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