Advice On British Bulldog

[winstonbull]

Hi all,

I am a new member and wanting some advice on our beautiful Winston. Winston in a British bulldog who 19 weeks old tomorrow. He is a lovely puppy with such a good temperament. So far we have had a few issues with him that i would like to share and get advice.

Firstly Winston has beef or chicken mince twice daily with advance dry food. Outside of that he chews just his toys and cow hooves.

The first issue we noticed with him was just after his 12 week vaccination. He seemed to get hives and then they turned into pimply sores. I took him back to the vet who gave him a steroid shot, however the issue took weeks to clear up. Right now he doesn't get any more pimply sores but i use sudo cream and DUOXO wipes on him every day. He still has red marks on his skin but they don't seem to irritate him.

The next issue we had was purely my fault. He has a screw tail and when playing with him he fell in the lake behind our house. When we got home i washed him but forgot to fully clean his tail and dry it and it turned into an infection. This was cleared by antibiotics and steroid cream.

The last 2 days when cleaning his tail and night i have noticed some discharge from his anus. This doesn't seem to be continuing and happened when i put pressure in the general area to clean his tail. The vet says he has one of the tightest screw tails he has seen (not inverted). He has solid stools when going in the yard so really not sure about this one.

The final issue we have had is that his penis had green and yellow liquid sitting at the tip. I called the vet and they said i can be normal and just to keep an eye on it. I cleaned it up however i noticed 2 lumps about half way along. These are not his testicles as they are further down. Really not sure what these are or if they are normal or not.

I have had Australian bulldogs before but never a pure British. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Clyde]

THe penis lumps are normal. They are side by side - either side of the penis near the base - I think they're glands but someone will correct me if Im wrong. White dogs often have skin problems. Is he from a registered breeder?

What are DUOXO wipes? I dont know if Id be wiping his skin with any sort of wipe (depending on what they are).

Get some ALOVEEN shampoo for him. It is soothing and if he's going to be a 'skin dog' it will come in handy.

Diet is also something you could look at to help with his skin.

[~Anne~]

The lumps on either side of the penis sound normal. The discharge can be cleared by using lightly salted warm water to wash the area with. Fill a syringe with the liquid and squirt it inside the sheath. This will remove any muck from inside.

The infections and skin issues sound like he is super sensitive. The sensitivity could be due to an allergic reaction to something in the environment (dust or even grass or plants) or it could be a reaction to his food. I would avoid steroids and instead ask your vet to run some allergy tests or refer you to a dermatologist. The sooner you get it sorted and find out what it is that is affecting him the easier your life will be and it will be cheaper in the long run. He's too young to be facing a life of steroids which can have serious side effects.

Clean his face folds and his tail daily with baby wipes. It will keep them clean and prevent further problems. Dry them afterwards with a sofet cloth. you can buy very thin face cloths or general cleaning cloths to dry with, even Chux. Pugs also often get infections and muck in their nose rolls too and this is what I do. Anywhere that isn't open to fresh air, such as his tail if the roll is tight, can get dirty and is prone to infection and bacteria.

Edited September 30, 2013 by ~Anne~

[winstonbull]

What are DUOXO wipes? I dont know if Id be wiping his skin with any sort of wipe (depending on what they are).

Thanks for the reply.

The DOUXO wipes are antiseptic and cleansing cotton pads for animals. I saw them recommended on another forum for dogs with allergies. Every since using them his allergies have settled and we no longer get the pimply sores just small red marks.

Chlorhexidine 3% PS pads is that the container says.

I also have the dog wash of the same and Aloveen shampoo.

Any recommendation for diet changes. What i feed him was recommended from the breeder (yes breeder is registered).

[minimax]

Does the anal discharge smell?

[winstonbull]

Does the anal discharge smell?

No there was no smell.

[Sandra777]

Firstly - consult his breeder. They should be the first port of call for all these issues.

The first issue we noticed with him was just after his 12 week vaccination. He seemed to get hives and then they turned into pimply sores. I took him back to the vet who gave him a steroid shot, however the issue took weeks to clear up. Right now he doesn't get any more pimply sores but i use sudo cream and DUOXO wipes on him every day. He still has red marks on his skin but they don't seem to irritate him.

The hives after vaccination suggests to me he may have issues with future vaccinations - was it quite severe so the vet went directly for a steroid injection rather than something like an antihistamine tablet? Some dogs react to vaccinations and these probably shouldn't be vaccinated any more than absolutely essential - titre testing is the way to go with these guys. It could also be that the vaccination and the reaction were completely unrelated, unfortunately you can't always be 100% sure of the cause of an allergic reaction.

I would avoid using anything on him except plain water and a mild shampoo. It might be a good idea to dump the beef for a while and see if his skin improves - if it doesn't dump the chicken. It used to be that beef was the usual suspect if a dog had a bit of a food issue, sadly now chicken seems to be becoming a more common problem

The last 2 days when cleaning his tail and night i have noticed some discharge from his anus. This doesn't seem to be continuing and happened when i put pressure in the general area to clean his tail.

