It’s springtime! That means we go outside more with our bullies.
I walk Archie two to three times a day for about 20 minutes each.
And now that the days are getting longer and the sun is getting
brighter as summer approaches, it may be time to consider sunblock
for our dogs as well as ourselves.

I tend to take Archie before 10am and after 4pm so I don’t use
sunscreen for him or for me. But if your dog is going to be out
mid-day or lays in the sun a lot during the day, you might consider
sunscreen. If your bulldog is white or has thin hair, you can
apply it all over. But all dogs can use it on the nose and ears.

Do not use human sunscreen on your dog - it is too strong for them.
Personally, I have a hard time with most sunscreens over sfp 15
myself. I get a rash or my skin gets rough. A dog is more
sensitive to the chemicals than we are, so it’s best to get a dog
formula.

Doggles has come out with a new spray sunscreen called Pet
Sunscreen. It’s sfp 15. It’s available online and at select
retail outlets. I found it at a reasonable price at
http://www.naturalpets.com/petsunscreen.html but you could just do
a search for it.

If your bulldog goes out in the water, sunscreen is a good idea
since the water intensifies the effect of the sun’s rays. There
are some waterproof brands out there.

A word of caution: if your dog licks off the sunscreen, it is
probably not very good for him or her. If you notice any rash or
unusual symptoms develop after you use the sunscreen, stop use
immediately.

My best advise is to avoid the intense sun hours and limit your
dog’s time in the sun, since bulldogs are prone to heat stroke
anyway. But a little sunscreen every now and then for mid day sun
is probably ok.

There’s a good article on general dog tips for the upcoming summer
months at the AKC site:

http://www.akc.org/public_education/summer_safety.cfm

I don’t want you to keep your bullie in the house all summer.
Enjoy some sun with your bulldog - sun is really good for hair
growth and skin health. It’s a natural anti-bacterial. And it
provides needed vitamin D. Just 20 minutes a day in the sun is
beneficial for all kinds of skin conditions.

Your Bulldog Pal,

Jan

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Hello again,

We finally got another English Bulldog that is healthy.  I have question about potty training him. we live in a 15 story apartment in Korea. We live on the 7th floor and its so hard to take him out ever hour or so.. that gets tiring so we are trying to train him two diffrent ways he is about 9 weeks old and we are trying to potty train on pee pads and outside also. Is this to much on a puppy or should we just keep one task.. Thank you

Kim

——-answer—–

Hi Kim,

Congratulations on your new puppy.  Dogs do best with really clear
instructions and by teaching him two different things you may be confusing him.

A puppy can’t hold their pee all that long so they do need to go a lot.  When he gets older
he may still pee in the apartment if you keep using the pads.  However, it can be a
hassle (I lived in a high rise for a while) so you can use the pads on a temporary
basis and then start to take him and the pads outside so he starts to associate
peeing on the pad with being outside.

Do you have a balcony?  You could put a little grass out there or put the pads there so
that he’ll associate peeing with being outside the apt.

Does he have a crate?  Usually they don’t like to pee in their crates and that may help
him hold it.

When he gets a little older he’ll be able to hold it longer and then when he pees outside
just give him enormous praise in a high voice so he knows that’s the thing to do.  Never
get mad at him for a mistake inside, just give him praise when he does the right thing.

Here’s a link to an article on potty training that you may find helpful:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1548&articleid=157

I hope this helps and congratulations on the new puppy!

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

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Hi Jan,

My female bulldog (Sadie) has been getting these little bumps or sores on the top of her head and on her face, her hair falls out in these spot also, my Vet said theyy were skin tags, I disagree and was wondering if they were from allergies? We have her on good dog food that is for dogs with allergy problems, we have her on the Eukanuba Allergy formula. What should I do?

Kerri

——answer——

Hi Kerri,

They sound more like localized mange.  Sounds scary, but it’s pretty common in bulldogs,
especially puppies.  It is caused by mites which usually live peacefully on your bulldog,
but can proliferate when your dog’s immune system becomes depressed.

You didn’t mention her age, but it’s more common in young bulldogs.

It often resolves itself within a couple months, but you can treat it topically with benzoyl
peroxide ointment (available at a drug store) or Goodwinoil.  It may look worse before it gets better.
There is also a sulpher based ointment called Nu-Stock.

You could also add some vitamin c and zinc to her diet to help boost her immune system.

The only way to know for sure what it is would be to go to a skin specialist vet (I don’t think
your vet knows much about bulldog skin conditions) who would do skin scrapings and look
under a microscope.

If Sadie doesn’t get better in a month or two or if she gets worse and it spreads over her
body or if the sores grow and look infected, I would definitely take her to a dermatology
specialist vet.

Your Bulldog Pal,

Jan

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Do you know anything about hypoplastic tracheas? I have a 3mo old bully who was just diagnosed.

Heather

—answer—-

Hi Heather,

Yes I do. It is part of what’s referred to as Bracycephalic Syndrome.
This may sound scary but all bulldogs have this to a degree.
Bracycephalic simply translates into “short nose” and is what
characterizes the bulldog.

A hypoplastic trachea is part of the syndrome. Hypoplastic means
“underdeveloped”. Trachea is the “windpipe” In an English Bulldog
the trachea is always smaller than a dog with a normal nose.

The problem is the degree to which it is narrowed. If your puppy is
having severe difficulties breathing such that his gums and tongue
turn blue or he cannot tolerate exercise, then the condition is worse
than normal.

If your dog does not have severe difficulty breathing, but just makes
some noise and can play ok, then he may be normal. Many puppies
improve their breathing as they grow and mature.

