Do bulldogs pant for so long?

[mukiko]

I am watching my friend's male bulldog, his name is Homer. He's almost 5. After she dropped him off, after a car ride he has been panting for like 2 hours. Is this normal? Consider we are in Phoenix, so it's hot. But I have turned on the AC, and he's still panted for 2 hours. Now he is sleeping well,.. well snoring. Just wondering if it's normal for this breed to pant for so long. Don't feel comfortable taking him for a walk if it will take so long to recover. Also, his wrinkles in his face are red and he wants to scratch them. Would a bit of apple cider vinegar in his water bowl help them heal? thanks!

 

[Baxter Tiberius]

Make sure he's on grain free food (or make sure the owner knows that). Its really important for inflamed wrinkles.

They do pant a long time. My gues sis that he's probably also a bit overweight. The slimmer english bulldogs I have seen don't seem to pant very much at all. And they recover quite quickly from being hot.

As baxter has gotten bigger, his panting has doubled and tripled noticeably. Its a good gauge for whether they are too fat I think. There *is* such a thing as an english bulldog that is fit and healthy and active.

-B-

 

[dolphin]

Yes its normal. It gets pretty hot out here too and when it does we give Buster some ice chips that really helps him out.

 

[mukiko]

Thanks Baxter, now that I see the picture of the bulldog in your profile, the face areas are pretty much pinkish as his. Is it normal for that nose/face area to be pink, or is it a sign of inflammation? I did take a closer look though and I see the area on Homer that he has scratched is reddish and a bit raw. I hope there was a way to stop him from scratching. I have to give him some pred tonight with his meal, so hopefully that will help. Oh, and pred seems to also cause panting if I recall well, so I wonder if it's related to this morning's panting episode. He may be a bit on the obese side, he barely can jump on the couch.

Pdolphin, good idea, I will try the ice chips next time. He had me worry because his panting was so heavy, he would not lie down and even fell asleep in a sitting position--which i thought was odd. I can't help but worry when I see odd things like that!

 

[Davidh]

If it's hot outside I would not walk him. They can overheat quickly, and die of heat stroke. The red around his wrinkles need to be cleaned with some witch hazel. Her owner might think about a food change as this is probably the problem.

 

[4flowers]

Meatball can pant for quite a bit. Takes some time to cool down

 

[MeekosMummy]

it think maybe it could be a mixture of heat and also it could be that he is just stressing out a bit from the journey and his parents leaving him in a strange place. if its hot definitely dont walk him he will overheat quickly. if you can - try to take a pic of the red wrinkles and post it we could advise if it looks normal. xx

 

[Texas Carol]

I've lived in Phoenix and I would not take a bully out in the heat
there, even at night. Flat faced, smushed faced bullies overheat
VERY fast and is one major cause of death. They also tend to have
extremely small windpipes in those big necks, some no larger than
a straw's width! Just potty time only and walk in an AC'ed building.

He may be overweight too, appropriate amounts of a grain free
kibble (be cautious of chicken as bullies tend to be sensitive to it).
Feed less w/grain free as it's concentrated, I feed mine 1 cup in
the AM & i cup in the PM, you can add 1/4 cup of green beans if he
seems hungry. They poop much less & less often on grain free too
and they stop those stinky farts! His wrinkles & over all skin & fur
will improve greatly.

Yes, a tsp of Bragg's ACV (w/the Mother) in daily water is great for
external & internal health. Gently wash his wrinkles w/witch hazel,
I buy those generic Tucks at Walmart for the ease, works great to
clean face, ears & butt~there's usually a 'tail pocket' above their
anus that needs daily cleaning of gunk & hair.

Thank you for advocating for this friend's bully, please suggest they
join as seems they could use some bully education.

GOD bless you, my caring friend and Happy Easter!

 

[Pati Robins]

Lilly will pant for a while , usually at my mother in law home as her house is warm -we got clever and bought fans so when she stays there she is nice and cool ,while in our house after a run she will lie down on a cold floor and 5 min later she will stop x -we try to keep her as cool as possible xx

 

[2BullyMama]

great advice from the gang.... thank you for caring so much that you came to look for some advice! kuddos to you....

 

[ZuleikaD]

The day I brought Tallulah home she panted like that. She was just over-excited and worked up. She'll still pant a lot when she gets excited. So the dog you're caring for may not be over-heated. When they're hot they tend to look for some where cool to sit (hardwood or tile floor, near a door that might have a draft, etc.). If she's just pacing around, she's probably nervous.

As for the sleeping sitting up thing, yes bullies do that. They like to prop their heads in a way that their necks are kind of stretched out. I think it helps their breathing.