at what age can a bulldog be tested for allergies

swalesfcc

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May 7, 2012
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Bella
My EB is five months old and has red/pink bumps all over her face and it is extremely pink. Her belly is very pink and itchy as well as her paws. I am taking her to the vet today, but I am afraid my vet is not familiar with the allergies that EB have. Does anyone know what the cost of allergy testing is and how old they need to be to test? I want to be prepared, and want the puppy to be over all this itching! I have been giving her benedryl but it does not clear it completely. I have changed her food three times now. She is currently on Earth born Hollistic puppy. I do not know what is causing her allergies, and would like to narrow it down so I can avoid what ever is making her so uncomfortable. Thanks in advance for any help!
 

RescueMe

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Mar 2, 2011
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Lola Blue, Mojo Titus and Gracie,Caleb, Bogart and Ziggy forever in my heart Roxy and Rollo
I think you have to wait till they are a year old
 
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swalesfcc

swalesfcc

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That is what I figured, I just hate to see her suffer! I wonder what can be done earlier for her? I also wish there was a vet in my area that was knowledgeable of English Bulldog issues. Sometimes it seems that I know more about the breed than they do. I usually print out information and articles to bring them so they become more educated on the breed. My Vet is very nice, and I am not bashing them but it would be nice to have them more English Bulldog knowledgeable :D
 

RescueMe

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Lola Blue, Mojo Titus and Gracie,Caleb, Bogart and Ziggy forever in my heart Roxy and Rollo
You can give benadryl twice a day depending on weight. That should help some. See if your food has chicken in it, lots of bulldogs cant tolerate chicken. Maybe switch to a grain free food.

I know what you mean about the vets. There are bully knowledgable ones around here but not with Spina bifida. I teach mine new things everytime I go in :)
 

kazzy220

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Jul 31, 2010
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Grafton, OHIO
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Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
Do it's on her face, belly and paws .... could be environmental as well as food. Try wiping those areas with sensitive baby wipes when she comes in from being outside.

Also, what are the foods you've tried so far??
 

GRACIE11

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Feb 11, 2012
562
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Fairbank, Iowa
Bulldog(s) Names
Gracie Mae "The Diva"
[MENTION=4856]swalesfcc[/MENTION]
Cooper had his allergy test done at 8 months. He has bad allergies and the vet recommended he get the test done at that time. He too had red face and paw. I think my daughter paid $275. You could get it done now but the longer you wait the better. I think she is getting Coopers allergy test done again after he is one if he has any problem. Cooper is allergic to the grass and many other environmental things. Have you tried Benedryl or Zyrtec. We give our bullies them daily. Vet also recommended weekly baths to get anything he is allergic to off of him like pollen and such.
 
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swalesfcc

swalesfcc

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The breeder had her on Nutro Natural choice,chicken and rice, I tried the TOTW puppy venison and Bison, and now she is on Earthborn Holistic puppy vantage. Yes its on her face, like pimples and on her neck and belly. and she just started chewing on her toes.
 
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swalesfcc

swalesfcc

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It sounds as if it may be environmental allergy. Makes me wonder if the breeder knew something, because she told me not to let the puppy on the grass until 16 wks. I thought that was odd. Usually my pups have all gone outside as soon as I get them home (as long as it is in my own back yard)
 

GRACIE11

..........
Feb 11, 2012
562
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Fairbank, Iowa
Bulldog(s) Names
Gracie Mae "The Diva"
It sounds as if it may be environmental allergy. Makes me wonder if the breeder knew something, because she told me not to let the puppy on the grass until 16 wks. I thought that was odd. Usually my pups have all gone outside as soon as I get them home (as long as it is in my own back yard)

:) I think the breeder probably said that is because some people don't let their pups outside until they have had all their shots. Me, I have always let them outside. Allergies are just something you will probably deal with, with bullies. I am thinking she probably didn't know and I was told with gracie.....that it is not genetics. Do you have a pic of your pup? If you go and look at past post by my daughter Cooper11. Her bully had allergy problem and if the pics are still on here you will see his face is red. His face is white as can be now with allergy pills and know what he is allergic to :) Both my Gracie and Cooper have the bumpy scabs thing on their back, vet said they are allergy related too!
 

Meggs19

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Oct 14, 2011
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Tonka
They say to wait until they are at least one year old for the blood tests but if you have a skin allergy test done you can get that at any age. I'm not sure if you regular vet will do the skin allergy test though, we went to a dermatologist. We had the blood test done too but that wasn't accurate for us and didn't show us much of anything....and that could be because Tonka was only 8 months old. We paid around $200 for the blood test and the skin test we just had was $300.

Have you looked up what bulldog acne looks like? It sounds like you could have some of that going on too which is normal for bulldogs but just a pain! I agree with the wipedowns after being outside and maybe get an anti-bacterial/anti-fungal shampoo to bathe in (from your vet). You can try a new antihistamine too since what works for some dogs doesn't work for others. You can ask your vet if you need to know the correct dosage. Good luck to you!
 
