Reggies Parents

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Dec 30, 2016
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Reggie
Hey everyone!!

When we got Reggie he was on Fish 4 Dogs white fish puppy food. We continued this until 2 weeks ago when Reggie started getting an upset tummy. He didn't quite have the runs but it wasn't far off. It continued for a few days so we took him to the vet and she said, based on the fact the the first poo of the day is always solid, and then gets steadily softer from there, that it was an irritated colon and probably "the start of an allergy to his food".

When we looked closer into it we saw that Fish 4 Dogs had recently changed the formula from "ocean cod" to "ocean white fish" and had reduced the potato content and added pea flour as the carb (which I read is a low quality filler carb).
So we fed him scrambled egg as per vet advice until the runs cleared up and then started using Taste of the Wild high Prairie puppy food. Firm(ish) stools now, althought the vet did say the irritated colon could take a while to clear up. REALLY smelly farts though - definitely more than when on Fish 4 Dogs.

So my question is - when should we switch to adult formula??

Many differing opinions online - some say not till at least 1 year old, 1 vet we saw said 15 -16 months at the earliest, others say with bullies and larger breeds to switch at around 6 months to prevent too rapid growth.

What did you all do??

Thanks!
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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We take them off at 6 months. Way more protein in puppy food than most Bulldogs need...unless the bully is unusually active
 

cefe13

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Sep 12, 2013
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Castor transitioned to adult food at 7 months, I believe. He ended up a small bulldog so perhaps we should have kept him on puppy food :-)
 
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Reggies Parents

New member
Dec 30, 2016
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Bristol, UK
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Reggie
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We take them off at 6 months. Way more protein in puppy food than most Bulldogs need...especially if the bully is unusually active

He is definitely unusually active! Both the trainers who have seen him have said that.
Both vets he's seen have said that he is the healthiest bulldog puppy they've ever examined, and his airways are perfectly clear which means he won't get out of breath as quick as some bulldog pups, so he can just keep going!
He also has not one ounce of fat on him, his 15kg is pretty much all muscle and he seems a bit taller/long legged than other pups his age.
All means he has tons of energy, and he is also very clever.

Thanks for the advice, we'll definitely consider switching at 6 months
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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Jan 20, 2016
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Lala, Chesty, Winky, Waggles, Moose, and rescue Peggy(soon to be placed)
He is definitely unusually active! Both the trainers who have seen him have said that.
Both vets he's seen have said that he is the healthiest bulldog puppy they've ever examined, and his airways are perfectly clear which means he won't get out of breath as quick as some bulldog pups, so he can just keep going!
He also has not one ounce of fat on him, his 15kg is pretty much all muscle and he seems a bit taller/long legged than other pups his age.
All means he has tons of energy, and he is also very clever.

Thanks for the advice, we'll definitely consider switching at 6 months
Note that I mis-spoke and should have said "unless" he's unusually active. Fixed now. So, he may benefit from the puppy food for a bit longer than most. Once you see him starting to chub up a little it's time to switch.
 
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Reggies Parents

New member
Dec 30, 2016
193
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Bristol, UK
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United Kingdom
Bulldog(s) Names
Reggie
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Note that I mis-spoke and should have said "unless" he's unusually active. Fixed now. So, he may benefit from the puppy food for a bit longer than most. Once you see him starting to chub up a little it's time to switch.

Ahhh, I see. Thanks for clarifying :)
In that case I think we'll just play it casual and keep an eye on him. I may ask for advice again when the time comes. He is currently 15kg at 19 weeks, I need to read through the weight/growth charts that you guys have on the thread here to see how he compares. He was just under 5kg when we got him at 8 weeks. We'll just monitor him & see how he goes.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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As others have stated, depending on activity level any time after 6 months. I switched all my guys at 8 months because their activity level was average for a bulldog
 

Vikinggirl

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We switched our two guys when they were 7 months old. Our vet said we could switch them to an adult dogfood when they were 6 or 7 months old. Many people switch at this age, and some like to switch when they are a year old. Talk to your vet and see what he recommends, and see how Reggie is doing when he is around 6 to 7 months old and make your decision. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, anywhere from 6 months to a year old is okay.
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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Lala, Chesty, Winky, Waggles, Moose, and rescue Peggy(soon to be placed)
I'm thinking your boy is going to be a really large bulldog...as in over 60#...maybe 70. That's a lot of food.
 
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Reggies Parents

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Dec 30, 2016
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Bristol, UK
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Reggie
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I'm thinking your boy is going to be a really large bulldog...as in over 60#...maybe 70. That's a lot of food.
[MENTION=15364]oscarmayer[/MENTION] Do you think that based on his weight now?
We thought he was going to be a big boy too because his paws are HUGE, but the vet nurse who saw him last said he's probably a third of his adult weight by now so shouldn't get to more than 45kg. Don't think she knows much about bullys lol :D

I have a full weight chart for him at home, I'll post it here later if you wouldn't mind taking a look & seeing what you think?
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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Jan 20, 2016
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VA
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Lala, Chesty, Winky, Waggles, Moose, and rescue Peggy(soon to be placed)
[MENTION=15364]oscarmayer[/MENTION] Do you think that based on his weight now?
We thought he was going to be a big boy too because his paws are HUGE, but the vet nurse who saw him last said he's probably a third of his adult weight by now so shouldn't get to more than 45kg. Don't think she knows much about bullys lol :D

I have a full weight chart for him at home, I'll post it here later if you wouldn't mind taking a look & seeing what you think?
Never seen an EB bigger than 90lbs(41kg). Is he perhaps an Olde English Bulldogge? They get that big easily.
 
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Reggies Parents

New member
Dec 30, 2016
193
5
Bristol, UK
Country
United Kingdom
Bulldog(s) Names
Reggie
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Never seen an EB bigger than 90lbs(41kg). Is he perhaps an Olde English Bulldogge? They get that big easily.

No, he's definitely a pure bred English Bulldog, we have his 5 generation pedigree :)
We always thought it was possible he was going to be a big lad, from the first couple of weeks of getting him. He had very big paws and frame even as a small puppy. His first vet visit at 9 weeks, the vet said he has no fat on him, perfect weight, muscly & great structure. One of the best bulldogs she had seen for a long time, clear airways etc. Also his dad is a big lean muscle machine (I have attached a pic of him too).
Here is his weight chart -
8 weeks - 5kg (10.58lb)
10 weeks - 6.3kg (13.88lb)
12 weeks - 7.9kg (17.41lb)
15 weeks - 10kg (22lb)
17 weeks - 11.7kg (25.79lb)
We have a rough weight for 19 weeks at about 13kg but will weigh him tomorrow (20 weeks) and post here to update you.
Have attached pics so you can see his overall build. Pic 1 is at 9 weeks old 1476986132933.jpg Pic 2 is 12 weeks 1483774517311 (1).jpg Pic 3 is 15 weeks 1483773988955.jpg Pic 4 is 17 weeks 1483774108271.jpg Pic 5 is a couple of days ago 20170106_004944 (1).jpg Pic 6 is dad jake 2.jpg
 

helsonwheels

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Jan 10, 2016
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Great photos. Looks good to me. Love the perky ears.
 

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