Health concern??

BullyB

New member
Sep 23, 2010
46
3
Bulldog(s) Names
Bruno and Bunker
So, my older bully Bruno will be 2 in November. Since we have had him, we have had to take him the the emergency vet in the middle of the night b/c of breathing concerns. The first time happened when he was about 4 months old...the last time happened just a few weeks ago. Bruno had been asleep for a couple hours already, and he just got up, jumped off the bed, and just sat on the floor. I went over to him and he was shaking...he kept walking around all still. I checked his tongue and gums, both were still pink, so we waited for a bit. He threw up about 5 times...a bunch of foam and phlegm, and then one time a whole lot of food...recently eaten, digested, the whole bit. After about 45 minutes of shaking and vomiting, he was still shaking and sounded like he was having trouble breathing, so we took him in. He stayed overnight...they gave him fluids and said he did fine the whole night. So, we took him to our vet the next day and had them do x-rays of stomach and intestines and blood work. We wanted to figure out what was going on...why this has happened a couple times. We also wanted to do all of this because Bruno has had trouble putting weight on. Bruno is about 40 pounds, give or take...but he looks skinny...he has this big ol head, but you can see his ribs and spine. He is playful, doesn't act sickly, always eats his meals...we don't get it. We went the first year of his life trying to figure out why he was getting sick all the time...turned out he is allergic to every single protein except salmon. So, we put him on Fromm Salmon and Veg and he has been fine with that (it's been prob about 9 mos now). I know that b/c Fromm food is so full of nutrients, you should be sure not to feed too much. So we have been feeding Bruno 1/2 cup 3 times a day...we feed him 3 times a day cuz he has a pretty sensitive tummy. He still wasn't gaining any weight, so we started adding in 1/4 cup of white rice with every meal. We have been doing the food with rice for the last 2 mos now, and still no weight gain. So...we figured, do the tests so we can get some answers. Blood work came back amazing...perfectly healthy. X-rays showed good size heart. The only thing they could tell me is that the x-rays showed a lot of gas in the intestines.

So...I asked the vet what we should do. She just said to keep doing what we're doing with the food. Besides looking a little too thin, he looks perfectly healthy otherwise. (And I do trust this vet...we have gone through a few vets already, but have been pleased with this one).

So...I am giving you guys all of the information to see if anyone has any thoughts. Is he just a littler bully? Am I making too big a deal out of this? I am such a worrier...he is my baby. Let me know if you have any thoughts. Thanks!
 

BabyDuke

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Community Veteran
Mar 25, 2011
1,251
150
Philadelphia PA
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Duke
First of all you are not a worrier! you are just being a good bully parent? I am just confused as to why the vet would think that getting up in the middle of the night, shaking and throwing up etc is normal?? When duke did this he was passing a toy ( it was awful ) but same symptoms.. but you said they xrayed and all is clear? ..thank God!

I am SURE he is ok (meaning healthy heart etc ) but I would want to know why he did this and try to avoid it happening again. I wonder if there is something you could give to help with the gas?? Maybe the rice is too much? Have you tried pumpkin??
Hoping others chime in so we can help you get to the bottom of it.. I am sure it is so scary for the both of you :(
 
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BullyB

BullyB

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Sep 23, 2010
46
3
Bulldog(s) Names
Bruno and Bunker
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The vet said she thought he prob just ate something that didn't agree with him...that was the only thing she could think happened. But I don't know what...we don't give him any table scraps...he gets cucumbers of Fromm Salmon treats. We do give him pumpkin....he gets a tablespoon about every other night for dinner. It's wierd...it has happened only twice like that since we have had him...we have had him since he was 8 weeks. We figured it happened the first time b/c we hadn't figured out his food allergy situation yet. We asked another bully owner we know (he rescues bullies) what he thought about it, and all he said was that bully's are just wierd sometimes.
 

Sherry

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Jan 15, 2011
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Denver PA
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Jack , Dolly, Grizz, Peggy Sue, and Scrimps
If it were me.......I'd up the amount of food until you see some kind of weight gain. A two year old male bully at 40 lbs sounds a little lite. If the vet says he has gas in the intestines........does he gulp his food and water and run around a whole lot? perhaps then it could be trapped air. hhhmmmm. I'm a Google freak, I Google everything.
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
I'd be just as concerned as you! I think I might seek out another opinion...besides all of us experts...(of course!)..Jake has thrown up and always in the middle of the night..but only after he has eaten a no-no..like bark..or a small rock..and there is always a lot of phlegm..I think that and the foam are just part of the process of yacking with them. The shaking might be because he scares himself? There are intestinal diseases where the food isn't digested properly and they can't get nutrients. My cat had one of these..and I think to set your mind at ease..other avenues should be explored. I'm so sorry for you and Bruno.