I’m not sure how severe your vet has made this out to be. And I
don’t know what he’s suggesting you do about it. Some vet say
that all bulldogs should have palate surgery. I strongly disagree!
And I would advise you not to consider surgery unless this is life
threatening.

Your Bulldog Pal,

Jan

Comments(4)

Hi Jan,

I have a question about my english bulldogs eyes.

His eyes began to run about a month ago. I noticed the dark stains about 2 weeks ago. Since then his eyes have gotten worse.

Yesterday, I purchased Eye Clear from the pet store. I used it twice and now he seems to not be seeing very good in that eye. He cowards and flinches when you go to pet him(he has never did this before).

I did discontinue using this product but I am concerned that I damaged his vision permanently. Please advise. Myles

———answer——–

Hi Myles,

I don’t think you damaged your English Bulldog’s eyes, but I do think his eyes may be injured. I’m not familiar with that product but there are bulldog health problems with the eyes. Since it’s both eyes, it’s probably due to a common bulldog
condition. It’s a problem with the bulldog anatomy and breeding.

Bulldogs have eyelashes that can curl back to their eyes and rub on the cornea.
This causes tearing and the constant irritation can lead to permanent eye damage
and blindness.

The best thing to do is get him to an eye specialist who will remove the
eyelashes. You can’t see this yourself without high power magnifying
glasses.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

——follow up——-

Thank you, your info was helpful and accurate. The vet explained it almost exactly like you did.
Your info help me to receive the vets info better and allowed me to feel comfortable and not like he was  trying to get more$.
thanks again.

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I’ve always thought bulldogs were pricey at $2000 - $3000,
but now I have a whole new perspective.

There’s a company that produces “designer pets” to suit your
lifestyle. Forget the labradoodle, we now have a truly
hypoallergenic dog.

It’s called the Jabari GD is an adorable little white fluffy
thing, priced at a mere $15,000. You can read more about this
little fella here:
http://www.lifestylepets.com/hypodog.html

The company also offers the Titan, the perfect protection dog.
Fierce when it counts yet loving and gentle with the family.
You can pick up one of these guys starting at a cool $85,000
see them here:
http://www.lifestylepets.com/titannew.html

They also offer cats hypoallergenic or exotic, ranging in
price from $5900 to $125,000

Is this taking hype and exclusivity to the extreme? I’ll
leave that up to you to decide.

For now, I’m just happy with my snorting, shedding, and probably
making me sneeze bulldog!

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

Comments(1)

Jan, I have a question.
I have a big strapping (until this morning) bulldog pup.
He suddenly has a runny snotty
nose. Can I give him some antibiotics?

——–answer———

Hi Tammy,

It depends on why his nose is running.

If he’s having a seasonal allergic reaction to pollens, an antibiotic would
not help. Instead you could give him a dye free children’s dose of Benadryl
(red pack) and see if it helps alleviate his symptoms.

If he has a cold an antibiotic would do no good and it will resolve on it’s own.
The snotty-ness could indicate a cold, but it could also indicate infection.
Dogs do get colds just like humans and usually get better in a few days.

If he has an upper respiratory infection then he would need an antibiotic but
I think you should consult a vet to get a proper diagnosis so he can get
the correct antibiotic for his infection.

You should keep an eye on him. If he gets worse or has any trouble breathing
or gets lethargic or can’t seem to get comfortable, those are all signs that he
may need medical attention.

If he gets better then he probably had an allergy or a cold.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

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Hi Jan,
Reggie is as fit as a fiddle and bouncing about and not a thing wrong in the world !!!!!!!!
Then we get the lead out , he will never come to the car willingly , he walks up his ramp into the car and sits down and looks so sad , to get him out the back of the car for his walk is a S.A.S Operation as he wont move , so my husband has to lift Reggie out and put him on the ground to walk , but he wont move , he wants to get back in the car ,if reg does make a move he will walk so far , then sit down and nothing in the world will move him.
he just wants to come back home .
when we get back home reg will stand up , shake his head and look at us and jump out and get back into the house as fast as he can

Jan please could you tell me what else l could try , he is not a lazy dog and is NOT over weight . we have a large garden with an allotment and he runs walks and plays alot with everyone ,
Reg is not stupid either , he will not accept a treat to get him to move and l dont want to start that anyway. Reg is not use to human food so he wouldnt eat that either ./
Some bulldogs l see love to walk , but not my reg
thanks
sue and reggie

——-answer——-

Hi Sue & Reggie,

As I recall Reggie is a few years old? Has he never wanted to go for a walk or is this
new behavior.

If he’s always acted this way, chances are he’s afraid of the “new territory” you’re sending him to. Dogs love a set routine, they don’t like changes in the status quo. So perhaps when you get him in the car and go off to an unfamiliar place, he gets scared and wants to go home to his familiar haunts.

I’d suggest you try to first put the lead on him when he’s at home and comfortable and let him get used to just having it on. Then walk him on leash around the house. Then the yard where he is quite comfortable. Give him enormous praise when he makes even small progress.

Then venture to the front yard, then down the block, etc.

Never pull him on the leash. If you try to pull a dog forward, they have an instinctual reaction to resist. So he has to be enticed. That’s why so many trainers use treats. You can also talk in a higher pitch and encourage him to ‘heel’ and give tons of praise if he moves only a step or two in the right direction.

I haven’t personally had this problem with my dogs who have all loved to walk anywhere, but I did have a problem with Archie being afraid to get into the car. I wound up enticing him into the car by sitting in the back and encouraging him until he’d make his way in. Now he jumps right in.

Good luck!

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

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