otis2611

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Please help me! I have a 4 1/2 year old bulldog, Otis. He has had issues with anal glands for years. We changed his food to Orijen with fiber one cereal to help thicken up his stools. We have seemed to get that under control. I had no idea that he had a deep tail pocket! My husband googled it one day and we have been cleaning it out daily ever since. I have taken him to the vet for over a month to try and fix this infection. We clean his tail pocket daily with Duoxo pads. The infection has gotten better but still not clear. I went back again yesterday and the doctor now has put him on Cephalexin. He had it last night and then again this morning. The vet warned me it may upset his stomach so make sure he eats. He normally eats only 1 time. He is a lover of treats throughout the day! This morning the poor guy got sick all over- ugh!!!! We are suppose to be on this medicinge for 3 weeks. I don't want him to continue to get sick and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for either the medicine stomach upset or how to clear the tail pocket quickly. He is also talking about tail pocket surgery which I am totally against! Anyone have any advice?
Thanks so much!
 

cali baker

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Feb 25, 2011
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Hi [MENTION=11442]otis2611[/MENTION], I'm sorry Otis is going through this. No fun at all and can be very painful. I can only tell you of my own experience with my bulldog, Finn. He had a partial tail amputation a year or so ago b/c of frequent tail pocket infections too. The vet would have him on a combo course of antibiotics plus a steroid like prednisone, the infection would clear up beautifully, and then come back fiercely again.

how many doses has he had of the cephalexin? he really should take it on a full tummy otherwise if he continues to get sick, you will need to discuss an alternative medication for him.

Also, may I ask why you are against having the surgery to remove the tail? this has been pretty beneficial for many bulldogs, including Finn. I know [MENTION=572]Libra926[/MENTION] also had great success with her boy Vegas.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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from the sounds of it.... you may not have a choice on the tail amputation.

I had to do this with my guy just this past October, I did not want to, but the infection was so bad and deep that antibiotics would eventually not work, the infection get worse and it then becomes a quality of life issue or maybe even death. Cleaning is one thing, and it helps if you prevent the infection from ever forming, but once it takes hold.... you can't get in there deep enough to really get the area clean and the infection just grows.

as for the meds, try feeding 2 or 3 smaller meals and lessen treats.... also, you can give a Pepcid (10mg pill) like 20 mins before to see if that helps.

I also had tail issues with my previous bulldog, Banks....we were able to maintain the issue with her for all her life, but her issue was not a deep pocket, it was extra skin.
 
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otis2611

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I guess I am just opposed since I do not want to put him under for surgery. Obviously he has been part of our family and we love him dearly! I guess I feel better reading a few stories about it. I really do not know a lot about it. He is our very first dog so we are very attached- like all of you! Do you think the pain can be causing aggression? I was going to post in the behavioral section. We are going to a behaviorist next week. He started herding right before bed- my 9 year old and 6 year old only. It has progressed to growling now and I do not want it to get worse. He had a blood test- thyroid fine. I just don't know what is going on all of a sudden!
 

Libra926

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We chose tail amputation at 7 months old for Vegas. Actually, the doctor said it would be beneficial to close the tail pocket. I really didn't know anything about Bulldogs at the time and this was before English bulldog News. So when I went to pick Vegas up after the surgery, you can imagine my surprise when his entire tail was gone. But in the short seven months presurgery compared to the last eight years post surgery, I would do it all over again. My other bull dog has a tail pocket, and we fight it monthly. Even when there is no infection, it drives her crazy with itching. She loves to have her tail pocket cleaned, and this girl does not like anything.


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2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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I guess I am just opposed since I do not want to put him under for surgery. Obviously he has been part of our family and we love him dearly! I guess I feel better reading a few stories about it. I really do not know a lot about it. He is our very first dog so we are very attached- like all of you! Do you think the pain can be causing aggression? I was going to post in the behavioral section. We are going to a behaviorist next week. He started herding right before bed- my 9 year old and 6 year old only. It has progressed to growling now and I do not want it to get worse. He had a blood test- thyroid fine. I just don't know what is going on all of a sudden!

ABSOLUTELY!! If he is having pain and discomfort, in his mind, he is weak and protecting himself, which is why dogs get aggressive when they are in pain. I hear you on the sedation, but if he is in pain and wanting to protect himself, you need to evaluate having the tail removed --- it sucks, I get it, but it may be the best thing for you all.
 

KimDe

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I can't help you on tail amputation considerations, but I am wondering if you do anything other than cleaning? For instance, I clean Fezzik's with witch hazel and then use Desytin if I saw anything other than dirt/poop (like blood). Overall, mine has a pretty good tail pocket except for the time I didn't know what it was and wasn't cleaning it.
 
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otis2611

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Exactly us! I take him to a groomer to clean all the spots I did not know about and guess they did not clean it either! I feel so bad I did not know about the tail pocket. I have read about witch hazel on other sites. Is Fezzik's tail pocket deep? Did Fezzik ever have an infection? Did the witch hazel help? I am not sure if the infection is so far along that it would help. At this point....I'll try anything! I want him to feel better!
 

