I see this posted all of the time in Frenchie Facebook groups, ” What should I do when my Frenchie has diarrhea? This is a great question as your little French Fry will likely experience this at least once in their life. It can be frustrating and worrisome as to much fluids enters their GI tract for whatever reasons, interfering with the GI tract, and even causing malabsorption issues and dehydration. I understand. Last month we had a round of diarrhea going through the Frenchie clan. They had squirts on the walls,  floor, and covered their blankets in it as well. My full time job at that time was cleaner and detective. This will likely be your role as well until you get it cleared up. 

Let’s go over some common reasons why your French Bulldog has diarrhea. Some are acute (sudden) and some are chronic (persists). 

1. A sudden change in diet. I had switched their food so I thought maybe this could be it. 
2. Getting into the garbage. 
3. Parasites. This is often the culprit especially in pups as they are unfortunately often a part of puppyhood. Giardia and coccidia are often offenders. Your vet will need to run a fecal test to determine if there are parasites. If so, prescribe the proper medication which your number one job is to give your pup every single dose whether he likes it or not. 
4. Eating a foreign object such as a sock or toy. If this happened, other signs may include vomiting, abdominal tenderness, or lack of appetite. This is something your vet will need to help you diagnose and may even need surgical removal. If you see your Frenchie  swallow something he shouldn’t, act immediately. Check out this blog article: What to do when your Frenchie eats a sock or something like it. 
5. Eating toxic foods for dogs like chocolate or poisonous plants like poinsettias. In small amounts, it may pass. If your Frenchies acts odd or just to be safe you can contact a vet or poison control: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call (888) 426-4435. A consultation fee may apply.
6. Allergic reactions. If your Frenchie has allergies, his body can be trying to flush it out of his system. If you notice your Frenchie is constantly licking/chewing his paws, scratching, and/or moist/scabbed skin this may be the culprit and will likely require an elimination diet to find the source .
7. Medication side effect. Did your Frenchie just start a new medication? If so, check out if this is a common side effect via your vet or pharmacy. 
8. Irritable bowel disease. If your Frenchie is also experiencing weight loss, this could be the case. Your little Frenchie will need to see the vet to be diagnosed. 
9. Kidney or liver disease. If your little one has diarrhea with a hunched over position, weight loss, not wanting to move, vomiting, blood in urine, increase/decrease in urine, or lack of appetite this could be a sign of kidney or liver issues and you need to see the vet. 

What to do when your Frenchie has diarrhea. 

Ask yourself these questions,

1. Is he playing and acting normal?  If not, it’s definitley a sign to call the vet. Do take your dog to the veterinarian as soon as possible if at any time your dog shows any of these symptoms: bloat, lethargy, fever, large amount of blood in the stool, frequent liquid diarrhea, vomiting, can’t keep food or water down, at risk of dehydration, or showing any other unusual symptoms that worry youDid he recently have a change in dogfood? 
2. Did he eat something such as toxic food or plant? 
3. Did he swallow something he shouldn’t have? 
4. Is it accompanied with weight loss? 
5. Does he have allergy symptoms like licking/chewing his paws, scratching, and/or moist/scabbed skin? 

Call your vet or join Pawp.com to access vet 24/7. I love Pawp.com and use them myself. You can have up to 6 pets on an account and receive up to $3000 one time coverage for a true emergency that is approved by them. Only $19/month.  I love them and consult with them often. They can tell you what your next step should be and are an amazing source when you cannot get ahold of your vet. 

Here’s what I did to get tootise roll poops coming out of the booties of all my Frenchies. 

1. Fasted for 12 hours. Gave a bland diet for 24-48hours. Some sources say to fast them for 12 hours some do not. Puppies should not be fasted. Basically they fasted overnight and then began the bland diet in the morning. 
2. Made sure they had plenty of water to prevent dehydration. After fasting, gave a few licks of water at first and  slowly introduced water back into the system. 
3. Gave probiotics and digestive enzymes twice daily.  I love these digestive enzymes that have probiotics in them.
4. Made a 1:1:1 mixture of L-glutamine, FOS (fructo-oligosaccharide), and Slippery Elm. 1 tsp twice daily sprinkled in food to help ease the intestinal lining. You can order these on Amazon (affiliate links). L-glutamine, Slippery Elm, FOS.
5. Fecal exam by vet: Positive for coccidia. Gave albon as prescribed by vet.
6. Switched to homemade raw dog food fed twice daily. 

Please remember your Frenchie’s diarrhea treatment plan may differ depending on the situation. You are the detective to help guide yourself to a solution. You can use Pawp.com or your own vet to help you. 

Did you find your perfect Frenchie pup?

Start planning for your new French Bulldog puppy to join you! 

