[Sharlene S]

Help! I have a rescue French bulldog got from a lady who didn’t want him because he was sick. I got him on January 1st 2017. She said he was about 8 weeks old. When I went to collect him he was wrapped in a towel because he was having diarrhea. She gave me the “medicine” she was using on him. When I got home bathed him and put him in his crate I realized it was a hemorrhoid cream she was using! The next day I took him to the vet to get a check up al blood work done. Results showed he did have a few parasites which he got meds for and was treated.
However, up to this day he has never had “normal” stool or normal pooping habits. He doesn’t squat like most dogs do. Instead, he just walks and it literally just falls out in pieces and somewhat soft. I’ve been feeding him Royal Canin sensitive stomach for a few months but then changed to home cooked meals for a while and now he’s on Merrick limited ingredients for 3 months. None of which is making his poop quality or habits normal. He’s been to several vets. Done serval blood tests and even had an X-ray of his spine done to see if there were any abnormalities. The results were all ok. I’ve had some vets say there’s nothing more they can do for Luey. They think it may be neurological. Words can’t express how sad I am for him. He has his own room that he stays in because he can’t be in the house with the other dog because he can’t control his bowels. I wash him and his room out twice a day. It’s ALOT of work but I love him so much and will do what it takes.
I really hope someone is familiar with this situation and is able to advise me on what to do. It would greatly be appreciated.

[anonymous]

“He’s been to several vets. Done serval blood tests and even had an X-ray of his spine done to see if there were any abnormalities. The results were all ok. I’ve had some vets say there’s nothing more they can do for Luey. They think it may be neurological”.

Did your vet suggest seeing a veterinary specialist? Internal medicine or neurology?
I would call your regular vet and discuss. He’s a young dog. Surely there must be some treatment options….

Best of luck

[anonymous]

Do you have a school of veterinary medicine near you? A lot of them have clinics and often take on challenging cases like yours for diagnosis and treatment. Hope this helps http://veterinaryschools.com/states

In the meantime, have you considered doggy diapers? I know it’s not an ideal solution and you would have to check every couple of hours and make diaper changes. But at least he could be in the rest of the house more. Also, take him out more? Feed meals at specific times and monitor when he eliminates so that you can take him out at the most likely times.

Regarding the doggy diapers, check Chewy dot com or whatever pet supply store you prefer.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by anonymous.

[Sharlene S]

Hi Anon101,
Thank you for your response… a vet did recommend me taking him to a specialist/ neurologist whilst others said he might grow out of it. The sad truth is that I cannot afford to take him to a specialist. I too have several health issues which are very costly.
I have tried doggie diapers but he always finds a way to pull it off, then he’s plastered in poop. Our daily ritual is that at 7:20 am I feed him a cup of merrick limited ingredients dry dog food. Take him for a walk then wash out his crate and then his room. There is always poop in his crate and on the floor. After which I go to work for the day then come home at 6:30 and repeat the same morning ritual. Then later on before I go to bed I tuck him in with belly rubs etc.
I have not thought about veterinary clinics but I will definitely research to see if there’s any in my area. Thank you for your suggestions 😊

[anonymous]

You’re welcome. Also, maybe this will help http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

[Sharlene S]

Thanks again!!! I will keep you posted 😉

[anonymous]

Maybe feed a little less for the morning meal or whenever he is going to be left unattended for more than 4 hours. Two cups of food per day? I have a 20 pound dog that eats less…. How much does he weigh?

Some dogs eliminate 3 or 4 hours after they eat.

If your vet agrees I would try 1/2 cup of food for the morning meal.
Always have fresh water available 24/7.

Then in the evening take him out at least every 2 hours till bedtime.

