More skin problems

[larsav]

I am fairly new to this site and would appreciated any advice I can get. We have had our bulldog for about 6 mths now. She is 6 yrs old. We have started to notice red abcess type bumps on her feet. Now she has these flaky little bumps all up her legs (mainly on one) and a couple on the back. When I use a comb, the hair comes out with a little flaky scab on it. And there are some on her belly. I know they are itchy to her. I am assuming this is a type of allergy, but not sure. We are a little low on cash right now and was hoping to get advice and take care of this with over the counter treatment. Can anyone help us with this?? Thank You!!

 

[gatorfan85]

Can you post any pictures? it could be anything from allergies, mange, ringworm. Do they appear to have puss? Are they dry like scabs or bumps first and then turn to scabs? I may be able to help you a little better with a pic or better description. My olde has allergies to corn and fleas so she has had hives and had them for a while until we could find out what was wrong.

 

[larsav]

The scaby ones on her legs and back are hard to see. It reminds me of dandruff except they are spots and her hair falls out when you comb through them. The ones on her feet are raised and look like brown blisters. They are much bigger. There is no puss with any of them. I will try to get a picture of the ones on her feet. If I change her food, how long will it take to notice a change? If that is even the problem....Thank you so much for helping us with this.

 

[bullmama]

What are you feeding her right now?

 

[TessaAndSamson]

The red bumps between her toes sound like interdigital cysts. This was discussed here recently (not sure what thread) and someone suggested soaking their paws in epson salts.

 

[gatorfan85]

I was told by another EBN memeber to soak in the regular listerine for the blisters. It is an antiseptic and should dry them out. I know I say this alot but I swear by it was her with selsun blue , you may need to soak daily and wash every other day till this clears up. Also try to cut out plastic bowls and make sure if you walk her no one has recently sprayed there yard. As a precaustion rinse her legs and feet when she comes in if you walk her or rinse her completely off if she rolls around. With her diet make sure the food doesnt have wheat,corn. It may also be benficail to have no grain or soy either but just cut one thing out at a time so you can see what is causing this. You can also give her benadryl or alavert for the itching.

 

[larsav]

Wow! Thank you all so much for your help. We are giving her Kibbles and Bits. I just read the label and saw the first ingredient is CORN. So we are definately changing that!!! How much benadryl can I give her? And will it make her sleepy? Although she sleeps enough as it is I will also try soaking her feet too then....that should be fun!!!

 

[gatorfan85]

Kibbles and bits is BAD!!!! way to many bi products and also alot of fillers. You can try taste of the wild or natures vareity also fromm is something almost all the bully moms and dads here use. Benadryl doasge is 1mg per pound. for liquid or capsule

 

[bullmama]

I would definately change the dog food right away. Here is an article on our top food choices- and more importantly WHY we choose these foods.

English Bulldog Community News - English Bulldog News-The Front Page

Be sure to switch VERY slowly- you are going from TV dinners (processed foods) to Meat and Veggies- it will more than likely upset the tummy. I would say at least a week for a full switch. I do hope you keep up posted on the progress and how it goes for you!

But please take this into consideration, we are all just bulldog lovers here. If for ANY reason you think your dog may be ill, seek out professional vet care immediately. This could possibly be more than just allergies, such as mange or a bacterial skin infection.

While I feel your pain in the pocketbook area (I have taken my fur-kids in recently to find out I was just being paranoid)- make sure you always have a back up plan in case of an emergency. One suggestion I have for you is to look into care credit, it is like a 'credit' plan for vet services. CareCredit® Veterinary Financing for Pet Care, Pet Surgery, Vaccinations & Other Veterinary Medicine Procedures

 

[lexterwayne]

ok i know kibbles and bits is bad but also how often do you bathe her? cause lex started gettin bumps a while back and you couldnt see them you could just feel them after i bathed him w some oatmeal shampoo it started getting better and we take baths weekly and havent had a problem since.... just trying to help since money is tight, i know that feeling... the good good dog food is a good 40 to 50 bucks, but so well worth the money!!!!