Need help planning? This is include for free when choosing a pup from The French Bulldog of Colorado. No worries if you don’t. You can still get the same training our puppy parents receive.

Still Looking for the Perfect Frenchie to add to your family?

Check out our available Frenchie pups at our sister company, The French Bulldog fo Colorado.

What to do when my Frenchie swallows a sock or something like it?  You may or may not be asking this but I can guarantee you will want to know this information just in case. I have found in my 20+ years experience with Frenchies that they are snackers. They love to put everything in their mouth like toddlers and some even like to swallow these items. 

Last weekend I was watching a movie with the boys with the Frenchies all around us. My boys decided to take off their socks which the Frenchies love the smell of dirty feet so they were instantly drawn to these delicious “treats”. I am so used to the Frenchies chewing on the socks because in my household 5 & 6 year old boys are not concerned with placing them in the hamper after removal. Bubbles, a 6 month old, particularly loves her “toys” she finds. I thought it was just so cute how much she loved her treasure and I was willing to throw away the sock so she could enjoy her time chewing on it. She moved to the other end of the room near the doggie door and continued chewing away. I happened to look at her and see the yellow sock partially hanging out of her mouth.  Then I saw her take a big gulp and the sock disappeared. I couldn’t believe it. She swallowed the whole sock.

Options of what to do when a Frenchie swallows a sock.

I placed her in her bedtime crate and picked up my trusty iPhone so I could consult with Dr. Google. I had two options. One let it pass through which could take 24-36 hours and the sock was huge. I didn’t think that was a good option as it would likely get stuck and need surgery. The second option was have her vomit it up. As it had only been a few minutes and likely still in her stomach, I chose this route. Back to Dr. Google and I found a great source for dosing hydrogen peroxide. They say to give them 0.5-1ml per pound of body weight and to start initially with 0.5ml/pound and see what happens. If you give too much then they may not be able to stop from vomitting. So be careful with dosing.

As she is a puppy and growing, I did not know her current weight. So I stepped on the scale, got my weight, stepped on the scaled with her, and then subtracted the difference. She was 17lbs. I chose to give 15mls (equivalent to about 1 tablespoon) and place her back in her crate. Then, I went back to Dr. Google and found it would take about 15 minutes or less if it worked. I watched her for a few minutes and noticed she was burping. I left her for a few minutes. Came back and there was the sock. Naughty Bubbles. The size of the sock in proportion to her blows my mind and she is now known as my little python. If I wouldn’t have seen her gulp it down, she would have been in trouble and could have died from it being wrapped up in her intestines. 

What to do when my Frenchie swallows a sock or something like it? 

1. I have to give the disclaimer to always contact your vet. But guess what, they don’t always answer. If your Frenchies are anything like my Bubbles, they do these things on a Friday night. I do highly recommend joining pawp.com. You get 24 hour access to vets who will answer your questions in situations like this. The nice thing is you can have up to 6 pets on the account and $3000 for one emergency vet per year all for the price of $19/month. I love them and was waiting to have a vet join but I felt pretty confident in my plan of action. I’m a pharmacist but when my babies, two and four legged, have an issue I sometimes lose my brain and it’s nice to have another professional guide me on the best course of action. Check into it and be prepared for your next Frenchie emergency. 
2. If you catch it within a few hours of swallowing, give them hydrogen peroxide 0.5ml-1.0ml per pound of body weight. Remember 15ml is about 1 tablespoon. Don’t know your Frenchies weight? Step on a scale with and without him and then subtract the difference.  Your Frenchie will usually vomit the item up within 15 minutes or less. 

Once a sock swallower, always a sock swallower. Make sure to communicate with each person in the household to keep objects like socks away from the Frenchies. I had to go out and scour the backyard looking for socks as my boys like to take them off before jumping on the trampoline. Always double check their toys and throw them out if they have fluffing coming out of them, rope toys coming untied, or just appear like they could be a potential hazard for swallowing. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Replace them with new toys. Here’s some our Frenchies love: 

Yes, Frenchies can throw all kinds of obstacles at us that we must solve…like swallowing socks, but they are worth every moment as they bring so much joy to our lives. Just remember, it’s always better to be proactive than reactive. Keep things away from them that they can swallow and have hydrogen peroxide on hand. You can order here on Amazon if you don’t have any on hand (affiliate link).

Did you find your perfect Frenchie pup?

Start planning for your new French Bulldog puppy to join you! 

Need help planning? This is include for free when choosing a pup from The French Bulldog of Colorado. No worries if you don’t. You can still get the same training our puppy parents receive.

Still Looking for the Perfect Frenchie to add to your family?

Check out our available Frenchie pups at our sister company, The French Bulldog fo Colorado.