TyTysmom

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Desitin (baby rash ointment) is great for irritated tail pockets, I use a q-tip to apply it.
 

KimDe

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Exactly us! I take him to a groomer to clean all the spots I did not know about and guess they did not clean it either! I feel so bad I did not know about the tail pocket. I have read about witch hazel on other sites. Is Fezzik's tail pocket deep? Did Fezzik ever have an infection? Did the witch hazel help? I am not sure if the infection is so far along that it would help. At this point....I'll try anything! I want him to feel better!


Fezzik did get an infection, but his tail pocket is not too deep. It has also changed depth as he has matured. When he had his infection, I cleaned with witch hazel on a baby wipe or cotton pad and then applied desitin. I would do this every time he went poop. It started to clear up within a couple of days but took 2 weeks until there was no blood or discharge. I did not have to take him to the vet.

I have never used the Duoxo pads so someone else will have to comment on that, but I think they are probably as good at cleaning as witch hazel. I just like the witch hazel because it is antibaterial, antifungal, and not expensive to use every day with baby wipes or cotton pads. This is also my first bulldog so I am learning as I go and a lot of other people have more experience than me. I get a lot of advice from Christine (2BullyMama) & Jessica (TyTysmom).

I would recommend to keep cleaning it and use Desitin afterwards. Watch the discharge and contact your vet if you don't see an improvement. I found it easier to apply the desitin with cotton pads. You don't want to contaminate it so don't use bare fingers; you could also try rubber gloves.
 

1Chumly

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Monty kept getting bad infections. He had a very deep pocket and a tight screw tail. His vet amputated just the tip of his his tail (about the size of the first joint of my little finger) and tightened the skin somehow so no more tail pocket. Brilliant!! It is a breeze to keep clean and no more infections.

I would also think seriously about feeding twice a day. Divide the amount of food you usually feed daily into two meals. It is so much better for them and there is less chance of bloat which Bulldogs are prone to. It can quickly turn deadly.
 

bulliemommi

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waiting for us at the rainbow bridge
Please help me! I have a 4 1/2 year old bulldog, Otis. He has had issues with anal glands for years. We changed his food to Orijen with fiber one cereal to help thicken up his stools. We have seemed to get that under control. I had no idea that he had a deep tail pocket! My husband googled it one day and we have been cleaning it out daily ever since. I have taken him to the vet for over a month to try and fix this infection. We clean his tail pocket daily with Duoxo pads. The infection has gotten better but still not clear. I went back again yesterday and the doctor now has put him on Cephalexin. He had it last night and then again this morning. The vet warned me it may upset his stomach so make sure he eats. He normally eats only 1 time. He is a lover of treats throughout the day! This morning the poor guy got sick all over- ugh!!!! We are suppose to be on this medicinge for 3 weeks. I don't want him to continue to get sick and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for either the medicine stomach upset or how to clear the tail pocket quickly. He is also talking about tail pocket surgery which I am totally against! Anyone have any advice?
Thanks so much!
I'm so sorry to hear about your baby's tail. Can you get him a good probiotic while he is on the antibiotics to help his tummy? Gentle Digest is a good inexpensive one. I liked Iams Prostora very much for our boy when he used to be on a lot of antibiotics, but it's RX and not cheap. I'd only give the meds with food and like another poster said, feed in AM AND PM. When we fed just 1x a day our poor guy would often throw up bile. He never does now. Are you able to get him in the shower and wash out his pocket with warm water and a soft rag/good dog shampoo, nothing scented (I used Dermabens). Sometimes I think our guy prefers to be cleaned that way than with the wipes I also use. Glad you are taking to the vet, I'd continue to take their advise. I personally never use creams in there because to me they just fester in there and get grosser. If irritated I sprinkle with gold bond or Neo-Predef, after cleansing only. GOOD LUCK!
 

BertandErnie

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Feb 13, 2017
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Bert and Ernie
Hello! Ernie has an extremely deep tail pocket and when it comes to be winter time it gets all sorts of infected. I have found a lot of benefit from getting beard trimmer/clippers and trimming up as much as he will allow me to. Be very careful doing this, I have never used clippers before and I accidentally knocked him a little bit and felt really bad. If it stresses him out and makes a huge ordeal I would say to not even try. Besides that I use 100% cotton socks with a half water half apple cider vinegar solution and dip the tip of the sock in that and get as deep in there and clean it out as good as I possibly can. Then with the dry part of the sock I try to dry it out as best as I can. The socks are awesome because you can wash them and reuse them. I also feed my guys a raw diet and that really helps with nice solid clean poops and I think any debris getting up there is definitely a lead cause in irritation and infection
 

Dollys Owner

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Feb 20, 2017
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Honey
A high fibre diet is great for anal sac problems, but I would try to avoid grains, so instead of Fibre One cereal you can give your dog canned pumpkin or a fresh cut up vegetable like carrots daily. Some people give a tablespoonful of metamucil dissolved in 120 ml of something flavourful like broth or coconut water once daily. You might also want to try switching to a raw diet as suggested, or if you can't stomach that, a dehydrated or freeze dried raw dog food like Honest Kitchen or Sojos, and continue the fibre as well.
 

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