April 1, 2008
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Jan's Bulldog Health System
I adopted an English Bulldog a year ago. He is an adult, about 3 1/2. He is so loving and sweet, but his potty habits get worse the longer we have him. We’ve tried EVERYTHING. But, he is still going in his crate every single night. I cut out water two hours before bedtime. He goes out at 11:30 p.m., and I wake up at 5 a.m. to let him out, and he has still gone in the crate during that time. What can I do? The crate is the right size. Any smaller and he wouldn’t fit in it.
Dogs tend to do what they think they should do. In other words he seems to think it’s ok for him to pee in his crate. Have you tried giving him enormous praise and a treat when he pees outside? Alternate that with “quick quick” or a similar phrase that he’ll associate that with peeing.
And do nothing, no reaction when he pees in the crate - not even a sigh or anything. Because dogs respond to our attention whether it is good or bad.
He could also be suffering from separation anxiety and that can cause behavior problems as well.
This will take some patience, a regular routine (which it seems you already do) and enormous praise for proper behavior.
I have a 9 month old bullie, and it was a really hard decision to get her spayed because who doesn’t love puppies but just the thought of losing her made it the best decision for me and her. I’ll leave the breeding up to the pros. I love your site, the articles have been very beneficial to me and Raven.
JAN…
I HEAR WHAT YOUR SAYING, BUT MY ATTITUDE IS,… THEY ARE GOING TO BREED THEM ANYWAY (BULLDOGS) AND I CAN GIVE AT LEAST ONE A GOOD HOME AND TAKE CARE OF HIM. WE COULD ALSO SAY THE SAME ABOUT CHILDREN…CHILDREN AND PETS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE NOT THE BIGGEST MONEY MAKERS IN THIS COUNTRY…(MOVIE STARS, I PODS VIDEO GAMES AND SEX ARE) WE HAVE OUR PRIORITIES MIXED UP IN THIS COUNTRY. BUT FOR NOW I CAN DO MY PART TO HELP…I CAN LIVE PEACEFULLY WITH MY BULL DOG AND KNOW I’VE KEPT ONE MORE DOG FROM BEING ABUSED. SOME PEOPLE ARE BETTER WITH KIDS AND THEY ADOPT, SOME ARE BETTER AT VOLUNTEERING AND THEY VOLENTEER…SOME HAVE MORE MONEY AND GIVE …..I PERSONALLY CAN SAVE 1 BULLDOG AT THIS TIME…THAT’S THE BEST I CAN DO FOR NOW.
(this is my first blog)
1dog1cat
Hi Jan
I have a problem with my puppy bully, he has respiratory problems, since the day we got him at 8 weeks
He was antibiotics for a chest infection, he got better for a week then it returned with a really bad hooping cough
And fluid on his lungs which turned into phnomonia, he went through loads of tests costing thousands
To which they discovered he also has hyplasia tracheal, (very narrow windpipe) so theres no way he can be sadated for proper tests or any surgery ever.
He is on loads of medication and will probably be on antibiotics for the rest of his life
He is now nearly 6 months old and although he has made a great improvement he still has the wheezing at night and morn
The specialist is dumbfounded really to why he has this fluid/wheeziness, but we are just glad to still have him
And it dosent seem to bother him as we really thought we were gonna lose him at one point
Do you have any ideas or suggestions as too what else we couold try???
Thankyou
Andrea
Hey there
Thanks for the info on tear stains. We have bucket loads of them, especially in the skin folds. Your advice about diet change helped a bit but pinning down the culprit foods is a bit hit and miss.
I never really wanted to go down the antibiotic route (eg angels eyes and angels glow) and besides they are illegal now in europe and most of the world. I have found a natural alternative that works- it is called Angels Delight from a company called bichon hotel. here is a link for you Angels delight tear stain remover .
They tell me that it works by oxidising iron deposits in the body before they can oxidise outside in the tears and bond with the bacteria which would otherwise be the basis of the enzyme that is the building block of the dreaded red yeast.
All i know is that it works. No more bull dog tear stains for us. Hurrah
Thanks
Hi Jan,
We just took our 10 month old female bulldog to the vet yesterday after we noticed blood in her urine. They did the usual blood work, xrays and urine analysis. It was determined that she had a urinary track infection. They have her on a number of antibiotics and pain meds. We are not sure how she got this and the vets indicated that this is not uncommon. Can you give us any insight as to what may have cuased this and what we do going forward so we can prevent it form happening in the future. I know she does not drink alot of water during the day.
