New to the Forum

Traci0612

New member
Jan 8, 2013
6
0
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Tank
Hi, my name is Traci and we have a 4 year old English Bulldog named Tank. We've had him since he was 8 weeks old. My pic is a picture of him a month or two after we got him. He loved to ride our I-Robot around the room. The irony is now he's deathly afraid of my vacuum and runs outside whenever I turn it on or he sees me dragging it out! LOL! We love him to bits but have some issues we need advice & help with. That's how I found your website - via google - looking for answers to Tank's smell and scratch problems. From another google search we found a vet assistant who suggested a couple of things we are trying - but so far not noticing any change. Here's our 2 top issues: (1) He smells HORRIBLE -like dirty sweat socks! So bad he can stink up an entire room! (b) He constantly scratches - to the point he'll scratch till he bleeds. Over the years we have taken him to the vet only to be told he " has that Bulldog skin". Basically suck it up and deal with it was the impression I was left with. What?? Huh?? We've also owned bichons & labs and Tank currently has a pug brother and a maltese mix sister. (The pug is starting to smell like Tank. They share a crate - oh joy!) When we bought Tank from the breeder he told us to keep him on Iams. We've fed him that for the longest time to no avail. We've also tried Science Diet, Eukenuba, Beneful. Also to no avail. Nothing seems to help the smell. We have him bathed & groomed every 5-6 weeks and we have his anal glands expressed. (With the amount of poop we clean up daily I dont think he has a problem there! LOL) I clean his face every day with baby wipes. Once a week I wash his bedding on sanitary mode. He's always been prone to chronic ear infections & yeast infections. The vet says the smell is also yeast. But now his ears are fine & I keep his face folds cleaned. Still smells. He scratches CONSTANTLY!! He licks his paws a lot too. Taking him to the vet is getting costly - its a $50 office visit fee before they do anything! I've now begun giving him a daily probiotic of over 2 billion live cultures, plus I give him 1/2 cup of plain yogurt to help cut down the yeast growth. We did try a bag of grain free food for awhile. (Expensive!) That seemed to cut down the scratching a small bit. I've even gone to Walmart & bought a small spray bottle of Benedryl to spray on his neck where he scratches the most - and his belly. He loves to lay in the sun so I'm sure a touch of sunburn doesnt help. We've even sprayed him with sunblock, but I dont want to spray him with too many things since God knows what he's sensitive too. But the vet said it was ok to do . Hmmm. Still not noticing his smell going away nor the scratching. I just read on your website that bulldogs can be sensitive to chicken. And we usually buy a chicken flavored food! Yikes! The vet tells me he just has very sensitive skin and is probably allergic to many things since it doesnt seem to be seasonal. Oh - and sometimes we notice he will give off a "fishy" smell when he's excited during play. My son calls it the "***" smell. haha, cry cry.

Does anybody have any advice? Tricks of the trade?
 

Ftse 100

Bully lov'in wonder from down under
Mar 25, 2012
6,731
421
Qld Australia
Country
Australia
Bulldog(s) Names
Ftse
Welcome Tracie and Tank I am sorry I can not help you but someone will be along with advice for you as I am sure someone will have some info/help for you.
 

agingermom

ink-a-licious redhead bully mama
Aug 31, 2011
4,243
439
Washington State
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Miss Bertha Bacon and Petey Herman (Frenchie)
Welcome to ebn and will let the pros answer your questions and believe me they will come. However, I personally think you might review the food article ranking the food.
P.s. Tracys are taking over this forum . We have our own secret club:evil:
 

RaRett

Oogle Me on Google
Community Veteran
Apr 15, 2012
1,475
194
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Missi -- With Gizmo and Hershey never far from my heart
1st - WELCOME ! ! !
2nd QUALITY FOOD ! yes Grain Free is what you want to put him on, the brands you listed arent very quality at all :( take a look at the food reviews here. We've had good luck with Taste of the Wild (Salmon Grain free) and with Blue Buffalo Grain Free Formulas (Limited Ingredient) - Smelly, and always itchy sounds like allergies to me, you didnt say if your Vet did a skin scraping to check for mites or anything.
3rd - QUALITY FOOD ! yes, #2 and #3 are the same, but QUALITY Food will solve SO many issues, you can not believe it - its the old Pay me now or pay me later.

If you think your baby is allergic to chicken, look at ALL of the foods, 90% have Chicken or Chicken by-products or Chicken Meal in it. The two I mentioned do not have any Chicken in it.

