Ask the French Bulldog Veterinarian - Bloated Frenchie Puppy
lorihuntdvm June 13th, 2008
I just brought home the best frenchie puppy ever, Stella, two weeks ago. She is currently 10 weeks old. Since our first weekend with her, our vet put her on prescription food i/d.
She seems to absolutely love it, but gobbles it up soooooooooo fast that she is so bloated aftewards and all she wants to do is lie in my arms and go to sleep. The bloating seems to go down once she eventually goes to the bathroom, but I feel bad for her tummy after each meal.
Do I need to give her smaller portions (I’m giving what was prescribed) or figure out a way to slow her down? Or is this normal?
I also researched that maybe this is related to worms? Her stools are finally normal so I’m worried to switch her food on her - which we are going to start doing in one week.
Our vet says this is his first frenchie ever - I’m slightly worried and probably should find a new one - we live in NJ.
Dr. Lori writes -
Hi there… sounds like Stella definitely needs her stool checked for parasites. Quite possible some nasty critter is upsetting her tummy.
Also, I think you need to wean her off the I/D as soon as possible as that is meant to be a short term diet and is not nutritionally balanced for long term use, especially for a puppy.
You could try soaking her kibble (ed note: dry food) with water before feeding her, so that it is already expanded when she eats it, this may help with the bloating.
In Stella’s case, I would consider the use of probiotics (good bacteria) added to her food as this may help her digest it better. There is also a feeding dish (the Brake Fast Dog Bowl) available with plastic nodules that stick up and force the dog to eat around them, thus making her slow down.
Good Luck!
Lori Hunt, DVM
French Bulldogs d’Assisi
(editor’s note: You can find a list of French Bulldog experienced veterinarians here. Readers may feel free to add their own to the list)