Hi Jan
My bulldog hoagie regurgitates his food almost every time he eats. He always spits up if he is given a cookie/dog treat. I read what you told the other lady about elevating his food bowl and also the pumpkin in his food. Hoagie is allergic to chicken, he is 55lbs and he is unable to walk or play for longer than a couple of minutes before he is so out of breath it scares me. I think Hoagie has asthma….is this possible? He doesn’t have an elongated palate and the Vet plays his breathing off as oh that’s how bulldogs are. We are friends with many other bulldog owners and these dogs don’t have Hoagie’s breathing problems. I love Hoagie dearly and I want to do anything that can help him enjoy his life better. He snores very loud, loves to cuddle and is a total alpha male bullie.
Please offer any advice on his breathing, alleviating his discomfort after playing and his regurgitating. I don’t want the solution to be that he can’t eat, play or breath well. There has got to be more info out there.
Thanks so much for your time,
Allison
Hi there Jan.
My hubby and I own a beautiful, very sweet and loving bulldog named Dolly. She is just shy of 6mos old. It was about 8 days ago she started having “head tremors”. Like your book describes, her head will move in a very rapid, side to side motion. (Mouth to shoulder). It has been occurring just about every 36 to 48 hrs. Almost always she is sleeping and is awaken from these tremors. They have lasted as little as 30 seconds to 10 minutes long. She does stop the movement when we call out her name or touch her only to start right up again. She seems to be in no pain. I have taken her to two separate vet’s. The first vet was simply “stumped”. He told me to observe her eye movement during these tremors and I did so. There was nothing out of the ordinary with her eyes, hence the 2nd vet visit. With this visit, he performed a regular blood screening, which showed all to be fine with our little sweetheart. Then he performed a bile-acid test and this test showed her liver functioning well. Now what?
He says the next step is to have a full nero test done on her. He also states there is no rush for this testing. What do you think? Do u have any other insight? We are trying to stay calm during this time, but we are very worried and frustrated. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!
p.s. She is set up for a spay in about 6 days and we are very nervous having her “put under” for surgery when we are unsure of the cause of these head tremors.
Hi,
Please can you help, i am writing for some advice to see if you have encountered any similar circumstances in your years of dealing with bulldogs. our local vets have not been too helpful and we have lost trust and are writing to see if you have known anything similar occur.
We have a bulldog we love to bits and she is now a year old. A few months ago she fell ill and could hardly walk, refusing to eat and walking very delicately on her back legs with a high temperature. we have read that bulldogs do encounter hip/joint problems as a result of growing pains so we went our to our local vet. after spending a fortune on full blood analysis many trips later and after a course of anti-biotics the vet couldnt confirm that there was anything wrong with her. After nearly a month she was back to her normal self thankfully.
Now she has started doing the same thing again unfortunately and without wanting to spend a month going backwards and forwards to the 3 vets we went to that couldnt confirm anything. She has been doing a fair bit more excercise than usual after receiving a new xmas toy.
Do you think she may have just hurt her hip? could it be a growth spurt ? or could it be something more serious ?
any advice appreciated
Many Thanks Dawn
Hi Dawn,
All bulldogs have hip dysplasia to a degree. They also can have a condition called hemi-vertebrae where the vertebrae are malformed and can cause spinal problems and weakness in the rear legs.
Having either of these conditions could be confirmed with an x-ray by a good orthopedic vet.
Many bulldogs go through ‘growing pains’ and do come out of these orthopedic situations healthy and fine when they mature. Sometimes they grow too rapidly for their joints and it takes a while to catch up.
Why she had a fever is another issue in my mind, and would not be directly related to leg weakness. If she has a temperature again now, I’d suspect some sort of infection.
There are many things that can cause infection and I really couldn’t speculate on that. If she were throwing up I’d be suspicious of some foreign object in her stomach.
When a dog doesn’t want to eat, it is usually a sign of illness and should be checked. Especially if she’s running a fever at the same time.
I hope this helps. Please let me know how she’s doing.
Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan
Jan: My 11 month old female bulldog, who has been fixed, just recently developed what looks like an enlarged, inflamed nipple. It doesn’t really look infected at this point. I don’t really know what to do about it. It doesn’t appear to be painful when I inspect it. Have you had this happen before and do you know of any home remedies for it?
Hi Jan,
My one-year-old American Bulldog, Tank, has been limping off and on for the last couple/few weeks and I am not sure why. It’s odd to me that it seems to come and go. It seems to be worse in the evening and right when he gets up for a nap. He plays with our other dog just fine and when we go for walks he does not limp. I am afraid he possibly tore his ACL, but my boyfriend says he probably just twisted it playing with our other dog and that it will be fine. I told him about my concern of the ACL and he said Tank would not be able to walk on it at all if it were that. Can you let me know what you think it may be and if you recommend we take him to the vet? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much Jan,
Jennifer
Hello we have an English Bulldog named Mack he is a year old. I have notice lately that he is losing interest in his dog food he was put on a special food from the vet purina EN because of his food sensitivity. other foods would give him diarrhea. he does get some table scraps now and then which he loves he used to eat twice a day dry food mixed with a little water now he eats once a day and he will pick at it all day long. Is he just getting bored with it or is he used to the table scraps which he does not get alot. I did notice if i add something to it he may eat better he loves vegetables and meat but i dont want him to give up his food all together. I did hear that adding yogurt or cottage cheese to his diet is good and also a hard boiled egg every other day is this ok to do. I also heard you could give them a natural diet homemade food say in the morning and then his regular kibble for supper but would this make him more likely not to eat his own food. I just want him to start eating again and not be looking for the table scraps all the time any suggestions on how i can change his diet to make it more appealing without changing the kibble too many sensitivities to other brands and he is allergic to chicken
Hi Kelly,
Mack doesn’t want to eat it because it’s nothing a dog should eat.
