Is my bully's belly suppose to be light pink?

[Lily122511]

I hate to ask a stupid question but is the belly of a bully suppose to be like a light pink color?
Is that normal?
Should above the nose also be a light pink?
I haven't changed her food or anything but I think Lily is starting to get allergies.
I'm just not sure what is the cause of it.
And last night she started to cough a little..well it seemed like she had a coughing spell.
She did this on & off for like 20 min or so.
Now tonight she was coughing again here & there.
She already had kennel cough that lead to an upper respiratory infection.
I just hope she isn't getting sick again.
Is it possible for her to develope food allergies to her food over time?
I have been meaning to change her food to a better kibble but with everything this poor baby has been through I'm kinda scared to mess with her food now.
She also seems to have water eyes. And now has a tear stain just on her right side.
And in the morning when she wakes up she has crap in the corner of her eyes.
She doesn't seem to scratch or bite her feet.
I'm just very confused on what I should do for her.
Should I try and change her food?
We are looking in to have her tested for allergies. I want to know exactly what she is allergic to.
But in the mean time any advice you could give would be wonderful. You guys are great with advice and wisdom!!

Thanks!

Lisa

 

[SunDog]

I popped on here when I saw this on Twitter because I've wondered if there's a difference between "bully pink" and a pink that means something's up. Some pink is normal. But the eyes probably indicate some kind of reaction. It is spring. Lupe's eyes started that a few days ago (in California). But she's 4, and I've seen this come and go in a matter of days.

But the cough is concerning. Dont know if i'd risk waiting on anything with a pup. Anyway, this is the right place and you'll get feedback soon enough!

 

[bullmama]

The cough is concerning to me. A trip to the vet may be needed. She is probably too young to get allergy tested to get accurate results, and if she has been on antibiotics her immune system is probably down too.

If she is on junk food I would start switching as soon as possible, a healthy diet can only help her now. It will help boost her immune system which will help build antibodies against allergens and viruses.

 

[Lily122511]

Thanks guys. I have been thinking of switching her food.
I have read that Fromm & Natural Balance are good choices but how do I know which one to pick?
There are so many choices to pick from.
I put a call in to the vet this morning and I'm waiting to hear back from him.
I figured this would be the best place to get advice regarding food. The vet doesn't seem to concern with what food I have here on. ( He's not a bully vet)
Lily is 16 weeks is that to young to be tested?
She was coughing again this morning. Seems like it happens in spurts then it stops for awhile.
Right now I have here on Health extension little bites. (It's what she was on from the pet store)

Lisa

 

[cowsmom]

um didnt read the whole thread but when mentioning fromm and nb in the same sentence i have to say fromm is much better food. just my 2 cents about that. go with fromm id say. oh and hello and welcome and hope your baby gets better.

 

[Lily122511]

um didnt read the whole thread but when mentioning fromm and nb in the same sentence i have to say fromm is much better food. just my 2 cents about that. go with fromm id say. oh and hello and welcome and hope your baby gets better.

Oh great thanks for the info!!
Nice to meet you!!
I'm going to try the Fromms Beef Frittata and see how thast goes...

 

[Lily122511]

Ok So I read up on Fromms. I am going to try that one.
Quick question..
Should I give Lily the Fromm Four Star Foods- All Dry Kibble Formulas.
Or the Fromm Four Star Foods- All Grain Free Kibble Formulas.

 

[Lily122511]

So the vet just called me back and said that her coughing could be just left over from the upper respiratory infection
or it could be due to allergies.
I'm not sure if it's left over from the upper respiratory infection because she has not coughed for a while now and all of a sudden
Sunday night she started coughing again.
Now I did have her outside in the backyard for a while on Sunday.
That's why I'm thinking allergies.
He said to use a nebulizer on her twice a day for about 10 min or so and then call him back in about a week
if she doesn't get any better.
Does this sound like good advice to you guys?
I'm worried sick here yet again and it sems like to him I'm worrying about nothing at all.
Very frustating.

 

[cowsmom]

well i think its a place to start. i dont think id wait a week to call back if it doesnt get better. maybe a few days. also most here will recommend grain free food. most bullies do better with it. and beef fritatta is a popular one here. maybe only go outside for potty for a bit. keep her quiet somewhat. see if its allergies or not. keep us posted

 

[LaurenA]

I am by no means an expert at this (yet!), but I think the grain free Beef Frittata is a great place to start. It has worked really well for Rook. You wouldn't have to worry about any possible grain allergies affecting her through the food switch with everything else going on. Good luck!!! I hope your baby gets better soon!!!

 

[rainyruth]

Hey there! Sorry I don't know anything about allergies, just wanted to tell you that there is no such thing as a stupid question here!

 

[wheezer]

I feed Fromm grain free to my 11 week old bully baby. Just remember to transition very slowly to the new food. You don't want stomach issues with everything else. There is a thread on here with the mixture of old and new.

 

[BruceP]

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.With Lily being a puppy I would think 1 tablespoon of pumpkin would help in the transition.

 

[Lily122511]

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.With Lily being a puppy I would think 1 tablespoon of pumpkin would help in the transition.

Thanks for the info. I am going to try that!
Today is day 1 of the food switch! Fingers crossed!!

 

[kazzy220]

Good luck ... we feed Beef Fromm too. You can interchange between ALL the Fromm 4* range with no transition once you've got them on it fully. We have done that in the past but Maggie seems to do the best on the Beef so we just keep to that one now.