Recent Feedback
I have a 9mo old french bulldog puppy. He has had trouble with his stool for the last few days and yesterday seemed to become very irritated by his bottom - started scooting all over the place. This morning I took him to have his anal glands expressed... That alleviated the scooting, but he's still low-energy and not eating (he stopped eating 24 hours ago). In the last hour or so his head has also started trembling a bit. I've called the vet and they don't seem too concerned...have scheduled an appointment for the morning, but wonder if I shouldn't wait that long.
Optional Information: Pet's Sex: MalePet's Age: <1 Already Tried: Have offered chicken and rice (rejected both) and have had anal glands expressed.
Hi,
Thanks for your question. The trembling and anorexia (unwillingness to eat) are signals that he is in pain. It could be abdominal pain based on your description.
How are his stools? Are they normal size / consistency? When was the last time he defecated? When he last ate, was it normal enthusiasm and amount?
Has he vomited at all? Is he drinking normally?
Stools: He had trouble Sunday - stools were watery and soft. I gave him chicken only on Mon and they firmed up. He had kibble Tuesday and Wednesday and stools were ok. Thurs night (middle of the night) he started straining to go and very very little was coming out - what little was coming out was soft. That has continued into today. The last attempt he made to go was around noon.Eating: He last ate Wed night and gobbled it right up as he normally does. Has turned down kibble and chicken and rice yesterday and today.Vomiting: He vomited Sun night and once Mon morning. He has not vomited since.Water: He has been drinking water normally.Thank you.
Thanks for your great detailed answer. I forgot to ask - Is he up to date on his vaccines? Did the vet perform a fecal check for parasites?
He is up to date on vaccines...He is my friend's dog (who is out of the country) so I'm not positive about the fecal test... We've been emailing and she did mention that he was treated for dermodex mites a while ago - which couldn't have been too long ago because he's 9 months old.
Thanks for that information. Since you are not sure about the fecal, that would be the first place to start. Parasites could certainly be causing his discomfort and also the scooting and occasional vomiting. Your vet can perform a test in the clinic that will reveal some answers.
Some other possibilities - he could have a food allergy which is causing the stomach upset. This is sometimes really hard to isolate and is something to pursue after you've checked out parasites and other possibilities. It requires trying different foods, eliminating one ingredient at a time, trying to figure out what he is most sensitive to. There are also allergy tests that can be performed by the vet. Common food allergies in dogs include wheat, corn, and soy. Also, sometimes changing to a "unique" protein can help solve some food allergy issues. A unique protein is something that dogs do not normally get - such as duck or salmon.
He could also have colitis, which is a bacterial infection in the GI tract; or pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas that is brought on by sudden changes in the diet or stress. It can also be brought on by unknown triggers. Lastly, French Bulldogs and other "Bull" breeds have been known to develop a condition called "histiocytic ulcerative colitis", which is a chronic development of ulcers in the colon that can lead to chronic diarrhea and other GI issues. It's rare but it is a possibility, so I wanted to mention it. I have seen a couple of cases of this starting around this age.
So - back to your original question on whether or not you should wait for your appointment in the morning - that really depends on how he looks. Since he is not your dog, I would be more inclined to bring him into a 24 hour emergency clinic tonight. He is obviously uncomfortable and acting painful, and this is a good enough reason alone to get him to the ER vet. The ER vet can run a fecal, take an x-ray and pull blood work all on site (in most cases). The good part about that is you might get some answers sooner then if you were to go back to the general medicine vet.
Good luck w/ him; I hope he is feeling better soon and you get to the bottom of this! Let me know if you need anything else.
Experience: DVM student at University of Florida; 10 years experience as a CVT - emergency & critical care