s why we use it and it’s also helpful in

Questions to ask yourself?

• Is my puppy active and acting normal?
• Is my puppy eating and drinking normally?

If the answer is yes to both questions, it’s likely not an emergency. If your, Frenchie is acting lethargic and not eating and/or drinking, it’s a sign something more serious is wrong and you should contact your veterinarian

I have seen this question repeated often, “Why is my French Bulldog itchy?” This is a question that can take several articles to explain. Let’s keep it as simple as possible and I’ll show you my opinion and where you can start relieving or preventing itchiness in your Frenchie.

1. Be mindful of chemicals your Frenchie is exposed to.

Your Frenchie spends the majority of his time in close contact to the ground. Chemicals you place on your floor and lawn will be breathed in and have direct contact with the skin potentially causing skin irritation and being absorbed into their system. If absorbed their bodies have to process and eliminate it. Your Frenchie could have skin irritation due to these chemicals. Just like humans every Frenchie is different. I highly recommend starting with your floor cleaner, laundry soap (doggie beds and clothes), and chemicals sprayed on lawns in direct contact with your Frenchie.

A great place to search for safer, cleaner products is the EPA safer choice website. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/products

Products I like. (These are affiliate links on Amazon.)

Flooring and multipurpose cleaner: Odoban

Laundry detergent: Biokleen

I’m not going to pretend like I know the best lawn products because I have just chosen to ignore lawn care that involves spraying chemicals in my backyard where the Frenchies & kiddos play. I really don’t care about having the perfectly manicured lawn but I realize some of you do. If I were looking for lawn care, I’d google pet safe lawn care or for those who enjoy DIY pet safe lawn care products.

Add a UV light and air filtration system to your HVAC system.

We often feel safe within our homes that are well insulated keeping us comfortable all year long. But often our homes are also a site for trapping allergens making both us and our Frenchies feel sick with allergies. In my networking, I met Annette who started Perairapy  after relieving her pets allergies and hotspots with the addition of a UV light system and air filtration system in her home. You must read more about adding one to your home here (this states it’s for fostering but it can be used in your home). https://petairapy.com/animal-industry-solutions/pet-foster-homes/ You can also watch her story below. Again she targets professionals dog facilities but also has one just for your home.

Do no overbathe your Frenchie.

Dogs evolved with the dirt and there are microorganisms, minerals, etc… in the dirt that are beneficial for your Frenchies skin health. Think about the benefits of mud baths and clay masks for humans. Allowing dirt on your Frenchie is ok. When you overbathe them you strip them of the benefits of the soil. We recommend bathing your Frenchie no more than once a month. You can read more about how often to bathe your Frenchie here. https://thefrenchbulldog.com/how-often-should-i-bathe-my-french-bulldog/

Frenchies skin is three times thinner than yours. This means he is more likely to absorb what is placed on his skin. Because of this we also recommend using clean non-toxic shampoos when bathing. https://thefrenchbulldog.com/what-should-i-bathe-my-french-bulldog-with/

Why is my Frenchie itchy? Other reasons to consider.

These are just three things you can do to for your Frenchie to help relieve or prevent itchiness. Obviously, there are other things that can cause your Frenchie to be itchy as well such as:

• Overgrowth of candida yeast
• Food allergies
• Parasites
• Infections such as ear infections
• Fleas
• Hot spots
• Dry skin
• Weather changes
• Environmental allergies such as pollen
• Hormonal imbalance
• Anxiety
• Boredom
• Diet
• And others

We will slowly go through some of the other reasons why your Frenchie could be itchy. Not all Frenchies will have issues with being itchy. Please do not worry if you’re waiting on your very own Frenchie pup. This article is for those who want to prevent itchiness and help those out whose Frenchies might be itchy. I have found what is usually good for the earth is good for our us and our Frenchies. It’s a fun, interesting journey of discovering the best health and wellness pieces to add for optimizing our two and four legged family members health.