In my opinion, this sort of diet leads to hair loss and general ill
health and does nothing to cure food sensitivity.
The only nutrition he’s getting is from the table scraps!
Vets do not get trained in diet, rather they are bombarded by
companies like Purina who push their products on them.
Look at the first 5 ingredients: Brewers rice, corn gluten meal,
whole grain corn, chicken meal, animal fat. A dog is primarily
a carnivore. Brewer’s rice is a by product of beer, corn gluten
is corn sugar, corn is not easily digested by dogs, etc.
Purina makes their dog food from corn because it’s cheap and
plentiful. No dog should eat corn or soy as a diet.
Many dogs are allergic to chicken, including my bulldog
Archie. We speculate this is from over-vaccination, the vaccine
being grown in eggs.
Here’s what I think you should do. If you’re going to feed kibble,
try California Natural Lamb Meal and Rice. Add probiotics,
yogurt is ok but human probiotics from a natural foods store
would be better, add Omega 3’s in the form of flax seed oil
or fish oil for dogs.
Better yet make some food for him. 30% meat, 30% oatmeal
or potato, 30% pureed vegetables (mixed frozen are easy) -
they must be pureed. Cook the grains, add the veggies,
add the meat last & minimally cook it.
Mix kibble & home made 50-50.
Let me know if this helps Mack.
Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan
HI, i have a 16 month old bully Daphne who i love to bits, 2 week ago she developed a limp on her back leg, after a few days of it not improving i took her to the vet, he said there was no localised pain and it was likely to be a sprain, he pointed out it could be her ligament but it isnt torn as she would be limping differently, after some anti-imflammatories the limping subsided within 24 hours and she started to come back to herself, albeit without the jumping, she seems against jumping off the sofa and so i was lifting her as to take it easy. So yesterday i took her on the field for the first time only for 10 mins as she seems to have lost the strength in the leg, she trotted along fine but wouldnt run, since we got back yesterday she has got the grumps and is laying about and seems a bit sore on the leg althought there is no sign of a limp. So the thing i am asking is- have i tried her too soon and how much rest should i give her before we start gentle exercise again? The vet said to go back if the limp didnt go off within 3 days but it did and it isnt back either she just seems lethargic? How long does it norm,ally take for an injury like this to heal and whats the best rest time?
Thanks - i know i do worry probably a little too much !!
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
You should give it a rest for 3 weeks, not days, and don’t let her
jump down from things ever again. This is a common injury for
a bulldog so preventative care is a must for you.
She’s probably a grump because she’s in pain, another reason
to have her take it easy (whether she wants to or not!)
Daphne sounds like a real trooper, gotta love our bulldogs!
Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan
Hello. I am in desperate need of some unbiased advice. I have a 2 year old bulldog who tore the ligament in his back left leg back in November 2008. The doctor confirmed this was what it was, though you can not really tell with x-rays and such. Well, we have been saving up the money for months so that he can have the surgery to repair it, but now, months later, he is no longer limping. He is running around seemingly as healthy as ever and his leg never appears to be a problem anymore.
Can a torn ligament eventually heal itself? Should I go ahead with the surgery or is it possible that he might not need it. I would just hate to spend so much money on his leg if it is fine. How do I know for sure? Thanks!