[Sharlene S]

Hi… Luey is 34lbs, he’s very muscular and thick. Built like a tank! He knocks me over sometimes when he’s playing. I actually give him 3/4 cup less than what the directions on the bag says. He always has fresh water, well except when he takes his water bowl and throws it across the room when he’s playing. I wonder if I should change his food again. I’m afraid to because he’s stomach is suuuuuper sensitive and he will get diarrhea. My main concern is that he doesn’t know when he’s going. I walked him this morning as usual poop just falls out in pieces every where. He actually sat down while poop was coming out and it smooched on him! He didn’t even seem as if he even knew what was going on. I looked up the veterinary clinic link you referred. I see one in Fort Lauderdale and Miami which I can take him. But how do I get them to help him?

[anonymous]

Call them, e-mail them. Explain your situation. Tell them that you have financial concerns but want to help the dog.
Also request to have all your dog’s medical records from the various clinics you have taken him to printed up. I would go and pick them up, there should not be a charge, but I can’t guarantee.

This will be very helpful to the examining vet, for example if lab work was done recently you may not have to repeat it.

Sure you can request to have the records e-mailed. But it is best to keep a copy for your own records of everything anyway.

PS: Ask the veterinary schools if they have a low cost clinic, treatment options?

[Sharlene S]

Thank you so much! I will definitely do that.

[Susan]

Hi Sharlene,
Gee you have your hands full with Luey…
I rescued an English Staffordshire Terrier who has IBD, he too is a nugget all muscle & very strong, he’s been a handful these last 5yrs but I wouldn’t have it any other way, this is our path in life & now you just need a vet who takes an interest in Luey & helps him & you..

How come the vets you saw did NOT put him on a vet diet?? either the Hills W/d that’s high in fiber-16% fiber or the Hills I/d Digestive Care that’s lower in fiber 1.7% & try & work out if the higher or lower fiber helps firm the poo more or less?

Look up “Veterinary Medicine Universities” here’s one in Florida https://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/

Homepage

then they can refer you to somewhere closer to home if the Florida Vet University is too far….
It’s a shame you didnt go thru a rescue group when you got Luey, they normally have contacts & all his medical bills + food would have been paid for & more money raised for Lueys health care, He’d be a good looking pup & people that have French Bull Dogs would probably want to help aswell…

It does sound neurological & the brain isn’t sending Luey the massage that he has to poo & it just happens. When vet did Xray did his bowel look normal & he had a small bowel & a large bowel?

[Sharlene S]

Hi Susan,
Thank you for your support!
It’s so sad that these poor babies have to go though these things. I pray your little nugget gets his IBD issue resolved too.
I tried the Hills ID diet along with forti flora probiotics but it never really helped him. When he got his X-rays done the vet said she was looking to see if there was a spine deformation or a pinched nerve. She said she saw nothing unusual and he would grow out if it. Almost 2 years later he still has the same issues of not knowing he’s pooping. The size seems to be ok except the texture and that it’s never one go. It’s pieces that fall out all over the place.
I will see if any of the Frenchie rescues are able to help or have any helpful information. I also plan on contacting UF University to see if they can help too. I think Luey needs all the help he can get. The lil guy has no clue … All he wants to do is play all day and get belly rubs.

[Acroyali]

If it’s structural, odds are food won’t help the actual problem but might make things easier to clean up/more solid, etc. Does your guy like pumpkin? As a short term help (for you), it might make his stools solid enough that clean up is easier.
Frenchies IIRC are a docked breed, not natural born bobs?
I’ve known some dogs that were docked WAY too short at 2-3 days old, that did affect sphincter muscles (bowel control). Tail is extension of the spine, etc., we all know this…and if the dock is very short this may be causing the issue, but I would NOT hesitate to see a neurologist if it’s do-able to rule this out.
It’s really cool you’re caring about this guy so much and doing so much to keep his life/living area clean btw. You obviously care about this little one a lot. I hope you can find a solution to help you both out!