I know a very healthy 5 year old male bully that looks great at 42 pounds. Don't focus on the number..how he looks and what YOU feel is the ticket!
 
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BruceP

..........
Aug 12, 2010
0
505
Milwaukee, WI
Bulldog(s) Names
HRH Princess Gracie, aka: HRH; Princess Amelia Pond, aka: Amy
1.5 cups of Fromm a day seems kinda skimpy to me. I'd try upping it to 2 cups and see how he does. Our 4.5yr old female eats 2 cups a day and would eat more but she is stable at 2 cups and 40#s is where we want her.
 

LariP

..........
Aug 4, 2010
8,293
452
Milwaukee, WI
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
(HRH) Her Royal Highness Princess Gracie & Princess Amelia Pond (Amy)
I would up the food a bit too.
Perhaps to 3/4 cup owe feeding.
HRH is 40 lbs and gets 2 cups of Fromm a day. We also give her low fat yogurt in the morning. That seems to help a lot with the gas she has had.

At one point in the past HRH gained a couple pounds and we discovered it was the higher fat treats she was getting. She doesn't go for carrots or green beans, but we have found some low fat alternatives. Some have caused more gas than others.
 

mandyjo

New member
Jun 24, 2011
73
6
Bulldog(s) Names
Lola
My in-laws had a black lab with symptoms very similar.....after alot of testing they found that he had irritable bowel syndrome with food allergies. After a couple of months on medicine and a different diet, he gained some weight. Just throwing it out there
 

GatorRay

I am in total control....I think
Feb 25, 2011
3,432
227
Louisville, KY
Bulldog(s) Names
Gator & Lucy Goosey, the Basset and Gigi (AKA Gypsy)
I would also up the food a bit. I would also try spreading it ourt over a bunch of meals through the day and cut out the rice completely. He likely isn't geyting anything beneficial with the rice anyway. I wouldn't be concerned about the number with his weight but I would worry about the fact that you can see his ribs and spine. A dog will occasionally throw up but five times is a bit excessive.
 

kim n the guys

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Apr 3, 2011
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Holt, MI
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Oliver, Sebastian, Remy, Gracie, and Tonka (10-21-07 to 05-29-14 RIP)
I agree that 1.5 cups a day seems skimpy. My boys get 1.5 cups in the morning and another 1.5 cups in the evening. Now the morning meal, they don't eat it all at once. Most of the time, they'll graze on it till mid afternoon when it's finally gone, but their evening meal, they usually scarf right down (maybe it's the salmon oil, I squirt on it, LOL!). Sebastian and Oliver are only 7 months old though, so they are still growing, but they are definitely little chunks of bulldog love.
 
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BullyB

BullyB

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Sep 23, 2010
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Bruno and Bunker
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I spread out his meals so he eats 3 times a day. The only reason I am only giving him 1/2 cup of the Fromm Salmon each meal is because I was told that Fromm doesn't have any fillers in it....it is very rich in nutrients, so you don't give the dog as much, or else they can become bloated and their stomach can't handle it. This is why I add the rice in there....to give him more calories as more of a filler. I guess I could try a little bit more of the Fromm...Bruno just has such a sensitive tummy it seems, so it makes me a little nervous to try.
 

bullmama

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Jan 28, 2010
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The Home of the Desert Sky Pack
Yes increase food intake and maybe try adding some whole fat cottage cheese- not non fat- but keep an eye out cuz cottage cheese can cause yeast. Used in moderation and it should help gain weight :)
 

bullmama

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I spread out his meals so he eats 3 times a day. The only reason I am only giving him 1/2 cup of the Fromm Salmon each meal is because I was told that Fromm doesn't have any fillers in it....it is very rich in nutrients, so you don't give the dog as much, or else they can become bloated and their stomach can't handle it. This is why I add the rice in there....to give him more calories as more of a filler. I guess I could try a little bit more of the Fromm...Bruno just has such a sensitive tummy it seems, so it makes me a little nervous to try.

Rice is quite a filler too- it fills them up per say and helps with runny poo. I would only use rice if your bully has the squirts- just my opinion. Better to have beneficial fats than unusable calories?
 

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