please help me, i bought a bull dog bitch in april and not sure what to do, we live in Germany as my hubby is in the british army. Honey our 5 month old has bad sores under her front arm pit area, they are sore and weep, she is under the vet but hasnt had any experience looking after bullies. She has laser treatment to dry them out twice a week, she has had blood tests which came back negative, i just dont know what to do next we feed her on junior select gold sensitive which is what the pet shop reccommeded for her bully. should i change her food, bed, i just love her so much and want to do the best i can for her, please any advice you can give me would be amazing,
worried bullie owner. xx
HI I ADOPTED MY ENGLISH BULL DOG ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO, HER NAME IS MOOSE (IM CALLING HER MOSSIE LUCY) SHES A 2 1/2 GIRL..WHEN WE FIRST GOT HER SHE ATE ALL HER FOOD LIKE CRAZY TWICE A DAY..SHE RECENTLY GOT SICK VOMITING AND DIARRHEA, I TOOK HER TO THE VET AND GOT SOME MEDS BUT THEY JUST TOLD ME THAT SHE MIGHT HAVE EATEN SOMETHING AND TO RIDE IT OUT, SHE EVEN GOT AN X-RAY AND NOTHING WAS ON HER BELLIE…SHE GOT BETTER AND STARTED EATING AGAIN, BUT ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO THE VOMITING AND DIARRHEA STARTED AGAIN AND SHE DIDNT EAT FOR LIKE 4 DAYS..WE WENT BACK TO THE VET, AND HE TOLD ME SHE HAD A FEVER, SHE GOT A BUNCH OF SHOTS AND THEY ADVICED ME TO FEED HER RICE AND CHICKEN FOR A WHILE AND AGAIN I GOT SOME MORE MEDS…NOW I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO SHE STILL WONT EAT, SHELL EAT VERY LITTLE AND JUST DRINKS WATER AND PEES ALL OVER THE HOUSE…SHE WONT LISTEN (SOMETIMES I FELL SHE DOESNT LIKE ME, AND I TREAT HER SOOO GOOD) WHEN WE CALL HER AND SHE JUST SEEMS X-TRA LAZY, I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO..
SUPER WORRIED MOOSIE MOMMY
Hi Jan! I just recently found your blog and thought you could help me. My boy Tank has a red ball at the end of his penis tha is about the size of a small grape. It doesn’t seem to be bothering him at all and it’s not affecting urination that I can tell. It’s been there for a while and doesn’t seem to be getting better. We live in the arctic and won’t have access to a vet till we go on vacation in November. Tank is otherwise very healthy. Additional details- He’s 19 months old and he’s fixed. Should I be worried?
Thanks, Tank’s Mom Morena
I would like to order the hard copy of the Healthy Bulldog book. All l saw on the website was the pdf format. How can I get just the book? I have three bullies and belive me we have experienced just about everything. I’m looking for alternative treatments for common conditions as my vet bills are astronomical.
Kim
Hello,
I have a 2 year old bullie who appears to have allergies, in the form of interdigital cysts, mild hives, and patches of hair loss along his back. I suspect he is allergic to grass (he usually sneezes when going outdoors), but I also suspect food allergies. I cook for him, and supplement with omega 3 oil, digestive enzymes, and vitamins (he had been on antibiotics for a a surgery to remove a bacterial mass from his abdomen in April and then again when had his tail removed in July). His diet is roughly a third portion meat, a third brown rice, and a third veggies. According to your recommendations, I plan on restricting the beef and chicken to find out if either of those are a problem for him. I know you favor lamb (and that will become a staple), but I wanted to know if (thoroughly cooked) pork tends to cause allergic reactions. Also, is there any problem with giving him small portions of banana?
Thanks,
Lisa
Hi
I have two 4 month old bulldogs and one of them was really sick last wed and we took her to the emergency vet. She was vomiting and diareaha bad. He diagnosed her with giadia and sent her home with some medication for both. The next few day she was fine. Sat she woke up and seemed fine but as the day progressed she acted like her back legs were hurting her she ate her food and all but all she has wanted to do was sleep. She got to the point where she didn’t even want to walk. I kept taking her out thinkin she was constipated. Finally she went and acted a lil better after that. Sunday she was eating and drinking fine and going to bathroom ok but she just isn’t moving really quick like she is in pain. I took her to the vet to day and he said she looked ok he said give her some time but I think something is really wrong with her. She walks around with her back picked up and when eating she lifts her right back leg. Any I ideas would be gretly appreciated!!! Thank you in advance!
I’d say if she isn’t improved by today or tomorrow, get her to a different vet!
perhaps a gastro intestinal specialist or at least a second opinion.
It sounds like there is definitely something else wrong,
I don’t know what, but any dog that acts like it’s in pain, usually is in pain. Giardia
is not a serious infection and she should have recovered by now.
She could have eaten something that’s not digestible or she could have another
condition.
I hope this helps. Please let me know how she’s doing.
Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan
A friend’s bulldog (they have two) ran at me when I walked through the door, jumped up excitedly (not in attack mode) and grabbed my hand with its mouth, really hurting me. (I was planning on watching them for 4 days while they were out of town.) Her owner acted surprise (though she knows they jump on people), but then the dog jumped up again and grabbed my hand again. She wasn’t attacking me I know that (no growling or any other signs of aggression) but I don’t get the open mouth thing. I’ve never had a dog do that. The owner seemed bewildered as well though she admits the dogs are not very well behaved and she and her husband are both frustrated with them. They are a young couple who just got these two bulldogs (one is 3 years old, the one that bit my hand (if you could call it that) is 1.5 years old–surprisingly hyper for a bulldog.) They admit they don’t know the history of the dogs either other than they came from a couple that was divorcing and who clearly didn’t train the dogs. Anyway, I went to Urgent Care and though no bones were broken, my tendon is extremely sore and bruised, making it very difficult to use my right hand. Needless to say, I did not take care of the dogs for them. What do you recommend this couple do? I told them they were lucky I wasn’t someone who was sue-happy and that they had better get their dogs trained or they will one day lose everything they have, not to mention have unhappy dogs since dogs need their humans to act like the Alpha and not be wimps!
