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Puppy colic

All you need to know treating puppy colic at home: we explain what is puppy colic, what are the symptoms and which easy treatments turn puppy colic into a healthy playful puppy again.

Puppy colic symptoms

• your puppy cries and screams a lot
   
• your puppy is bloated and because of that is cramping and in a lot of pain
   
• your puppy wants to void his bowels (poop) as soon as he finishes eating
   
• your puppy has diarrhoea or is constipated (I know, that sounds contradictory…)
   
• your puppy has more than the usual number of ‘poop sessions’ during the day (easy to know what is "more" when you still have a complete puppy litter to compare with)
   
• your puppy is not playful: looks sad, panicky and cries
   
• your puppy has seizures (take it to the vet immediately!)

What is puppy colic

Puppy colic means usually that there is too much gas in the puppy’s system. This gas appears because your particular puppy has a problem digesting particular food or the mother is not stimulating the puppy enough to move stools.

Puppy colic happens a lot in big litters because the mother is not stimulating certain puppies. Very young puppies cannot go to the bathroom without some stimulation to their private areas, which should be done by the mother using her tongue.

You can compare puppy colic to baby colic: this gastronomical disorder normally comes as easy as it goes by changing the diet, yet seeing your puppy in pain can be heartbreaking.

Puppy colic treatment

Remember that colic is a puppy disease. When your puppy grows older, his digestion system becomes stronger.
Puppy colic will normally no more appear when a puppy becomes 1 year old. Of course you need to act faster than that!

With very young puppies "you have to imitate the mother’s stimulating tongue behaviour": use a moist warm wash cloth and stimulate the belly and private areas: use a different cloth for both anus and genital area.

Use the following techniques with puppies that are already eating puppy food:

• always make sure your puppy has access to lots of water, and monitor his drinking
   
• always try to burp your puppy just like you would burp a baby: any gas that escapes with burping will be a relief for your puppy
   
• help your puppy’s bowel movements: massage his belly and make sure he gets enough walks
   
• give your puppy different puppy food until your puppy gets better. Experiment to find out which food is good for your puppy and which food causes puppy colic.
   
• feed your puppy with prescribed puppy food for dogs with weak stomachs. This is basically food that’s easier to digest. Ask your vet which food to recommend. Hill’s I/D food has worked for one of our puppies in the past. First change the diet to a complete I/D menu. Then slowly introduce other food and find out what causes problems and what not.
   
• if your new food doesn’t help, change again to other food! What works for one puppy doesn’t have to work for another…
   
• feed your puppy smaller portions over more regular intervals during the day
   
• when nothing helps: try feeding your puppy plain yogurt
   
• make sure your puppy feels safe and sound with you. Don’t be upset that there is puppy poop all over the place suddenly. Be aware that your puppy just after eating wants to go to the toilet.

  Make sure you adjust your potty training times to ‘the new colic’ habit: train your puppy on the litter box or take him out for a walk or let him outdoors… right after your puppy has eaten!

  Remember your puppy can’t help it either, it has to do with what you are feeding him and how he reacts to it…
   

• stay away from painkillers as much as possible: painkillers cause constipation
   
• if the problem continues: go and see your vet (they could give "gas drops": a medicine to expel gas easier)

Experimenting with a new diet and having your puppy aging daily, you should be able to rid your dog from puppy colic.