Anal glands? What does he get to eat that is actually solid? Biscuits and mince won't help the natural emptying of anal glands in a dog with (PERHAPS) a slight problem in this area. Swapping the mince with something he had to chew might help - chicken wings or half a body might be a suitable size or him? The bone residue will probably help emptying the glands naturally

The final issue we have had is that his penis had green and yellow liquid sitting at the tip. I called the vet and they said i can be normal and just to keep an eye on it. I cleaned it up however i noticed 2 lumps about half way along. These are not his testicles as they are further down. Really not sure what these are or if they are normal or not.

The lumps are absolutely normal, they are the 'bulbs' which engorge and effect a tie when a dog is mating. Discharge in a pup this age is fairly normal, just keep an eye on out in case it gets worse.

[Dogsfevr]

Nothing sounds abnormal except the hives & like mentioned the beef would be the first to go .Did they use the same vaccine as already on the card or something different brand wise ??(the vet should have placed the sticky sticker on with all the details for such cases.

Also agree the breeder should be consulted ,if a good one they will be a wealth of knowledge .

Many of the BB people here use witch hazel for wiping the folds

[minimax]

I have pugs and don't clean their folds with anything but damp tissues or sometimes baby wipes. I wouldn't consistently use anti-bac or anti-septic wipes on their skin as it's very drying.

Edited September 30, 2013 by minimax

[winstonbull]

Nothing sounds abnormal except the hives & like mentioned the beef would be the first to go .Did they use the same vaccine as already on the card or something different brand wise ??(the vet should have placed the sticky sticker on with all the details for such cases.

Also agree the breeder should be consulted ,if a good one they will be a wealth of knowledge .

Many of the BB people here use witch hazel for wiping the folds

Hi, thanks for the reply.

The vaccine was the same as used before and he has since been vaccinated again without issue. So i am leaning towards a coincidence.

I will stop beef mince for now and maybe switch it up with chicken wings.

[winstonbull]

Firstly - consult his breeder. They should be the first port of call for all these issues.

The first issue we noticed with him was just after his 12 week vaccination. He seemed to get hives and then they turned into pimply sores. I took him back to the vet who gave him a steroid shot, however the issue took weeks to clear up. Right now he doesn't get any more pimply sores but i use sudo cream and DUOXO wipes on him every day. He still has red marks on his skin but they don't seem to irritate him.

The hives after vaccination suggests to me he may have issues with future vaccinations - was it quite severe so the vet went directly for a steroid injection rather than something like an antihistamine tablet? Some dogs react to vaccinations and these probably shouldn't be vaccinated any more than absolutely essential - titre testing is the way to go with these guys. It could also be that the vaccination and the reaction were completely unrelated, unfortunately you can't always be 100% sure of the cause of an allergic reaction.

I would avoid using anything on him except plain water and a mild shampoo. It might be a good idea to dump the beef for a while and see if his skin improves - if it doesn't dump the chicken. It used to be that beef was the usual suspect if a dog had a bit of a food issue, sadly now chicken seems to be becoming a more common problem

Thanks, i will stop the antiseptic wipes and just use water, but also cut beef from his diet.

The last 2 days when cleaning his tail and night i have noticed some discharge from his anus. This doesn't seem to be continuing and happened when i put pressure in the general area to clean his tail.

Anal glands? What does he get to eat that is actually solid? Biscuits and mince won't help the natural emptying of anal glands in a dog with (PERHAPS) a slight problem in this area. Swapping the mince with something he had to chew might help - chicken wings or half a body might be a suitable size or him? The bone residue will probably help emptying the glands naturally

Do i just give raw chicken wings with his dry food? Say 1 wing twice a day with his dry food? Would there be any issue with chocking on the wings?

The final issue we have had is that his penis had green and yellow liquid sitting at the tip. I called the vet and they said i can be normal and just to keep an eye on it. I cleaned it up however i noticed 2 lumps about half way along. These are not his testicles as they are further down. Really not sure what these are or if they are normal or not.

The lumps are absolutely normal, they are the 'bulbs' which engorge and effect a tie when a dog is mating. Discharge in a pup this age is fairly normal, just keep an eye on out in case it gets worse.

Thanks.

[Sandra777]

Do i just give raw chicken wings with his dry food? Say 1 wing twice a day with his dry food? Would there be any issue with chocking on the wings?

Not sure of the weight of a Bulldog his age or their food requirements so seek advice from someone who knows the breed but I would give one of mine (Staffords) 2 wings at one meal and their normal food at the other two (trying ot do the maths - 19 weeks is not quite five months?? Mine are on two full meals and a chewing-something for lunch at this age).