They definitely need to get a trainer and stop that behavior. It may not appear to be aggressive but it is definitely NOT socially acceptable and needs to be stopped or the dog will continue to do it to others. Jumping behavior can be stopped with consistent training and the owners need to take the initiative. Biting behavior that probably started as a puppy and never got corrected will become more difficult to correct the longer it goes on. The dog is still a puppy really at 1.5 years and training would be very effective if done properly and immediately. And well worth the expense for a few sessions with a good dog trainer.
Thank you so much, Jan! I will relay what you’ve told me to this young couple–particularly the biting behavior aspect of it. I’m sure I can phrase it in such a way that they won’t think I’m criticizing their “parenting” skills.
Hi Jan. Just came across your website and love what I see. I have a question for you if you don’t mind. My 6 yr. old Bully named Betty had something going on with her eyes today. She was squinting like something was bothering them and also tearing. I am in the process of switching her from Nutro Max dog food to Professional the last 2 weeks. This morning I gave her only the Professional dog food and that is the only thing different about today. We are also noticing she has a lot of gas with this food. Could this be an allergy to the food? I have been wiping her eyes off and on today with cotton pads rinsed in cool water and tonight I put Refresh tears in her eyes to maybe rinse out whatever is in her eyes irritating them. Your thoughts? She has always had tearing issues so that isn’t new..the squinting is. Thank you*
The tearing and now squinting eyes are probably from a bulldog eye condition in which the eyelashes roll into the eyes and cause little abrasions. This is one of the by-products of the breeding of English Bulldogs to make their noses go back into the head. You probably cannot see these little eye lashes but they really irritate your dog’s eyes and the scratches can lead to serious infection and possible loss of vision. So I would suggest you take him to an opthamologist vet who will remove the misplaced eye lashes.
As for the food my personal opinion is Nutro is really terrible food. It is mostly corn and by-products of such low quality that it has been recalled several times. I’d suggest you switch to a higher quality food like Prairie or Innova from a specialty dog food store. If you shop at one of the big box pet stores try something like Royal Canin or Blue Buffalo. This will most likely solve the gas problem which results from inability to properly digest food.
Hi Jan
I have an 10month old male bulldog called Brock.
Recently I placed a portable aircon on top of the dogs crate where he sleeps at night which has seemed to freak him out alittle and makes it very difficult to get him into his crate of a night time.
The aircon is not running during the night, it is for use during the day to cool the area down.
The crate is not used during the day but is his bed of a night time.
This has caused some agression in Brock not complying with his usual toilet then into bed routine. Agression is displayed as I give him his ususal command for bed with a prod and a poke.
It has ended up in me having to grap him via the scruff of the neck in Brocks protest and putting him into his crate.
It really bothers me as i don’t want to be at odds with my dog, I am the alpha dog in the house and believe that is not the issue.
I’m considering removing the aircon to put things back to how they have been as this problem has only happened since the air con has been introduced.
I guess with any new furniture bulldogs can get troubled etc I have thought after a few days it would all just settle down.
The easiest way is to just remove the aircon, is this a cop out with the dog, any suggestion would be a big help.
Regards
Guy
Hi Guy,
Dogs don’t like change, especially in their safe haven which is the crate. He appears to be terrified of the aircon and feels very threatened by it. So the easiest solution is to remove it. It doesn’t matter if you are the alpha, a terrified dog will become defensive (or aggressive as you call it) because he feels his safety is jeopardized. Dragging him into the crate will just increase his fear level and he won’t feel safe in his crate. If you keep forcing him in there he will become afraid of you as well. So I’d definitely suggest you remove the aircon and hopefully he won’t be too afraid to return to his normal safe spot.
your bulldog pal,
Jan
I, we have a problem with our bulldog… one of its front leg is crooked… she’s 6 month old…. one veterinarian told us that it might be one of the bone in the leg that has stop growing. He told us that it would cost a fortune for surgery so he recommand the euthanasia. We can not believe this… can you help us please??
I don’t believe that either. Did you go to an orthopedic specialist for a confirmation of that diagnosis? I’m going on very little information here but is it possible your bulldog has rickets?
How old was she when you got her? and where did you get her? When a young dog is kept in the dark as is the case in many kennels these days, it is possible for them to develop rickets which is a vitamin D and or phosphorous and calcium deficiency caused by improper diet and/or lack of exposure to sunlight. Many puppy mill kennels do not feed their puppies good diets nor do they let them go outside in the sun.
