I am at a complete loss here!

Lily122511

New member
Mar 3, 2012
445
6
Westchester, New York, United States
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily
I am at a complete loss here. I just don’t know what to do anymore with Lily’s food & possible allergies.
She was on the Fromm’s beef for about a month. Everything seemed good except she was still licking & biting her paws.
Then she started rubbing her bottom chin on the rugs and her paws as well.
So I thought maybe she could be allergic to something in the Fromm’s beef so I tried the Surf & Turf.
She did ok for the first day and a half maybe two days then I came home one night and she was pink. Her face, ears, belly and under arms all turned pink.
I gave her a Benadryl and the next morning she was fine.
So I put her back on the Fromm’s beef. And she is still licking, biting and rubbing.
Then this morning I noticed that she must of scratched herself open on the bottom of both sides of her mouth because she was bleeding a little.
Now she has started to drool a bit more these days so I don’t know if maybe that’s irritating it.
It always seems pink to me down there.
At this point I just don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t know if I should try a different flavor on the Fromm’s again or should I try a new food switch? And if so which one?
Should I try the Earthborn? Maybe the Meadow feast?
I have no idea what she could be allergic to and she is only 5 ½ months so I can’t have her tested for allergies yet.
The only other foods she does eat besides her kibble is scrambled eggs maybe once or twice a week.
She has plain yogurt every few days and some fruit & veggies here and there.
And sometimes she will have a cheese slice.
Other than that I do not give her any other kinds of treats.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I just feel so bad for her.
 

Vicaroo1000

"Slug Assassin" and PBS Gardening Dweeb
Jun 23, 2011
5,775
389
Mukilteo, Washington State
Bulldog(s) Names
Beefeater's Buxom Beatrice and Lord Harrington's Bodacious Beauregaard
Oh Lily, we have all been there. The only way to find exactly what's bothering her is to start from zero and go from there. There are TOO MANY things that cause allergies in this world for these dogs apparently. Too, this is the season of environmental allergies.... it's really difficult to say what it is until you can get the test you want. Others will have FAR MORE wisdom on this topic than I. We have a fabulous collection of experts here in EBN! They'll be along!
 

NigelsMom

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Community Veteran
Oct 21, 2011
1,745
131
Houston, TX
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Frenchy - Ian Wentworth Carlisle, Eng Nigel Wentworth Sinclair (RIP) & Karly Isabella Sinclair (RIP)
My babies came home from the breeder eating Holistic Select Salmon Anchovy Flavor and when I tried to change them to the FROMM Beef Frittata Karly broke out in hives so I had to put them back on Holistic Select. I deal with redness in the chin area and itching right now too and I'm always looking for watery eyes so Benadryl is a daily dose in my house. I use the HardyPet Complete Vitamin for them and that helps too.

I also will give them a "spongebath" almost daily to remove any dirt or pollen from when they go outside to potty. I just wipe them down with a damp washcloth then dry them with a towel. I tell them let me clean your paws and they'll just stand still and let me. It's a nightly routine like every other night or so.

I'll be thinking of you and praying that things get better for you and Lily. *hugs*
 

ChanelnBrutus

Snookie ain't got nuttin on me!
Feb 6, 2012
4,928
181
New Jersey
Bulldog(s) Names
Brutus (EBD 6/4/11), Chanel (Pitbull 12/23/06)
The allergies have been very bad this year for everyone even people who never had them like myself! There are a lot of members who have been through many different foods before finding the right one. [MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION] is the Food Guru :wink: Right now I would stick to just giving kibble even for treats to try and pinpoint what it could be. It could be enviromental and not even be the food. Brutus had very bad chin acne that took a while to get rid off. Even with me cleaning everday and wiping dry. It was bad for 2-3 weeks then it was just red bumps for a while. Its all cleared up and it took almost 2 mnths after food switch to Fromm. Hope all goes well! There will be many others with great advice...
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
I feel your pain! I'd suggest to watch the surf n turf..it does have chicken in it and lots of Bully's are sensitive to chicken. I'd stick with the Beef and treat it like environmental allergies. Give Benadryl on a daily basis..wash her feet after being on grass and one other thing..Jake has always had yogurt..but all if a sudden started showing signs of yogurt intolerance.:cursing: so I took him off yogurt and the symptoms went away. I would remove yogurt and treats and try to narrow it down. use the beef kibble as treats for a few weeks combined with Benadryl and keeping her feet and legs as clean as possible. Good Luck!
 