First time you give him a wing hold on to it by one end and let him chew it a bit, some chew, some try to swallow them whole. If he's a chewer that's great (and you can't judge by what he does with non-food items such as toys!) just let him have it and watch what he does. If he's a gulper then bash it with a hammer or something heavy to flatten it a bit and let him have another go. Mine get this sort of stuff at 5 weeks so learn how to eat it right from the start. A Bulldog may have more trouble chewing than a Stafford and has a bigger mouth so might decide to swallow it whole, in which case ditch the wings and try chicken carcasses or turkey wings instead. Even if he does swallow without chewing as much as you'd like once it's in his stomach it won't do any harm so don't panic :) Some like to swallow and throw up then have another feed, lovely creatures!

Edited September 30, 2013 by Sandra777

[Bullbreedlover]

Sorry but I wouldn't recommend chicken carcasses for Bulldogs. Even though Bulldogs have big heads and mouths they do tend not to chew their food and may get bones stuck in their throat. Personally I recommend nylabone chewbies. Rawhide chewbies can also do a lot of damage.

But that is only my opinion.

A good balanced dry food kibble is perfectly fine and I would recommend Proplan chicken and rice Large Breed formula. If you do change a food then make the transition slowly. Also yoghurt, tuna, cooked chicken meat(never feed cooked chicken bones either)

Skin allergies can occur in Bulldogs and of course puppys up until 18 months of age or there abouts can develop immune deficiency problems, which should correct themselves as the dog gets older. If your dog has an immune problem with his skin then I also recommend Thoroughbred Itch solution. There is also a cream as well.

Many vets know zero about Bulldogs, except for what they have been taught in Vet School so do be wary.

A tight screw tail can make for problems. Sudocream is one of the best products on the market for cleaning tails. And also for facial creases.

[~Anne~]

I agree about small bones are a hazard for brachy breeds and don't personally feed bones to my inhalers except for large shank bones for them to chew on. They can't swallow these. However, in having said that, I know of many, many pugs that eat chicken wings and necks all the time and are still thriving.

When it comes to switching the mince for chicken you may not get any result. The two most common food allergens are beef and chicken. You won't know till you try it though.

Edited September 30, 2013 by ~Anne~

[Bullbreedlover]

Have you been in contact with the breeder to ask for their recommendations?

[winstonbull]

Hi All,

Thanks for the feedback.

I have been in contact with the breeder who has provided feedback.

The breeder believes that Winston may not actually have an allergy but just a heat rash which is not a massive issue. They recommend i buy a clam shell for him so he can cool himself down.

Edited September 30, 2013 by winstonbull

[Bullbreedlover]

Hi All,

Thanks for the feedback.

I have been in contact with the breeder who has provided feedback.

The breeder believes that Winston may not actually have an allergy but just a heat rash which is not a massive issue. They recommend i buy a clam shell for him so he can cool himself down.

Heat rash MAY be the cause or it MAY NOT. It could be a contact allergy, it could be a food allergy, it may be an immune issue but if the breeder has recommended a clam shell to cool him down then I hope that works.

[winstonbull]

Hi,

I think i will take an elimination approach.

I will get a small pool for him to cool himself down, as i was going to do this anyway as its very humid here. The main thing is he is not itchy or uncomfortable with the issue. If that doesn't work i will drop beef and if we still have issues i will stop chicken. I get the feeling after a lot of the feedback i am potentially reading into things more than i need too. I did a lot of research on the breed before getting Winston and was aware of a lot of the potential issues, so maybe i just read into things too much.

Also i see many different opinions on diet for bulldogs.

My breeder says 2 cups of kibble (advance large breed puppy formula until 12 months) a day plus a handful of meat with both meals. Also potentially 1 chicken wing a week.

My question is..

Is the meat required for a balanced diet?

Last thing i want to give Winston is something that will make him choke. Chicken wings are o,k if i smash them up as he tends to inhale his food. Right now i give him mince (chicken or beef) but its messy. This doesn't really worry me if this is required but assuming there is other options to raw mince?

Edited September 30, 2013 by winstonbull

[hankdog]

I have a very allergic bulldog, his white bits are more prone to breakout strangely. He has a Polaramine a day and can't have beef at all. He chews on a lamb shank bone as those are big enough for him not to swallow. I leave a bit of meat on but not all, a weight watching issue. He can have chicken but not for too many days in a row and once cooked I skim off the fat. Although he's not overly find of it fish is the best food for him, I actually buy the human salmon and vegetable fishcakes and he's really good on those. I tried a chicken frame once but he bit down once and then swallowed so no more of those.

He gets bathed every ten to fourteen days, once I see him starting to look a bit pink, I use Fido dog shampoo, it's the one seemed to be best for him. Definitely a clam shell, Jake lives in his. I think it's a matter if playing around and finding what works best for him. I call mine the Billdog.

Edited September 30, 2013 by hankdog

[Rebanne]

My breeder says 2 cups of kibble (advance large breed puppy formula until 12 months) a day plus a handful of meat with both meals. Also potentially 1 chicken wing a week.

My question is..

Is the meat required for a balanced diet?

short answer is no. I would feed a chicken wing before I would feed meat without the bone. Just adding meat, IMO, could unbalance the dry food.