We met our boy that we will be taking home yesterday....(vent)

[cali~jenn]

Let me just say how sad I was to have to leave him there, I never expected the condition of him to be so poor. I mean he was happy and sweet and just wanted to be loved but I am guessing maybe 40 pounds. His body is longer in appearance than my Cutty and he is TINY. He has the big head and thats about it. No chest whatsoever which I didnt even realize was possible having not been around too many besides my boy. I am not sure if he was badly bred or malnourished during developing I am guessing a little of both. I mean you could see his ribs. The story of where he came from and why they are giving him up is very confusing to me but nomatter what I want him after seeing this. These people have only had him for 4 days or so and I cannot blame them for his condition but I do have to say thankfully I went over there cuz he was outside, being seperated from the other dogs, and it was a hot day. They had no idea that he could overheat and die. I couldnt take him home cuz he needs to get to the vet and be checked out before I bring him to my boys here, please keep your fingers crossed there is nothing seriously wrong with him where he may need work cuz at this point spending a lot of money isnt an option for us. I mean we do have a savings but it isnt really something we want to get into at this point. I had a hard time sleeping last night just thinking about him. His eyes were watery and they said something about eye drops so I am not sure what is wrong there. They really had no answers for me which is just crazy. I can tell you everything about my dogs and these people had no clue about anything. They got him from the guys boss is all I know, not sure on the why there either but I dont care at this point. He needs to be in a good home. They did say he is microchipped which is good cuz both my boys are too but my question for that is without paperwork or anything how do I change that info?!?! When we got Cutty he was already chipped and the bredder gave us the paperwork to fill out and put our names on. Not sure what we do without that so that will be a learning experience. He is fixed also, thankfully, but was very excited over the kids being there (some family went with us) and was humping. Is there a way to train against this also? I think he wasprobably just excited and wouldnt be so much once he is here but how embarassing when we have people over if he does this. Ok I have written an essay here, I am sorry but have so much in my head about this boy. My plan is to pick him up monday and get him to the vet first thing. Not sure how easy this will be to do with my 17 month old, should be interesting! Wish me luck they say he is good to go and just needs good dog food.

[bullmama]

Wow, what a shame. I see so many people who are clueless on taking care of an EB!! If he needs drops it could be entropion--- but if he is malnurished that could be the problem with the watery eyes too. If you can see his ribs-- well, enough said about his previous care. See if you can round up some canned pumpkin- not the pie filling- but the real stuff. It will help him gain weight and repair his digestive system. If you cannot find it, hard to find this time of the year-- you can also give a spoon of yogurt and cottage cheese to help gain weight. Yogurt for digestive, cottage cheese for fat.

[cali~jenn]

Thank you I will probably have to do the yogurt and cottage cheese since I cannot find canned pumpkin anywhere. what exactly is entropion, have heard of it but havent had a reason to look into it further with my boys. Is that easily fixed or is surgery usually needed? As soon as I can get him home Monday I will take pics of him, he is such a sweety, even gives up his belly for a good rub which is a good sign being a strager and all.

[froggz]

Doesn't that type of situation just sting

Entropion is where the eyelids will actually start to curl inwards, causeing alot of eye irritation.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything is ok with him.

Something you can do to end the humping is once you have him home, firmly establish yourself and other family members as alpha over him. He may have been neutered late but most likely he's so desparate for a place in a pack that he's trying to establish himself with anyone. Don't let him see family eat after he's eaten, always have him eat last after the family. Don't give food rewards without having him do some task for them, and as soon as you catch him humping give a firm loud deep NO!! and push him to the ground with your hand on his shoulders and neck. It would be best if whomever is being humped push him down as well. There is always the alpha roll as well but IMO I only do that if its severely needed.

Best of luck and keep us updated!

[bullmama]

Depending on the severity of entropion, is wether surgery is necessary. Sometimes a dog has entropion due to swollen eyes too. What causes the swollen eyes is allergies and bad food, so it could very well stop if his diet and health are good- assuming he has it. I had a bully many moons ago who had entropion but once I stopped feeding pedigree it went away.

[cali~jenn]

Well thank you for your replies, that is good info for sure. I will keep you posted what happens monday, hopefully I am just over thinking everything as usual and he will be good. As soon as I get a chance I will get pics of him and post. With a good cleaning and food he will be pretty cute. I do have to add in tho he has THE LONGEST tongue I have ever seen on a dog. Very funny!

[bullmama]

I dont think anyone could beat my molly, we must find out!!!

[reallyrob]

They did say he is microchipped which is good cuz both my boys are too but my question for that is without paperwork or anything how do I change that info?!?! When we got Cutty he was already chipped and the bredder gave us the paperwork to fill out and put our names on. Not sure what we do without that so that will be a learning experience.

When you take him to the vet, have the vet scan his chip. The vet will give you the chip ID number and the phone number where it is registered. My cocker was adopted at an early age and was already microchipped. I had no paper work on the chip. I had the vet scan it and then called the company with the info the vet gave me...the shelter I adopted from just had to fax the copmpany proof that I adopted. It took all of 20 minutes, once I talked to them and then the shelter and the time it took for them to fax the info to the chip company. It also cost me $16 I think...not sure on the price.