Dubbiedog

New member
Community Veteran
Apr 29, 2012
963
65
Beautiful Sarasota, Florida
Bulldog(s) Names
Dublin
I think Bullie's should come with a sign that says "The only thing I'm not allergic to is love" :-) Dublin has had a heck of a year with allergies, Hives like you read about, scratching, chin itch and the list goes on and on. I have to belive it is not her food as she had no problems until we have had this crazy seasonal allergy year and then everything went haywire. Her vet who is Dr. Koch and is a vet who is mentioned on this site, believes her allergies are firmly routed in the environment outside our door. of course she has to smell every blade of grass when she is going potty :-) We have tried all the "big gun" meds, ( they make her very sick), the holistic approach ( no luck there) so we have had her on Benydrul 3 time a day for the last few months. Yesterday she was so congested it was scary ( been there before) so I decided to switch her to Zyrtec to see if it would help any and she seems to be doing a little better, though more drowsy. I am giving her 5 mg ( cutting a 10 mg in half) 3 times a day and just keeping an eye on her. We live in Florida and it has been raining all this week and I think that has brought some stuff out she is having a hard time with. Sunshine on the way so hopefully she will feel better soon.
 

Meggs19

New member
Oct 14, 2011
290
16
Madison, WI
Bulldog(s) Names
Tonka
[MENTION=4450]Lily122511[/MENTION], I am so sorry to hear about your struggles! I feel for ya! It's so hard to know if the allergies are food related or environmental or both. Sounds like food definitely plays a role in Lily's allergies, though.

What antihistamines have you tried, if any? That might help with some relief. Also, in the last message I sent you I mentioned the Animax Ointment which we put on Tonka's face when it's pink or he has scratched it up and that seems to help somewhat. Also, an anti-bacterial/anti-fungal shampoo (or bathing more often in general) might help her be less itchy. You can get the shampoo from your vet. I also wipe Tonka down with baby wipes after he has been outside.

I know I have read that other people switch to a bland diet for a while to see if that helps and then slowly re-introduce foods back into the diet and kind of use that to see what might be affecting her. I am sure others would be able to instruct you better on this since I have not tried it myself.

I am sending hugs and positive thoughts your way! Hang in there, I have confidence we will all figure out our bully allergy issues eventually!
 

Sherry

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Jan 15, 2011
5,183
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Denver PA
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USA
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Jack , Dolly, Grizz, Peggy Sue, and Scrimps
Your food choice is probably a very good one and I doubt the allergy signs are coming for that. Benedryl 25mg per 25 pounds is the dosage. Try that and see if the foot chewing stops, I'd start with two doses a day. Maybe rinsing her feet off daily would help too. It's imperative to dry between the toes.
Chin acne is very common , in fact every bully at some point get's it. There chin comes in contact with everything. It sticks out. Keep that area clean and dry too. [MENTION=4450]Lily122511[/MENTION]
 
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Lily122511

Lily122511

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Mar 3, 2012
445
6
Westchester, New York, United States
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USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily
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  • #10
I feel your pain! I'd suggest to watch the surf n turf..it does have chicken in it and lots of Bully's are sensitive to chicken. I'd stick with the Beef and treat it like environmental allergies. Give Benadryl on a daily basis..wash her feet after being on grass and one other thing..Jake has always had yogurt..but all if a sudden started showing signs of yogurt intolerance.:cursing: so I took him off yogurt and the symptoms went away. I would remove yogurt and treats and try to narrow it down. use the beef kibble as treats for a few weeks combined with Benadryl and keeping her feet and legs as clean as possible. Good Luck!

