Colic in Puppies: How to Deal with it Effectively?

Puppies are like babies in that they too suffer from colic due to indigestion or when they are unable to release the gas trapped in the intestines. However, this condition is temporary. It becomes less frequent and goes away by itself as the puppy grows up. Until then it can cause the puppy a lot of distress depending on its intensity. A puppy that has colic has the urge to empty the bowels soon after having food. The puppy suffering from colic appears panicky and fretful, cries and in some extreme cases it may have seizures.

Although both babies and puppies can have colic their treatments are different. Before trying to deal with puppy colic it is important to understand what causes it. With patience and understanding you can successfully handle the problem yourself. No matter how you feed the puppy, food remaining in the stomach will produce gas. This builds up until the puppy defecates or passes stool. Many young puppies don't know how to pass stool and need stimulation, which is usually provided by the mother. If the mother does not do it for some reason, then the puppy does not learn how to effectively pass stool and may suffer from colic due to the decomposed food sitting in the stomach for long.

Mothers stimulate their puppies by licking the genital and anal areas while they are feeding and this triggers the puppy's reflex to eliminate. If you are feeding the puppy yourself then of course it is missing stimulation by its mother. Thus puppies should not be weaned too soon and weaning should be a gradual process. If the colic is due to lack of stimulation then you can follow the mother's lead. You can also do something similar with your puppy. You can do a similar type of stimulation using a warm moist cloth. Rub the genital and anus region of the puppy with a cloth, soaked with warm water, before and after feeding it. This provides the necessary stimulation for the puppy's bowel movements, thus preventing colic. The colic may also be due to inactivity of the bowels and trapped gases.