I do not want to cast suspicion on good breeders but this is a possibility worth investigating because it is treatable.
Other than this there could be a spinal malformation causing nerve damage and therefore stopping the growth. But a curved leg is one of the signs of rickets.
In any case I don’t see why you should euthanize her. Many dogs function well with some deformities.
You might consider taking her to one of the vet schools. There are several very good ones around the country and they tend to be up to date on all dog conditions and cost a lot less than private veterinarians.
Let me know what you find out.
Our Bulldog, Pearl, is 10 months old and she is having some sort of infection under her tail. We have taken her to the vet (which seem to all be young and unexperienced with bulldogs)several times and they seem to think that it is a fungal infection under her tail and around her vulva. It is a dark color and seems to come mostly off with baby wipes. They say it is caused from her having wrinkles, or a vulva that is located lower than normal. As for the tail part I was told it is because not much air gets under her tail and moisture is always there which causes the fungi to grow. They have given us wipes to use but do not help. Under the tail, the hair is dark (where she is almost all white), and there is abraisions that are slightly bleeding at times. We have used baby whipes and try to clean it as much as we can. Her tail is corkscrewed. We also are using a anti-fungal shampoo to clean her with and we use a washcloth to try and get most of it off. Nothing so far is working and she is scooting more and wants us only to scratch her butt. What is your recomendation and is a new vet that knows bulldogs a must for this problem?
Thanks,
Lindsey
Hi Lindsey,
Yes, you definitely need to find a new vet. It sounds like Pearl may have a more serious tail pocket infection that could include yeast fungus as well as staph, especially if it’s oozing. It is essential that the tail pocket be kept dry and free of infection. And it sounds like that is what you are trying to do.
Pearl may be a bulldog with a tail pocket that is very tight and not able to be adequately cleaned. She is obviously distressed so the current cleaning method is not working.
The bulldog screw tail is partially inside the dog’s body. If the bone rubs against the skin from the inside it can lead to chronic infection which can threaten a bulldog’s well being. For some bulldogs with chronic infections amputation of the tail is the only solution but you definitely need an expert to determine if this is necessary as the surgery does involve risks.
A vet who is more familiar with bulldogs or an orthopedic vet should be able to help you better diagnose what’s going on with Pearl.
I have some other posts on this topic if you put “tail infection” into the search box at the upper right of this page.
We took her to a doctor that is familar with bulldogs and he said that her tail is going to need to come off to get rid of the infection permenatly. He also said that she should only be eating 1 cup of food per day. She is 60lbs but needs to be about 55lbs. Does this sound correct for a full grown dog? It seems to be not close to enough food.
yes, according to the Bulldog Club of America guide to bulldog standards, the normal weight for an adult female bulldog is about 40 pounds and a male about 50 pounds. Of course, your dog may be a bigger bulldog but it is important to remember that an overweight bulldog is not long lived. You should be able to look at your bulldog from above and see a defined waist, and looking from the side a tuck in at the waist, and you should be able to feel the ribs under her skin (this is a bit of a challenge in a bulldog).
If she is overweight and goes under the anesthesia she could have complications because an overweight bulldog has more pressure on the heart and lungs. So I think you should take your vets advise.
Hi Jan,
I’m a proud new owner of a bulldog puppy, Lucy (she’s 13 wks old now). I absolutely love my snoring little girl, however I just experienced the scariest moment of my life. I have read a lot about bulldogs and have read in multiple articles to stay away from rawhides. Lucy ABSOLUTELY loves them and I checked with my vet that if I am very cautious with giving them to her then it’s okay for her to have them.
However today, she began choking so much so that she couldn’t even breathe. I tried sticking my fingers down her throat to pick it out but couldn’t reach it so gave her the heimlich. Luckily, Lucy is still happy and healthy even after this expisode. Needless to say, all rawhides will be removed from the house (if I can find all the ones she hid). However, I need a SAFE toy to replace them with.
I have a KONG toy that she doesn’t really play with unless I put peanut butter in. I’m looking for something that she can gum but NOT swallow. Any suggestions?
PS> I’d LOVE to send a picture of Lucy, she looks exactly like the puppy version of the bulldog that is your main picture on the site.
Thanks,
Breann
I have a english bulldog that is 1 1/2 years old. Every morning when we get up she has snotty looking stuff in her eye.It’s only in her left eye.I was wondering what is causing this and what I can do to prevent it.
It is probably caused either by an allergy or by eyelashes that are scratching her cornea and causing irritation. The best way to know is to have an opthamologist vet look at her eye.