[Susan]

Hi
yes it’s sad, they dont know they’re different, they have no hate in their hearts, dogs are beautiful animals..
I wonder if his bowel muscles were strengthened & you tried a vet diet that is higher in fiber, Hills W/d formula or Royal Canine Fiber Response vet diet both are very high in fiber will this help firm poos & he does 1-2 poos a day, around the same time? also swimming, swimming has done wonder for some dogs?

I seen this video about 2 weeks ago.
A woman named Eva rescued Thor from the streets of Mexico and posted this picture of the emaciated and disabled dog to Facebook begging for help

I just found Thors video & found all this info….
A LA rescue service called “Mutt Scouts”
Mutt Scouts raise money & help dogs like Luey, I wish you posted ealier when Luey was a pup, but just explain to whoever, you thought you could help Luey youself & rescued him, took him to see a few vets had test done etc & 1 vet said he’ll grow out of it but now have run out of funds to see another vet, the vet was wrong Luey hasnt grown out of it & it breaks your heart watching poor Lue…
Here is Mutt Scouts https://www.muttscouts.org/
Here’s their Facebook page Mutt Scouts
https://www.facebook.com/muttscouts/
post videos of Luey & ask for help.

This is Thors story…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2569335/Paralyzed-abandoned-dog-dragging-street-gets-new-life.html

[Sharlene S]

Hi Acroyali,
Thank you for your kind words and advice. I just measured his little bump. It’s really tiny about 1 inch from the base to the tip. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s because his tail is too short. He’s not a picky eater he’s a vacuum! His nickname is actually piggypup because he tries to eat everything and he snorts a lot! I’ve given him canned pumpkin but no much with that either. I was also making him white rice with chicken breast carrots peas spinach and zucchini. That actually constipated him for 2 days then it was back to the soft pieces of poop.

Susan: hi… I’m a bit confused about his anal muscles. Some vets said they felt muscle tone and some said that they didn’t feel any. I don’t know what to believe! As for how’s many times a day he goes… constantly. When I take him out to talk j I’m the mornings there is already poop I’m his crate. Not sure if he does it while he’s sleeping. Then he lets out a few pieces when he walks. Then later in the evening there’s poop on the floor in his room and he does it again on his second walk.
I’m not sure if frenchies are built to swim. They are too heavy. I looked at the muttscout link you sent me. Thank you! I will contact them first thing tomorrow.
Here is are a few pics of Luey just so you can put a face to him.
This is his first vet visit: https://instagram.com/p/BPNjkJdgBkI/
https://instagram.com/p/BPOH17KgDj9/

Luey a few months later:
https://instagram.com/p/BQGdxplF63t/

This is my favorite pic:
https://instagram.com/p/BSrM3XShuyZ/

[Sharlene S]

Walk*

[Sharlene S]

I just realized the instagram links aren’t working. But his Instagram page is @luey.love

[Susan]

Hi,
I just read my emails & I saw Luey Photo’s, if you click on the links in the email that DFA sends then the instagram link works…
He’s BEAUTIFUL, he’s all white & he has small black patch like my Patch has on his left eye & a bit of black on his right ear the same as my Patch has, I watched his video playing & he’s wearing his nappy & purple doggy pants, he looks so cute, soft & cuddly….

I wanted a Frenchie last year so I ran it by Patches vet & she told me, Oh no Susan not that breed, they have way too many health problems, she said you have been thru so much with Patch I wouldnt want you to have to go thru it all over again, she said this breed suffers with Environment Allergies, Food Sensitivities, Stomach & Bowel Problems, Breathing Problems cause of their short snout, becareful on hot days make he’s breathing OK…
My vet said the problem is inner breeding & breeding Frenchie who have health problems, greedy back yard breeders continue to breed sick Frenchies cause they can get $3000 in Australia….My vet said if you do still want to get one go thru a proper registered breeder who isnt breeding sick French Bulldogs…

In 2015, Frenchies were the fourth most popular registered dog in the United Kingdom and in the U.S. the sixth most popular AKC registered dog breed.They were rated the third most popular dog in Australia in 2017.

You posted.

