Some allergy advice pleeeeease.

[JoeysMom]

Good morning. This is my first time on this forum. I have 2 year old male bully.. He has such horrible allergies this time of year.. My vet has previously treated him for mange like symptoms but the mange was negative.. He was given antibiotics n a medicated bath. He is losing patches, smells really bad, n licks his paws.. After he eats he goes crazy itching his face on the couches, floors, anything he kind find. He will itch his face and sides till they bleed. He will even run his face along the bars of his crate..(his crate door stays open at all times, he goes in on his own to itch) I feel so terrible for him. I feed him holistic organic food, allergy few ingredient venison. I've never had a pup that had this. Can anyone give me some home remedies.. I've heard skin so soft.

 

[Fontanafox]

My 2 year old bulldog Wilson goes through the exact same thing as yours. Running his face along the crate, smelling bad, itchy little bumps on his skin and fur falling out. Tested for mange but negative too. Vet gives him an allergy shot, medicated shampoo and Atarax but nothing seems to be very effective. In my case I'm convinced it is something outdoors like the grass or weeds. I noticed when the weather was rainy and cold I kept him inside and his allergies seem to subsided to where they were much more manageable. Fur grew back in and the smell faded. Now that is warming up and he is able to go outside again the allergies have come back. He starts chewing on his paws and I immediately wash them and spray them with a mix of salted water and alcohol. I have to wash his underbelly as well. The cause of the allergies is hard to pin down and all us bulldog owners go through a process of trial and error with dog foods. I am sure you will gets lots of good advice here. I feel for the caring bulldog owner because all we want is for our dogs to be happy and comfortable.

 

[KMARINO]

[MENTION=2129]JoeysMom[/MENTION], wow...Vegas also uses his crate to itch his face, he has terriable allergies. I do give him allergy pills morning and night from our vet. Have you tried Benedryl? You can give one morning and night. It will help. I just make sure to wash his face/wrinkles extra good with medicated shampoo also from our vet, rinse with another cloth and dry real good with a 3rd cloth and that helps. Perhaps check in to a different food, that was one of Vegas's biggist problem. He is now on Nature's Variety Instinct grain and gluten free Salmon. It made a huge difference in him. He smelled so bad I was at my wits end before the food change and also had open sores on his face. Vegas turned 2 last Monday. Even if your food is a good one, I would try a food change to Fromm's or Nature's Variety Instinct, you will be amazed at what a food change can do for you and your bully!...OH and welcome to the site!!

 

[BruceP]

[MENTION=2129]JoeysMom[/MENTION] ... First, WELCOME to EBN. We love pix here and hope you post some of your bully.
It
Your description of his condition sounds like an allergy related to food and possibly environmental as well. What brand of food are you feeding? Have you looked for it in our Food Rating section? You can feed the best food made but bully allergies vary so widely that it may not be right for your dog. I'd say that would be one of the very first things I'd do, just to see if it made any difference at all. Benedryll will probably offer some relief to the itching as well. I hope we can help solve your problem.

PS, Forgot to say.. if you switch foods do it slowly over a period of time, not all at once.

 

[izstigspunks]

Hi [MENTION=2129]JoeysMom[/MENTION]. Welcome to the site! Sorry to hear about Joseph's (really cute name btw) condition but we're here to help anyway we can. In addition to the food change above, here are some things I did and still do to help with my bully's allergies:
- use an oatmeal & aloe shampoo
- after rinsing really well with water, rinse with 1/3 white vinegar and 3/4 water solution
- after coming from the outside, soak Joey's feet in an epsom salt solution for 10 mins
- give salmon oil during meals

These are topical remedies though. I would take priority in finding out the root cause of the allergies to make him more comfortable.

Oh, and are you giving him treats at all? I found that my Stig was really allergic to any type of store bought treats, even if they were gluten and grain free. I give him dehydrated liver or lung now which I make myself, in addition to fruits/veggies from time to time.

Hope everything goes well. Pls update us on how he's doing. We're always here to help!

 

[TessaAndSamson]

My Samson has the same problem. What has worked for us is feeding Sam Natures Variety Instinct salmon formula, adding salmon oil to his food, he gets atarax twice a day, he is bathed in a hypoallergenic shampoo (soap and fragrance free) and only fruits and veggies as treats. He still suffers a bit during this time of the year with the pollen count being so high but all in all his allergies have been well controlled with that routine.

 

[cadillactaste]

Sounds similar to a friend and her bulldog issues...treated for mange and all sorts of stuff if I do believe...FINALLY they found the problem. Maybe just ask your vet to check for this...I'm quoting so I don't blunder...

He has staph!

He is starting on anitbiotics today and they've ordered in a special cream to be picked up in a couple of days.

Poor thing. They said it's Mesassillin resistant staph (sp?) and he will be starting on an antibiotic called Chlorafemacol (sp?) today.

They had another dog who had exactly the same thing and was on the antibiotic for 2 months and it cleared right up. *fingers crossed*

Not saying that it is for certain...just mentioning sort of read your post and it lodged in my mind...this case with my friend's bulldog.

 

[Luvin My Bullie]

Welcome to our site!! As u can tell, we are all here to help, so feel free to ask anything u need to. U have already got some awesome tips and I agree with the above. I definately would try benedryl and a food change. cant wait to see pics of Joseph :

 

[cadillactaste]

Switching to a better food you could try...but if the symptoms do not go away...I would seriously consider asking the vet about the Staph. For it also comes with similar symptoms mentioned...

How much does your bulldog weight...you can actually give Benadryl every 8 hrs. to a dog...depending on their size...BUT MAKE SURE IT IS BENEDRYL ALLERGY which is a lil' pink pill. There are several variations of Benadryl now a days.

A dog weighting 50 lbs can have two Benadryl pills...every 8 hours.

 

[JoeysMom]

Thank everyone for the great advice!!! I feel better that I am not the only one with this problem! Some of my friends have Bullys n they don't have these problems.. I thought it was something I was doing... I'm am going to call my motherinlaw who works at my vet and ask her bout the testing.. I have been through so many food changes to try n see if it helps.. I have him on natural choice which is a low grain venison n brown rice.. I will def try the salmon oil.. N I didn't even think about the treats!! He loves carrots so I'll try that instead of store brand.. Also, I will try the benadryl.. I'm constantly wiping his face with mal-a-ket wipes.. I will keep doing that as well! Thank u again for everyones responses!!!!!!

I tried to upload a photo of Joseph this am but since I'm on my iPhone.. It won't let me upload pics.. As soon as I get my computer I will upload.. He is adorable!! I'm sure like everyone elses.. People tell me that he has a face only a mother could love.. Lol.. I disagree.. I luv bullies n I think they r the best dogs ever!!! I couldn't have asked for a better dog.. Such a great personality!!

Thanks again!