There are others that have better information that I have :) Good luck :) and keep in touch :)
 

linwhite

New member
Sep 24, 2012
605
26
Tallahassee, FL
Bulldog(s) Names
Guido Zamboni - EB, Zoltan - Shortybull, Zeva - Frenchie
First - you're probably dealing with allergies in both your smelly dogs. time to find a new food. I also use Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream - salmon based and there are lots of other good brands as well. Also, I'm guessing both the bulldog and pug have huge, systemic yeast infections, thus the smell. It's pretty easy to fight this. The foods change will be important. Also, add some vinegar to their drinking water. I use a tablespoon per gallon of water. You may need to up the amount a little at a time until they get used to it. This will change the dog's pH balance which will make it inhospitable to the yeast. You can also rinse them with a vinegar & water solution after a bath to cut down on the yeast on their skin. The ear infections are yeast based too, in all probability. I had an EB who was very allergy prone as well. I did these 2 things and her vet visits went away pretty much. I know the food seems expensive but when you compare it to the cost of vet visits, it's worth the price. You can get a full 30 pound bag of Taste of the Wild for under 50 bucks. Also, did you know you can give a dog benedryl tablets? One pink tab per 25 pounds of dog every 6 to 8 hours - that's 1 mg of drug per pound of dog. Good luck. Read the food and nutrition articles that have been linked in the responses above and keep on asking questions.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Tracy T

New member
Community Veteran
Dec 8, 2012
702
27
San Antonio, TX
Bulldog(s) Names
Sir Winston, the Earl of Biscuit
P.s. Tracys are taking over this forum . We have our own secret club:evil:

Yes, yes we are!

Welcome to the forum, Traci! I hope you find answers to Tank's problems here, because there isn't anything that someone on here cannot figure out. I would agree with the people above in that it sounds like Tank is having a food allergy. We are transitioning Winston from Royal Canin food to Blue Basics and it has helped him with the itchies, and his coat is already softer and shinier! It is Grain-Free and Winnie seems to love it. I definitely recommend a better food for all Bulldogs, because they deserve it.
 

cowsmom

..........
Apr 27, 2011
6,996
384
Virginia
Country
usa
Bulldog(s) Names
Sarah aka cow
ok wow sound like food allergy to me. putting your bully on a good food will help alot. also finding the right food to and alot of these problems should clear up then. might i suggest investing in some duoxo ps shampoo that can be ordered online at amazon. it fantastic for skin problems. you can also do the vinegar and water 50/50 solution but i used to do 70 water/30 vinegar. you can also purchase chloraseb flush that can be used in the ear to clear up yeast there and no vet visit. now for the food. thats the tricky part what works for one dog wont work for another. the thing ive found is to find the best protein for your bully then work out from there to what carb such as rice or peas. bullies are very sensitive to alot of things environment included. most bullies do better with a grain free food. if you let me know whats available to you besides something at the grocery store i can help you decide on food. or if you will order something to. oh and welcome to the forum. :D
 

BruceP

..........
Aug 12, 2010
0
505
Milwaukee, WI
Bulldog(s) Names
HRH Princess Gracie, aka: HRH; Princess Amelia Pond, aka: Amy
:smileywelcome: to EBN, Traci. I'm glad you found us. Tank sounds like he could use a bit of help. Unfortunately, many vets are not familiar with the breed and therefore not very good with bullies...... especially when it comes to diet. We are fortunate here to have so much bully experience and great members willing to help. Cowsmom is an excellent dietitian along with others.
Our Princess Gracie is very food sensitive and we found that Fromm Beef Frittata worked well for her. Trouble is that doesnt mean it will work for Tank, but it would be a great place to start. Here is a short article I wrote about switching foods that you may find helpful. You
cant just buy a new food and toss it in the bowl and your done,,, lol.. no way.
Doing a slow transition is so their tummy doesn't get upset from the difference in ingredients in the old and new foods. It basically is feeding 1/4 new food mixed with 3/4 old for for about a week, then mix 1/2 and 1/2 old and new for another week. Then 3/4 new food and 1/4 old food for another week before feeding 100% new food. Along the way, if your bullie starts to get loose poo you may want to back up a little on the mixture for a while longer before preceding.
Also, I had a discussion with a rep from Earthborn a few weeks ago and he said that whenever he transitions from one food to another he adds a couple tablespoons of canned pumpkin to the mix. Said he never has a soft poo issue doing it that way. Hope this helps.

ps: We needs pix of Tank!!!!!
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
:hiya: So glad you found us Tracy..especially hoping we can find some relief for Tank. I have to point you in the direction of what @cowsmom for food advice. She has studied many kinds of food and is also very good at updating our ratings for the Dog Food Ratings Page. All points to a food allergy and like you have been told, the ones you've been feeidng are not good foods. Think how poor Tank must feel. I'd be looking for a more Bully friendly vet too.