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swalesfcc

swalesfcc

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ok, got back from the vet and he looked in a book...... and said she had Juvenile celulitis? he put her on prednesone and Ceftpodoxime> Vet said that the earthborn holistic was not good food? I am thinking it may be time to start looking for a vet that knows more about bulldogs. He does not believe it is allergies even tho I told him that this is very common for bulldogs. He disagreed lol! Has anyone elses bully been diagnosed with the above conditon? I do not want to give her medicine that will not help her.
 

GRACIE11

..........
Feb 11, 2012
562
13
Fairbank, Iowa
Bulldog(s) Names
Gracie Mae "The Diva"
He looked in a book! hmmmm.....what book is this! lol I would suggest a new vet as well. Earthborn is not bad food. Ihave Gracie on the Meadows Feast...although I am thinking of changing it still is not a bad choice. What food did he recommend? I would try the allergy pills and see if you see a difference. Try not having him outside as much as well so if it is environmental it will help. I have been to 3 vets and finally found a keeper. But all 3 told me allergies are common in bulldogs. So your vet may want to get a new book to read! lol
 

Fontanafox

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Jan 25, 2011
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Fontana, CA
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Wilson & BabyGirl
My male bulldog Wilson (at 3 years) has had the blood allergy test done and on his list of foods he's allergic to it also revealed an allergy to grass and weeds. So now that I've got the food right he still has itchy paws...so I have to wash and dry them often. Especially between the toes you must thoroughly dry because they can get those inter-digital cysts as well as more itchy yeast. When they chew their paws they are also adding their saliva and moisture which just contributes to the problem. This season the allergens are pretty bad and he is experiencing a lot of eye goopies but I just keep wiping them away with just water and cotton balls. I also use moisturizing eye drops on one eye and his problem eye gets an ointment called Optimmune provided by vet. He's had ulcers on that eye and cherry eye surgery on it too! Your pup is obviously experiencing allergic reactions to something. Pink all over sounds like it might be a food issue. Try changing cleaning products to "green" or hypoallergenic products to eliminate possibilities. I use "white bottle" hypoallergenic washing detergents and fabric softeners. I don't use harsh smelly cleaning stuff but simply green products. My vet said the skin allergy test was more accurate but more expensive and I believe it requires shaving some of your dogs fur to put allergens on the skin (not sure about that so hopefully someone can elaborate on the process) and your vet may propose allergy shots once the results are back and of course there is the cost. but I opted not to do the allergy serum shots and felt with the blood allergy test results, it gave me the info I needed to work with. Eliminated pork, venison, lamb, oats, wheat, potatoes and sweet potatoes but the grass allergy is something that is obviously much more difficult to deal with. Not all vets do the allergy test. Surprisingly my bulldog vet doesn't! I had to go to my back up vet. As soon as your pup gets to a year have the test done. I think it's worth it, otherwise it's hit or miss. Also I'm trying to avoid steroid shots which give quick relief but are not good for them in the long run causing secondary problems like diabetes. So I try to put off any of those shots until the problem has become too extreme for even my diligent care.

My female bully BabyGirl is allergic to sweet potatoes and yams and I found out because after a few bites and Thanksgiving, her face swelled up and she couldn't breathe very well so off to the vet we went. Other than that though she has not shown any reactions to anything else. Whatever Wilson eats all my dogs eat so there is no problem there. They are currently on Natures Logic Beef. Keep up the good fight with the allergies. These bully babies are worth it!

P.S. Forgot to mention, depending on what company does the tests the best accuracy it could give me was 65%.
 
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BabyDuke

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Mar 25, 2011
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Philadelphia PA
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Duke
ok, got back from the vet and he looked in a book...... and said she had Juvenile celulitis? he put her on prednesone and Ceftpodoxime> Vet said that the earthborn holistic was not good food? I am thinking it may be time to start looking for a vet that knows more about bulldogs. He does not believe it is allergies even tho I told him that this is very common for bulldogs. He disagreed lol! Has anyone elses bully been diagnosed with the above conditon? I do not want to give her medicine that will not help her.

Hi there and welcome. Duke has severe allergies and is on a regimen that works well. I wouldn't try to find a vet that specializes in bulldogs I would try to see a dermatologist but in any case find a new vet..I would also get a 2nd opinion before you start on all of that medicine.. we took Duke to a dermatologist who was able to help us after a full year of trying everything under the sun!
 

GRACIE11

..........
Feb 11, 2012
562
13
Fairbank, Iowa
Bulldog(s) Names
Gracie Mae "The Diva"
Hi there and welcome. Duke has severe allergies and is on a regimen that works well. I wouldn't try to find a vet that specializes in bulldogs I would try to see a dermatologist but in any case find a new vet..I would also get a 2nd opinion before you start on all of that medicine.. we took Duke to a dermatologist who was able to help us after a full year of trying everything under the sun!

My vet just set up an appointment with a Dermatologist a few weeks ago. We are suppose to go June 25, but I am considering cancelling it. We were taking Cooper because he has bad allergies and his face is red, toes, and scabby back but he is doing better. Now my Gracie is losing patches of hair. But I have noticed where it started is now grown back and she is a red color instead of a fawn. Do you know if bulling lose their hair like that if they are just losing baby hair? Or do you recommend I take her. She doesn't itch or anything it is more her appearance that you notice not her being irritated by it..
 

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