Do you have the hard copy books in yet?. Last we spoke you didn’t have the hard copies, just the electronic version. I’m kinda old school and really want to get a copy. I have three Bully’s and we experience a lot of the same problems your other readers do. I’ve tried switching from Roayal Canine Bulldog formula to California natural on my oldest bully that has severe allergies, the problem is he doesn’t like it and will leave his bowl untouched all day until I “fix it”. If I add a couple drops of bacon grease he will eat (I know this is not good, especially since he’s over weight) but I want to give the new food a try and I’m not sure what else to do. He’s on a daily dose of Prednisone and has been for years, I would like to find a solution to the allergy problem.
Thanks, Kim
hi jan,
my name is brian and me and my fiancee have a wonderful 10 month old bully named lucy. she is a very vert good dog with not much issue at all except that lately whenever she gets into a really good deep sleep with heavy snoreing she wakes up with the hicups which turns into projectile vomitting. is this normal or is there anything that we can do to make this stop? you can tell she feeks bad afterward watching us scramble to clean whatever peice of furniture she happened to pass out on.
thank you
Hi Brian,
Lucy may have something going on with her esophagus (throat). If this is the case, she is actually regurgitating bits of food that did not make it to the stomach. You can tell because they are pretty much whole and not digested.
Many bulldogs have either a little pouch in their throat or a condition called megaesophagus. So when she sleeps and wakes up suddenly she has a reflex action to get the food out of her throat. In Bulldogs this is considered a genetic (inherited) disorder and can vary in degree. Only a specialist vet can tell you her exact condition.
For more information on megaesophagus, you can read this article:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_megaesophagus.html
I have a couple suggestions. Elevate her food bowl so gravity can help get the food all the way down her throat and she may be less likely to throw it up later. This solved the problem when my Bulldog Vivy had this condition.
Also, when she does throw up it’s important that you do not show any reaction. She is probably far more distressed by your reaction and scrambling around than by the actual regurgitation. Stay calm and quietly clean up, preferably when she is not looking. You could put a towel under her when she goes to sleep. Dogs are very sensitive to the emotions of their owners and can get stressed when you do.
Jan, I have a 16 wk old bulldog puppy. This morning he vomitted a yellow vile. Right before he vomitted, it was almost like he was choking or dry heaving. My previous adult bulldog did this occassionally as well. Is this common in bulldogs? Thanks!
A bulldog puppy vomiting yellow bile in the morning is fairly common and not usually cause for concern. It happens because the dog hasn’t eaten for a while and stomach acids have accumulated overnight. These acids irritate the stomach lining and cause the puppy to vomit.
There is a simple solution. First, feed more often. If you are feeding your puppy two times a day, up it to three. If you feed three times a day, give him a little snack before he goes to bed. This should keep his stomach full and prevent the bile from building up.
You could also try giving him wet food with his kibble. And let his food digest a while before exercising him. In addition, be sure he is fed in a stress free environment so he can eat (or in the bulldog case, gulp) his food quietly.
If this cures him, or he only does it infrequently, then he’s fine. If he continues to vomit or he becomes lethargic or does not want to eat, you should take him in to see your vet. He or she may opt to give him antacids (the dosage depends upon his weight) or do additional testing if needed.
Hi, I was just wondering how I would go about introducing a new 9 month old male bulldog to our two and a half year old male bulldog. We are getting the 9 month old dog from a family that can’t take care of him anymore. Is it a good idea to have two males together or would it cause a lot of problems? Thanks!
Hi, I have a three year old female english bulldog (55lbs)with a torn acl. We have been doing endless searching for the best treatment options for her. We haven’t found any information on whats best for the bulldogs. Talking with several vets we are debating TTA vs. tightrope procedures. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Hi Matt,
The type of procedure depends upon the particular injury. Many bulldogs have congenital deformities of the knee joint that require the TTA or TPLO surgeries to re-stabilize the knee joint and prevent further injury. The tightrope procedure is less invasive but in the case of a malformation may not be as effective, especially if you have a very active bulldog. It is a newer type of surgery. Recovery would be faster. I think you should get a few opinions from orthopedic specialists in your area. I’m going to ask some bulldog folks about what they think and add to this post.
We purchased an English Bulldog about 10 months ago from Ultimate Bulldogs in north Jersey. She seemed very healthy and she is a beautiful white bulldog with some color around the right eye. We started to notice some odd behavior and Maggie not being startled by loud noise like our pitt bull. We did some home testing and had her hearing tested by her vet. He said that she was most likely deaf from birth. My question: one of our main reasons for purchasing maggie was to breed her. Can we breed a deaf dog? What other problems can we expect to have due to the deafness?
Thank you for any advise you can pass along. Another question: What is the breeder responsible for in this situation? They did praise themselves on healthy, pure breed, show dogs. Thank you.
Deafness is more common in white bulldogs than the darker colors. There is a pigmentation gene in white bulldogs called the piebald gene that is associated with deafness. It is considered a congenital defect so your bulldog has a greater chance of passing on the gene and producing more deaf puppies. Bulldogs such as yours who are born deaf should not be bred. The gene is often recessive in dogs and can just appear in a puppy from an otherwise healthy male and female parents so the breeder’s responsibility may be limited to that particular puppy.
