"Clicking Hips" and Diahrrhea

tomolson24

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Bernice
Hi Everyone,

My wife and I are new Bulldog owners, we have had our little baby Bernice for just over 5 months. We have had her to the vet already a few times other than her regular check ups. (being paranoid parents). We noticed that her hips click a bit and if you put your hand on her back as she walks you can feel her hips move in and out. I mentioned this to the vet and he said that they were "abnormal" and that at that age its too hard to actually identify it as hip dysplasia. She plays normal and she does not seem bothered by it at all! First question is, have any of your bulldog puppies or dogs at that age had that problem and seen it get better as they aged? Is there anything specific you requested from the vet to help with it, or is there anything I should look into?

Second is we are having some soft stools. Some days they are harder, but they are usually always "soft serve". Gross I know, but I am sure someone out there has experienced this quite a bit. We have her switched off of RC to Fromm Four Star Beef Frittata, and was hoping that it would get better, but her stool are still runny. She has not been on Fromm that long, so I am not going to give up on that quite yet. We were feeding her twice a day about 1 1/2 cups, and just started doing 1 cup to hope and get that stool harder? Can anyone suggest ways to get harder stools. The doctor was made aware of this as well, but said they can stay soft for a full year. Just felt like that seemed odd. Thoughts, concerns, help?

Thanks so much!
 

Davidh

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The hips could just be loose, and not displasia, only time will tell on that. I was going to suggest decreasing the food a bit, as that should help with the soft serve. Usually too much food will cause that. I hope since you decreased the amount of food that will help.
 

nubonics

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With the food, my EB didn't do well on beef frittata (loose poops) but when I switched to pork & pea his poops were solid within 1-2 days.


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RiiSi

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For the hips I would suggest salmon oil and joint supplement with at least MSM and Glucosamine.
 

2BullyMama

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The hips could just be loose, and not displasia, only time will tell on that. I was going to suggest decreasing the food a bit, as that should help with the soft serve. Usually too much food will cause that. I hope since you decreased the amount of food that will help.

For the hips I would suggest salmon oil and joint supplement with at least MSM and Glucosamine.

:up: agreed! cut back a little on the food to see if it helps.... her is a good guideline for amount/age


8 weeks1/2 cup 3 times a day
12 weeks2/3 to 3/4 cup 3 times a day
4 & 5 months3/4 cup 3 times a day
6 months to 1 year1.25 to 1.5 cups twice a day
 
OP
tomolson24

tomolson24

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When switching the foods on Fromm will i need to wean her off the old food, or is that easy on their stomachs, if we want to try a different grain free food? Also, will the salmon oil help with both hips and diarrhea?
 

2BullyMama

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When switching the foods on Fromm will i need to wean her off the old food, or is that easy on their stomachs, if we want to try a different grain free food? Also, will the salmon oil help with both hips and diarrhea?

The great thing about Fromm grain free line.... you change switch without transition... you can even feed one flavor for breakfast and a different one for dinner. The salmon oil is to help with the hips....

For the poo... lessen the amount first and see if it helps, if not, then you can either switch flavors or add a tablespoon of pure canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) to her meal
 
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tomolson24

tomolson24

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Thank you so much for the help! We will get the salmon oil and see how it works for her. Lastly, is the pumpkin a temp fix or will that help after they dont eat it anymore? Sorry for all the questions.

Side question not relevant...can you see my profile picture on the left?
 

2BullyMama

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Thank you so much for the help! We will get the salmon oil and see how it works for her. Lastly, is the pumpkin a temp fix or will that help after they dont eat it anymore? Sorry for all the questions.

Side question not relevant...can you see my profile picture on the left?

I give pumpkin every day with breakfast because Lambeau needs the extra fiber.... seriously, try to cut back the amount at each meal first and see if that works, could juts be too much food.

I can not see your avatar picture.... on post/forum page it is 'avatar'... on your profile page is 'profile picture'..... hope that helps
 

TyTysmom

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Thank you so much for the help! We will get the salmon oil and see how it works for her. Lastly, is the pumpkin a temp fix or will that help after they dont eat it anymore? Sorry for all the questions.

Side question not relevant...can you see my profile picture on the left?

Yep, I can see your pic now.