All great tips. Thanks for the info. No more yogurt for Lily.
 

Bella'sMom

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Community Veteran
Jun 23, 2010
3,256
168
Eau Claire WI
Bulldog(s) Names
Abby 13 (RIP), Bella (6), Betsy( RIP), Frenchie: Oliver
Okay, allergies are not always from food items. My bully is allergic to plastic, plastic fibers, so only stainless bowls, all cotton beds and blankets, no rubber toys etc. we even got rid of carpet (not just because of Abby, but it helped)... She also has food allergies, but the plastic do her in just as much.

So look at everything your bully comes into contact with. Even the shampoos and laundry detergents used. Do you have indoor plants that have flowers or pollen? do you use a particular hand lotion before petting her....look outside the box as much as possible.
 

BabyDuke

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Mar 25, 2011
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Philadelphia PA
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Duke
oh I feel your pain.. Duke is the allergy king if you read through some of the threads on here.. he started around the same age. he will be 5 in Aug.. you got some good tips.. I just want to add keep it simple.. i know it sounds mean but we feed Duke NVI dry and wet, no treats of any kind and no table food. keeping the paws clean ( wiping down with a baby wipe then drying when they come in from the outside is huge) and try the benadryl.. it will get better. after hundreds of dollars of food trials we had Duke tested.. he is allergic to WOOL of all things and some molds NO food BUT certain things trigger him ( like chicken ) Hang in there!!
 
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Lily122511

Lily122511

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Mar 3, 2012
445
6
Westchester, New York, United States
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily
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  • #13
Your food choice is probably a very good one and I doubt the allergy signs are coming for that. Benedryl 25mg per 25 pounds is the dosage. Try that and see if the foot chewing stops, I'd start with two doses a day. Maybe rinsing her feet off daily would help too. It's imperative to dry between the toes.
Chin acne is very common , in fact every bully at some point get's it. There chin comes in contact with everything. It sticks out. Keep that area clean and dry too. @Lily122511

Thanks for the info.
Not to sound stupid but what exactly does chin acne look like on a bully? It doesn't look like acne per say on Lily but more on the dark pink side especially on both sides of her lower lip. I have to take a pic later when I get home from work and post it.
 
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Lily122511

Lily122511

New member
Mar 3, 2012
445
6
Westchester, New York, United States
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily
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  • Thread starter
  • #14
Okay, allergies are not always from food items. My bully is allergic to plastic, plastic fibers, so only stainless bowls, all cotton beds and blankets, no rubber toys etc. we even got rid of carpet (not just because of Abby, but it helped)... She also has food allergies, but the plastic do her in just as much.

So look at everything your bully comes into contact with. Even the shampoos and laundry detergents used. Do you have indoor plants that have flowers or pollen? do you use a particular hand lotion before petting her....look outside the box as much as possible.

Wow! I never thought of that before. We do use stainless bowls and I wash all her bedding in Dreft.
But when I get home from work tonight I am going over everything with a fine tooth comb!!!!
 

Bella'sMom

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Jun 23, 2010
3,256
168
Eau Claire WI
Bulldog(s) Names
Abby 13 (RIP), Bella (6), Betsy( RIP), Frenchie: Oliver
Wow! I never thought of that before. We do use stainless bowls and I wash all her bedding in Dreft.
But when I get home from work tonight I am going over everything with a fine tooth comb!!!!


I do use all stainless and glass bowls. I buy her human cotton blankets and wash in a sensitive skin laundry detergent.

Another thing, my bully growing up was allergic to grass. He would like and chew his paws like crazy, so of course the worse time of year was summer. My mom limited where he went for summer walks. We lived up north so bark mulch was common and she would have sections of the yard mulched to limit his grass walking. He also got allergy shots monthly, but I don't think vets do that as much.
 

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