Hi Jan! I’m writing to ask about food for Tank. He’s 2 1/2 and has been on Royal Canine since we got him and doing great. We recently realised they have changed their Bulldog 24 formula and for some reason have added Oatmeal. Tank is allergic to gluten and is now suffering very itchy paws. I see under your ‘Diet’ category that you have recommended Canidea and Natura in the past but that was in 2008 I think. Just wonding if you still feel the same way.
We need a new food, please help.
The company that makes Royal Canin was recently purchased by Mars (think M&M’s) and the formula has changed. If your bulldog is allergic to gluten I’d suggest trying one of the grain free dog food diets from Instinct or Evo or Taste of the Wild or one of the newer small companies that you can find out about from your local small independent pet food store.
Hi we have a 7 month Bulldog called George and he has started to get a really snotty nose with bright green snot coming out of it, has he just got a cold or should I take him to the vet - does anyone have any advise or have experience the same thing?
thanks
Clear snot is ok and is just a sign of mild cold or allergy but green is a sign of infection and must be treated. Take him to a vet for evaluation now.
My female, English Bulldog has a UTI. What can I do for her until I get her to the Vet tomorrow. She is drinking a lot of water and urinating alot. I made her some pure cranberry juice, but I can’t get her to drink it. Any suggestions??
She probably doesn’t like the taste of the pure cranberry juice although it is effective against urinary tract infections. You could try diluting the cranberry or adding some vitamin c or a little apple cider vinegar to her water, but it’s most important that she be able to drink so she stays hydrated until you get her to her vet.
I was wondering if you have had any experience with Craniomandibular Osteopathy aka Lions Jaw in Bulldogs?
We have a purebred English Bulldog who has just turned 8 months. He was diagnosed with Lions Jaw 2-3 months ago when he had unexplained pain which led to Xrays of his skull. Thus far we are treating episodes with Metacam but he is still uncomfortable, drools heavily, and eats very little. We have gone through 2 episodes thus far and each last approx 4-6 days until he is back to normal. The last episode had us at a late night emergency animal hospital getting a sedative so as to control the pain and make him more comfortable. The weeks in between the episodes find him happy and being a normal dog..
His diet is strictly Royal Canine medium breed puppy food.
The breeder we purchased from was recomended to us, and so we brought him up from Kansas to our home in British Columbia.
We have done alot of reading on the interent but we are hoping to find any additional info.
Thank you for any info you may be able to pass on..
I do not hear of Lion’s Jaw (Craniomandibular Osteopathy) in Bulldogs, but found a few websites that may be helpful. It is a genetic disorder but may also be caused by a bout of distemper. According to Merck “Therapy is symptomatic and consists of aspirin or corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and discomfort, and a soft-food diet. Prognosis is good because bone proliferation ceases when the animal matures.” (Merck: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/91503.htm) It is generally treated with aspirin and steroids until the puppy matures.
You can read more at these sites:
http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/craniomandibular-osteopathy.aspx
http://www.upei.ca/cidd/Diseases/musculoskeletal/craniomandibularosteopathy.htm
Hello Jan-
I have downloaded and printed the book and I do receive all your emails- which I print and read while watching my bulldog run in the backyard.
Rebel,my english bulldog, has had problems with spots in between his paws-at first I was told that they might be in-grown hairs then I opted to have him allergy tested which did not help much. So last night I bathed him and noticed that he was limping so I sat him down to investigate further. Upon invesigation I saw a quater sized blister on the under side of his paw in between the pads- I then went on to notice that there was much debri in between all his pads- it was amazing how gunked up they were considering he is bathed regularly. I felt horrible because I had neglected to pay attention to this before. I cleaned the pads out the best I could then soaked his hurt paw in epsom salt which seemed to relieve some of the swelling and pain. My question is what do I do about the issue in between all the pads ? Should I clean them each night and if so what should I be cleaning them with ? My sister suggested that I find him shoes to wear outside-please help. Any suggestions would be taken to heart. I hate to know that being outside, which he loves, is causing him pain.
We have a 1 1/2 female bulldog who just began to limp on her hind right leg. We did not see her injure it, one second she was fine and the next she was limping. She wants to get up and move around. When she gets up, she does not put pressure on the leg. She does not yelp or seem to mind when we touch the leg or give her a massage. What should we do to help her heal and do you think we need to go to the vet?
Thanks,
Kim
Keep her quiet for a week or two and see if she gets better. No jumping
off furniture, no walks. If she’s still limping then you’d better get her to
an orthopedic vet for evaluation. She could have injured her knee or her
hip.
You can also check her paw to see if she stepped on something or has
a foxtail in between her toes.
See my comments in the orthopedics section of the blog
http://www.askbulldoghealth.com/?cat=12