As a point of reference..for a Bully with allergies, stay away from chicken. Treats..everything. My Jake also can't have Salmon so because of these things, I stay away from ALL fowl and fish. Limits us greatly but you do hat they need you to do. Good Luck....
 

bullmama

Owner/Administrator
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jan 28, 2010
24,756
1,251
Tucson, Arizona
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
:welcome:

As everyone stated above the first thing to look at is going to be the food. All the foods you mentioned that you have tried are all really REALLY bad foods. You did mention you tried a grain free and saw an improvement, but how long did you try it? To see the TRUE value of a food they need to be on it for 30 days or more.

Check out the dog food ratings here at EBN, I used to feed Iams too, it took a bad skin infection for me to finally take the plunge. We tried shampoos, 3 weeks of antibiotics, all kinds of stuff!!....... and she did not get any better.

Switched her food and she was a whole new bully in a week. I became a believer. :) Results will vary however, depending on what is causing the low immune system response. If the infection is bad, antibiotics and/or steriod will still be needed to get it under control.

I also suggest finding a new vet.
 

bulldogs4me

Crazy Bulldog Lady
Community Veteran
Sep 25, 2012
2,923
175
Texas
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Klava
welcome to EBN you've been given some great advice already so I just wanted to say hello :)
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jul 28, 2011
48,580
3,669
Gilbertsville, PA
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
:welcome:

As everyone stated above the first thing to look at is going to be the food. All the foods you mentioned that you have tried are all really REALLY bad foods. You did mention you tried a grain free and saw an improvement, but how long did you try it? To see the TRUE value of a food they need to be on it for 30 days or more.

Check out the dog food ratings here at EBN, I used to feed Iams too, it took a bad skin infection for me to finally take the plunge. We tried shampoos, 3 weeks of antibiotics, all kinds of stuff!!....... and she did not get any better.

Switched her food and she was a whole new bully in a week. I became a believer. :) Results will vary however, depending on what is causing the low immune system response. If the infection is bad, antibiotics and/or steriod will still be needed to get it under control.

I also suggest finding a new vet.


I could not agree more with what is stated here ^^^^^.

Welcome to EBN and keep us posted on your progess.
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
:welcome: ....... EVERYTHING you mention that is going wrong for your bully just seems to come down to food. I am guilty of being a Beneful feeder until I found this site, :blush2: and spent a small fortune at the vets for constant yeasty ear infections and upset stomachs!!!

Go through the dog food ratings list and find all the foods you have mentioned that you've tried. You'll see how low down they are on the list!! :down:
http://www.englishbulldognews.com/forums/content.php?r=219-Dog-Food-Ratings


As soon as you find the right food for your bully then all those smells and itchiness will just disappear. You may not even see a vet until it's time for their yearly vaccinations.

Yes, I know all these foods are expensive but you generally will feed less than the recommended amount on the bag because it's good nutritious food and you don't need as much. Also, think of how many of these $50 vet charges you are currently paying ... a good food is going to work out a lot less than that in the long term!!

When it comes to smelly bullies I'm going to tag [MENTION=900]KMARINO[/MENTION] and she can tell you just how awful her Vegas used to stink until she switched foods!!!

As for your pug ... I'm thinking he could be smelling because his bedtime friend is smelly ... and not because he has suddenly got the same problems.

Just make sure that once you've had a good look on the food ratings list that you stick with one for a good 30 days so that the old food is truly out of his system If you like the look of a food and cant' find a store that sells it then look into Petflow. They will deliver to your door and are incredibly competitive in their prices!!

Then make sure you transition slowly on to a new food. I always take about 10 days to do it. I replace a 1/4 cup of the old food with the new one, and then every three days increase it by another 1/4 cup until I'm fully on the new food.

Here are some stories by other members of the wonders of finally finding that right food!!! http://www.englishbulldognews.com/forums/list.php?r=category/61-Dog-Food-Change-Testimonials
 

Baconator

.........
Apr 12, 2012
2,969
127
Northern NJ
Bulldog(s) Names
Bacon
I just wanted to say welcome to EBN, I'm glad you found us and hopefully we can help get Tank feeling a little better. You have gotten great advice so far from everyone, I just wanted to add one thing. If you are considering switching to a new vet that may have more bully experience below is a link to a list of vet's compiled by everyone on here that we have used and have had good experience with bullies. Also the picture of Tank on the I-Robot is adorabull!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.englishbulldognews.com/f...ews-Recommended-English-Bulldog-Veterinarians
 

Most Reactions

📰 Latest posts

Members online

Top