Pumpkin can be used temporarily or long term. We've only used it for "problem times" and once its cleared up we stop. Also, I know others mentioned salmon oil which is indeed great. However I would not introduce the salmon oil until you have the "poo" under control .... bc that can make it worse (runny wise) Tyson didn't do well on the oil, just depends on the dog, it upset his tummy. I do recommend some joint supplements; which you can start at any time really as they are wafers, and most dogs love them and consider them treats. Mine does, LOL We have used Nujoint and Consequin. Feel free to research, just be sure they have MSM and Glucosamine. She is still young so she may end up growing into her hips, etc. Christine answered your other question on the switch. If its within Fromms' grain free line you don't have to do a slow transition. If you are going to try a whole new food, then yes absolutely... and I would span the transition out a minimum of a full 7 days if possible. Keep us posted on her progress! She's a cutie!
 
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tomolson24

tomolson24

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Thanks for that! Yeah we have already weaned her off the RC, which we did over a week span of slow increments. Hoping the lower dose helps! I will certainly look into the joint pills so that we can start her on those "treats". Hoping its not long term with the hips!!! Again, doesnt seem to be bothering her which is good, but just scared long term with arthritis and all that! Thanks again!!!
 

TyTysmom

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Thanks for that! Yeah we have already weaned her off the RC, which we did over a week span of slow increments. Hoping the lower dose helps! I will certainly look into the joint pills so that we can start her on those "treats". Hoping its not long term with the hips!!! Again, doesnt seem to be bothering her which is good, but just scared long term with arthritis and all that! Thanks again!!!

It could just be her age and she's not fully grown into them yet. But unfortunately with bulldogs its a very common occurrence. The supplements will help tremendously, as they go in and strengthen the joints, and help with inflammation. My Tyson is 10 yrs old, and started to have arthritis issues at the age of 8, but I've seen it in much younger bullies. Its not a horrible thing per say, you just have to treat it, and stay on top of the supplements, vitamins etc that help it. And as hard as this may sound, especially for a pup her age, try to not let her jump too high or off of high things. If she gets on the couch or beds, consider purchasing some stairs, and train her to use them.... it will help so much in the long run for her joints. Another member here, Matt [MENTION=13617]Enjoimangos[/MENTION] baby Boris has severe hip displasia but Boris is doing wonderful, and he has learned to adjust. Perhaps he can chime in with some advice too, but I wouldn't' be too concerned yet until she's fully grown :)
 

sisters3

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Thanks for that! Yeah we have already weaned her off the RC, which we did over a week span of slow increments. Hoping the lower dose helps! I will certainly look into the joint pills so that we can start her on those "treats". Hoping its not long term with the hips!!! Again, doesnt seem to be bothering her which is good, but just scared long term with arthritis and all that! Thanks again!!!

Hi there! I just wanted to tell you that Joey's hips clicked up until about a month ago, now not. Her vet said not to worry, she'll probably grow out of it. Joey is 10 months old now. The Vet does always check her hips on normal visits though. I'm really new at this too and you've gotten THE BEST ADVICE from Jessica and Christine about the pumpkin for sure!!

Joey had "soft serve" too and THAT IS EXACTLY how I described it!! The pumpkin worked so fast!! Joey gets maybe a tablespoon on evening meal, I kept it up because I was moving from puppy to adult kibble.

Hope all of this helps some how. BTW LOVE the name Bernice!!!
 

chitownbully

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Hi tomolson24 My baby will be 8 months in a few days, at around 5 months he started showing symptoms of having hip dysplasia. Vet did a physical exam on his legs and did not feel any looseness in his joints, and said the only way to diagnose hip dysplasia is with x-rays and because puppy must be very still he would have to be anesthetized. Not something we feel is necessary to do at this time. We started him on a joint supplement of Glucosamine Chondroitin + MSM, which seems to be helping. It took about a month before i started noticing some improvement.
I don't think it gets better as they age. We can only manage it and hope it doesn't get to bad where surgery is necessary.

Regarding the soft stool my baby also has soft stools, formed but very soft. Vet does not seem concerned about this at all. We contribute it to any of the meds he's been on and hoping once he's done with this last round it will harden up. His last dose is tomorrow and i am so so happy, as i'm sure he will be too. I would ask my vet before cutting the amount of her food intake.

I hope this helps!
 

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