 

[laurentourville]

also with good food, you end up feeding way less, so the price difference seems to work out in the end! Yes definetly give weekly baths, I find that if I skip Horse's weekly bath his skin is a mess within days! And as desertsky said, definetly check in with your vet, sometimes even a phone call or emailing them pics of the skin issue will save you the $ for a visit! A little tip too that has helped us, keep a written record of your bullie's health, dates, food ingredients, amount fed, skin issues, stool frequency and consistency, vet visits/phone calls, etc.

 

[Ann Farley Hamilton]

I swear by the Listerine but it has to be the original type the good old yellow one. If mine get sores which I have only had on one when I first got him from the rescue I soak their feet in it. If it is for reg. cleaning which it mostly is, I put it in a spray bottle and spray their feet and then wipe them down in between toes and under between pads. Works great in the winter after coming in from outside because it kills bacteria so it stops things for us before they start. Also I do bath them every other week now unless there is a problem I use tea tree shampoo or oatmeal shampoo. I will bath every 4/5 days if they start to break out or itch, Blossom who is 6 and came here on 9/19 was as itchy as I have ever seen so she gets a bath right now every 4/5 days to help. Just finishing switching her food over to Nature's Instinct Variety grain-free Rabbit formula chose this because it has no potato in it and very highly rated here and on other dog food rating web sites. She is itching less after only 4 days of starting the switch. Also she had only had 2 baths in 6 years so her skin was very dry and felt like a wire brush. Well you'll get great ideas here from everyone but remember if you really think they need to see a vet take them don't wait your gut is usually right. I have been there and my vet has worked out me paying in a week or so no credit involved, I am sure yours could work something out. Good luck with your bully.

 

[gatorfan85]

I swear by the Listerine but it has to be the original type the good old yellow one. If mine get sores which I have only had on one when I first got him from the rescue I soak their feet in it. If it is for reg. cleaning which it mostly is, I put it in a spray bottle and spray their feet and then wipe them down in between toes and under between pads. Works great in the winter after coming in from outside because it kills bacteria so it stops things for us before they start. Also I do bath them every other week now unless there is a problem I use tea tree shampoo or oatmeal shampoo. I will bath every 4/5 days if they start to break out or itch, Blossom who is 6 and came here on 9/19 was as itchy as I have ever seen so she gets a bath right now every 4/5 days to help. Just finishing switching her food over to Nature's Instinct Variety grain-free Rabbit formula chose this because it has no potato in it and very highly rated here and on other dog food rating web sites. She is itching less after only 4 days of starting the switch. Also she had only had 2 baths in 6 years so her skin was very dry and felt like a wire brush. Well you'll get great ideas here from everyone but remember if you really think they need to see a vet take them don't wait your gut is usually right. I have been there and my vet has worked out me paying in a week or so no credit involved, I am sure yours could work something out. Good luck with your bully.

I tried to find your name to tag you on it but i was putting Ann Fraley ...Not Farley lol

 

[Ruthann Phillips]

They little spots on her skin and belly can be from allergies but could also be from a bacterial infection, especially is the dog is shedding badly. She may need a course of Keflex to clear it up. Also, when you bathe her, rinse well and when you think you've rinsed well enough, rinse 5 minutes more.
The bumps on her feet are called interdigital cysts...unfortunately a bulldog "thing". You could culture the lesions and spend lots of money for long term antibiotics and end up with a yeasty dog with interdigital cysts. We treat ours with Stridex pads followed by an application of hemorrhoid cream. The origin of the IDC is under the paw pad, not the blister part you see on top of the foot. So it's important that you wipe the area on the bottom of the paw pad with the Stridex as well and also be sure to apply hemorrhoid cream tot his area as well.
I have a handout I give to all my new fosters and adopters called Bulldogs 101, it's got solutions to many common bulldog issues. If you like a copy please private message and I'll send in an e-mail.

 

[larsav]

Wow! Thank you all so much for all your help!!! We did change her dogfood about 4 days ago. The lady at petco also said to change it slowly. A call is going into the vet either today or tomorrow. I will keep everyone updated! Thanks again!!! Your help is very much appreciated!!