“I was also making him white rice with chicken breast carrots peas spinach and zucchini. That actually constipated him for 2 days then it was back to the soft pieces of poop”.

did you continue to fed the white rice with chicken breast carrots peas spinach and zucchini when he was constiped?? and his poos went back to the soft pieces of poop? or did you change his diet & feed him something else cause he was constipated & you wanted him to poo??
You may have answered your own question, you might have to do elimination food diet with cooked ingredients & do not feed any dry kibble at all & see if you add less white rice can you just get the meal right where he does 2 firm poos?? not constipated & no pieces of poo…
You need a vet who knows alot about Intestinal problems… In Australia we don’t have Specialist vets like in America, our vets who have a passion for certain health problems continue to study about certain health problems & then we pay the same price to see a vet that knows more about a particular health problem, when you ring to book a vet visit we are asked why does your dog need to see a vet? then the lady says Oh I’ll book you in with such & such vet cause he knows about Intestinal health or Skin allergies..
You need a vet that wants to learn more & becomes very interested in whats wrong with Luey & helps him…Like what happened with my Patch…

[Irene H]

Hello Sharlene. I seem to me in the same boat as you. Have now a 5 month old Frenchie that we were fostering and now adopted. She was brought to the vet to be euthanized at 3 months because she was leaking diarrhea. A friend asked if we could foster or the dog would be euthanized, so we got to be her fosters. The diarrhea turned out to be parasites and she was treated. She was checked for everything, as the vet thought that it could be spinal befits, but it wasn’t and allwas said to be fine. Just really bad parasite infection. We had her in a diaper, and once the parasite was treated tried to potty train, and it seems to be the same issue that your having. She just poops. Doesn’t squat, it just comes out. We fell in love and adopted her anyway, because I have no idea that she would have a future without us. She is in a diaper, and because she has no tail, we just use baby diapers. Two different vets said that she should grow out of it, but I decided to do some research and found your feed. Since this feed is almost a year old, I was wondering if you got any kind of prognosis, diagnosis, or any information on what was going on with him and or where you took your little man. I believe that you are in south Florida as am I. In nothing else we can share information.

[Wendy S]

Hello I have an english bulldog with similar probs she was given to me cause they couldnt deal with her issue she is fine eats good but her back legs are kind turned outward she woobles and does the rr without realizing it she has to wear a diaper the vet says she will grow out of it anyone else have updates on their pets? My baby is only 4 months

[Marjorie D]

Hi, I have a 3 year old Frenchie who does exactly the same thing
My partner keeps telling me I have to get her to tell me when she’s wants to go out, easier said than done she doesn’t seem to know herself. I think there is a problem with her but he refuses to go down the vet route.
She’s not stupid, she’s a smart little dog she’s comes back ,stays on command it’s the pooing that’s the issue.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[Frenky C]

@Marjorie, did you just recently noticed this or this has been your problem ever since? At 3 years old, most dogs would show signs that they were about to poop. You have to be very vigilant on what signs are they throwing at you. Some/most dogs will do attention-seeking behaviors while some may not and this is where you should be very observant about.

[Julian S]

Sounds like nerve damage to me. I had a cat that didn’t know when he was peeing, and that was the problem, caused by a tail degloving before I rescued him. There was a medication that worked, I’ve forgotten the name. If you can get to a veterinary clinic that would be best. I also got him acupuncture which helped for several years.

[Julian S]

Also – try montmorillonite clay. There’s a veterinary kind called Rx Clay, and you can also just buy it in bulk. Just make sure it doesn’t have anything in it but montmorillonite clay. It’s also called bentonite clay.

[Katie M]

@marjorie and @wendy, as your posts were in the last year I’m hoping you might have found a solution/ we bought a bulldog home this week and we are having the exact same issue, vet suspect a blockage (despite constant pooping) he had an enema and in hills food. Poos are firm and manageable but no squatting. Praying there is a solution!! Any advice welcome

[Author]

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