[cali~jenn]

Hmmm how will I verify that I have adopted this guy since he is just being given to me? He is 3rd hand, if that is the right term so it may not be as easy to get ahold of the original owner. I guess I will have to try tho maybe. Well today is THE DAY and I am taking a cranky 17 month old and this bully so everyone really send good wishes that my lo is in a good mood and tollerant of the long wait. I am also anxious that when I take him in there people will look at me like the bad owner. Usually when I go I have the handsome bully, this time they will all think I am the devil and neglecting this little guy. Can you tell I am anxious?!?!!??!

desertsky, we will have to compare pics. I cannot imagine there is a longer tongue out there.

[Bulldogg]

I cannot wait to hear about it. Please let us know soon!

There has got to be a way to transfer the microchip without going through the hoopla? Maybe we should start a topic on that one?

[cali~jenn]

Ok well we went and got the pup yesterday morning and spent the day at the vets. He is fine and all looks good aside from his eyes which dr said is just conjuctivitis. We will call for the stool sample this morning and then be good to go there. I gave him a bath and he did very good in there which surprised me, once he realized it was a big doggy massage he was happy to give his paws and turn and do whatever I needed. Bad news is he was all excited and playing around after and he tends to head butt really hard (as if to give kisses) and I guess he did that to my daughter who is a year and a half and she fell which made my husband lunge at him, not trustuing what he was doing and that gave bubba the reaction to snap at her. He left indentations on her little hand, not breaking skin, but that is too close for my taste. We spent the evening on the phone trying to find a friend who doesnt have a baby who may want him and we did find a friend of a friend who already has a victorian bully and was thinking about getting another pup. They have a 13 year old son I think so that will be better for bubba. We are both so sad tho cuz amazingly after that bath I was already snuggling up with him. He really is a lover but very sketchy with noises and not knowing his background I think he just needs a quiet, stable home where he can be loved. My husband keeps thinking what if we did something different but to me this was a warning. We could have kept him seperated longer but if that was his reaction I am sure it still would have been later also. Either way we are NOT giving him back to the people who had him last, thats for sure. Hopefully he fits into this home and can adjust fine. Now we have realized that we do want a 3rd pup tho so maybe it is time to fill out the rescue app. finally. I am thinking maybe a frenchie would be a perfect fit with an english and a pug. Is there a seperate rescue for frenchies or would it still be so cal bulldog rescue?

[Mugzilla]

hey there. i've been naughty and playing arcade games and need to get to work so i haven't read the responses so this might be a repeat.

for the microchip--your vet can scan his chip and get his chip number and tell you which agency he is chipped through and their phone number. you then call them and pay whatever fee to get the chip put in your name.

it sounds like he is malnurished and had bad breeding. poor baby.

if he needs eye drops, it could be for several reasons. sometimes with cherry eye surgery, they remove the entire gland instead of tucking it in, and the dog ends up with dry eye for life. drops are inexpensive and putting the drops in daily isn't a big deal-you just need to remember to do it. he could have entropian, which is where the lashes curl in and irritate and can require surgery in many cases. the vet should be able to identify that.

i would suggest getting the information for the vet that they've used so that you can call and get his records transfered to your vet--and also so you ensure you get the full story of his health. if you don't get satisfactory answers to your questions, i would have your vet give him an exam as well.

also, it'd be a good idea to find out what type of food he is currently eating so that you can gradually change his diet to whatever you are feeding him. if he is severely underweight, a healthy puppy food might be a good choice to help put weight on him.

i'm not sure if you crate train, but with all of my foster dogs and new dogs, i've found it very helpful and vital. no matter how friendly the new dog seems, you never know what a rescue has been through or what their experiences are or what might set them off or frighten them. moving is, in and of itself, a huge ordeal for the dog. i do not risk things by giving a new dog open range to the house from the get go. i kennel them in a separate room for at least the first day (separated from the other animals-some place relatively quiet)--sometimes up to 72 hours. this gives them the opportunity to relax, get use to the sounds, smells, etc and get use to me. it also gives my dogs the opportunity to settle down and get use to the smell of a new dog in the house.

once i see that the body language of all of the dogs is ok, i allow them to greet-through the kennel. this offers protection just in case it turns out the meeting isn't friendly. you'll be able to tell by their body language (ie, tail wagging, how they interact through the kennel, etc) if they're ok to meet without the kennel. even after they meet, it's a good idea to not give the new dog full range throughout the house until they get use to things and know where to potty and where not to potty.

if you have any questions at all about your new bully, i wouldn't hessitate to contact adopt-a-bull rescue and talk to one of the two girls that run it. they have a wealth of knowledge and deal with eb's with all sorts of health conditions from all sorts of backgrounds.

good luck and good for you for giving this poor baby a home!

ps, make sure the vet did/does a hw test