I am at a loss...

MomToBettis

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Jan 18, 2014
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Bettis
Hello all, this is my first time posting, or starting a new thread. I have read some great tips on here in the past, and am hoping to get some help with some issues my little Bettis has been having. To start, I have an apt with the vet on Monday and I am bringing a stool sample with me. Now on to the fun stuff... My 1 yr old EB Bettis has always had fairly soft stool... pretty much ever since my husband and I brought him home when he was 10 1/2 weeks. He had a horrible case of round worms when we got him, but after 2 rounds of panacure (sp?), he was good to go. However, his stool has never been firm. We have seen the vet about it, and he gave us a variety of options... which always just seemed to put aband-aid on the issue. But most recently, we have started experiencing a whole new ball game, and not a good one. We spent a few days at my in-laws for Christmas, and his stool started getting softer and softer to the point of liquid. I attributed it to being out of his routine, and sure enough within a day of us being home it started firming up. This was all good and dandy until a couple of nights ago he went on our floor in our bedroom. He never goes in the house... he has been potty trained for quite a while. I thought this may have been a fluke, but the next day when I got home from work, he had had explosive diarrhea in his kennel. We called the vet and they recommended adding pumpkin to his food immediately. This did start helping, but last night he went TWICE in our bedroom, and it was very soft. So today we had to leave him alone for about 3 hours, but decided to leave him in our kitchen, gated in. He had complete liquid diarrhea twice. He has now gone almost 16 hours without food. My biggest concerns are obviously that he has liquid stool all of a sudden, and that he seems to have completely lost the ability to hold it. I am at such a loss right now... any help would be appreciated.



Also, sorry for the insane amount of info. I just wanted to be thorough. :/
 

Vikinggirl

Norwegian Rose
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Oct 8, 2012
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Burlington, ON Canada
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Bulldozer and Blossom
Hi, and welcome to you and Bettis. My first question is could he have eaten something that he shouldn't have or you may not know he's eaten? My male Bulldozer has a habit of eating stuff like socks, which he has done on 4 occasions, and a dish cloth. He's always been able to either poop them out, or throw them up. We've been really lucky that he hasn't needed surgery. For every sock that he's swallowed, except for one, we didn't know he had swallowed them. He showed signs of obstruction sometimes but not all the time, most of the time, he acted normal in p,ating eating, and drinking. The third time he swallowed a sock, he got sick he started with diarrhea, then vomiting, and drooling from his mouth, which are all signs of obstruction, as well a seeing lethargic. We brought him to the vet, she did X-rays, which showed a shadow in his intestines, but we didn't know what the object was. She gave him IV fluids, pain medications, and a laxative. She sent us home with a high fibre food and instructed us to keep an eye on him, but she was convinced he was going to have to have surgery. He was able to poop it out. My other question is which brand of dog food are you feeding Bettis? My female Blossom is allergic to chicken, which a lot of EB's are sensitive to, and salmon, corn, and grains. Did he get anything different to eat at your in -laws, or any table scraps? I would keep an eye on him, and watch his poop to see if he passes any foreign objects. It can take up to a week for him to pass something after ingesting it. The last sock that I knew Bulldozer had swallowed took a whole month for him to vomit it up. I watched his poop for 2 weeks, and then one morning, he threw it up in his crate. The whole time he was completely normal, and ate his food and peed and pooped normal. You can take him to the vet, and have an X-ray, or a barium enema, and have him checked out if you're concerned. I hope he's okay, and you find a solution to his soft poops. Please keep us posted. Sending love, hugs and prayers to you and Bettis.
 

Pati Robins

I'm Polish what did you expect! A lady like person
Community Veteran
Jun 12, 2013
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Cardiff UK
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Lily (British Bulldog) & Shy (American Bulldog X)
Im sorry im not really good at advices regarding poop
But do you worm her regularly (our worming tablets need to be administrated every 4 months ) and also how much do you feed her and have you consider changing food to see how she will do on it
It could be many factors -like something in a food that is not agreeing with her,worms or feeding to much -as you know every bully is different and there isnt any guide as to how much food they need
As for runny poos you got already fantastic advice so i cant add anything else
I know that if she swallow something sometimes it wont show on the ex rays
I hope your problem will be resolved soon
 
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MomToBettis

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Jan 18, 2014
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USA
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Bettis
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  • #4

Hi there, thanks for responding! We feed Bettis Nature's variety, raw boost chicken formula... it's half regular kibbles and half freeze dried raw pieces. We used to feed him Blue's grain free chicken formula, but switched him over to try to help his soft stool. I am noticing a trend here with the chicken, I think I will get the turkey formula the next time he needs food. As to him eating table scraps, our family knows that this is a big no-no, as they don't want him going on their floor ;) But we did give him a piece of turkey on Christmas, and I swear this is the only table scrap he has ever had. It was only about the size of a thumb, so not that big. Also, he has eaten 3 or 4 socks in his day and he has always pooped them out without a problem. He has only ever eaten my 'no-show' socks for ballet flats. I actually went through my dirty laundry on Friday to count how many I had in there, and it was an even match, so I don't believe that he's eaten anything like that. However, my father-in-law really likes Bettis, and likes taking him out... but he has a habit of not watching him very well. We have always told them that he has to be watched while he's outside, as he has a habit of getting into things. But he thinks we are crazy and over 'babying' him... because he's a dog. It's an ongoing thing. But we came home from work the day after Christmas to find Bettis running around outside while my FIL was doing yard work, not watching him. so I'm not sure how long he was out there, and what he got in to. Also, Bettis has been same as usual with his appetite and energy level. I swear this dog is an anomaly in the EB world... he is SO playful, and has SO much energy. We're still waiting for the lazy EB characteristics to kick in ;)


 

ddnene

EBN's SWEETHEART aka our little GOOB
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Jun 19, 2013
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Nashville, Tennessee
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Willow (2015) Walter (2014-22) Winston (2012-13) Wellie (2012-13) Bella (2007-13)
Bettis could have an obstruction or he could have a gastrointestinal virus. I would take a sample of his stool in to the vet to be checked… it could be a range of things. Guardia can cause explosive diarrhea in bullies. Or he could be obstructed since you mentioned that he likes to eat socks. In that case he would need an x-ray or a barium x-ray because some items will NOT show up on a normal x-ray. Once you discover the problem, then you can go from there… either way he should be placed on a bland diet of boiled chicken/sirloin & rice. Good luck & please keep up posted!!!
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Jul 28, 2011
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Great advice from the gang.... I would lean toward a virus or giardia since you state everything else is normal? No vomit at all and energy, eating are normal??

i would feed ground beef and rice (bland diet) for a few days and when you take the poo sample, be sure to ask for the giardia test as it is not just done, you need to ask for it.

please keep us posted
 
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MomToBettis

New member
Jan 18, 2014
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0
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Bettis
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  • #7
Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the advice and support. Bettis has thrown up twice within the last 6-8 weeks, and both times it was in the morning before a meal, so it was only bile, and then he went on to eat his breakfast. But energy and appetite have both been normal. I took a sample from Bettis' stool from his accident tonight, and I will take it with me to the apt tomorrow. I just feel so bad for the little (big) guy... but hopefully the vet will have some answers for us tomorrow. Thanks again, and I will keep you all posted.
 

Texas Carol

Texas Carol....put the heart in EBN
Community Veteran
Jul 4, 2012
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Central Texas
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Brutus & Cami live in Heaven
Sorry but we need much more info to help you,like how old he is, what other
proteins you've tried (meat sources) in the past, etc. It IS NOT normal to always
have soft poos (that's a red flag) so I'm thinking this is not obstruction. He may
have a virus or parasite right now but there is an ongoing issue. Tell us what the
vet says and in the meantime feed white rice & boiled, drained hamburger, add
1 TBSP pumpkin (not pie mix) and plenty of fresh water, ice cubes & diluted beef
broth. Slippery Elm is a fabulous herb, it coats (protects) the gut and promotes
healing. It can be bought at health food stores or ordered online, Amazon too.
Great for y'all too anytime irritation of throat or stomach, very safe. I'm thinking
a food change & change of protein might help in firming his poo~Let us know!
 

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