Hi All! New member from Salt Lake City. I have a 3 1/2 year old English Bulldog named Elsa, although I suspect she's a mix, or Olde English. We took her into our home a little over two months ago. Her first home she was used for breeding (~2 1/2 years), and her second home she lived in was a small apartment with a young family (~8 months), who were unable to provide the attention she needs. That makes us her third home and her new forever home. We are absolutely in love with her and want to provide her with a happy and healthy life.
When she first moved into our home, we immediately took her to the vet for a wellness check, she seems to be in good health, other than some skin and possible seasonal allergy issues. The vet suggested we put her on a daily regimen of Zyrtec to help with her allergies. She gets 15mg/day and it does seem to help her eyes from being as puffy and red. She also has red/swollen paws, with yellow, rough patches and she licks them a lot. We have treated a cyst between her toes with Epsom salts and it went away pretty quick. Any advice on how to help her paws otherwise? Could it be a grass or other allergy?
Elsa also suffers from a dry nose that runs a lot, lots of shedding and dander (I know bulldogs can shed a lot, but it's getting worse), and the newest issue are tear stains. I'm especially worried about the tear stains, not because of how they look, but the fold under her eye is constantly moist and now she is losing a little fur and has a red pimply looking bump on one side. She also is having more eye "boogers" than she had before. She has more gas than before and her poops are softer and bigger. We wipe her face a few times/week, bathe her every other week, and treat her nose daily with coconut oil.
I was wondering if all these symptoms could be a food allergy? When we first got her, she was eating Pure Balance, a Walmart brand. And although it didn't seem terrible, I wanted to do better by her. I went to a local pet shop and they recommended Zignature dog food. We tried some sample bags, and she liked them all, so I bought her the 11lb bag of Trout and Salmon Meal. We did the slow transition over the course of a week. She ate the entire 11lb bag and so I went ahead with the larger bag. We've been on that food for about a month, and in that time period her symptoms have become worse. So, I am leaning towards a food allergy. Any suggestions on what our next step should be?
I'm so excited to have her in my life and want to give her the best I can. I've been reading everything I can, both in these forums and on other Bulldog websites. There's so much info. out there, it was becoming a bit overwhelming sifting through it all, so I appreciate any and all feedback!
When she first moved into our home, we immediately took her to the vet for a wellness check, she seems to be in good health, other than some skin and possible seasonal allergy issues. The vet suggested we put her on a daily regimen of Zyrtec to help with her allergies. She gets 15mg/day and it does seem to help her eyes from being as puffy and red. She also has red/swollen paws, with yellow, rough patches and she licks them a lot. We have treated a cyst between her toes with Epsom salts and it went away pretty quick. Any advice on how to help her paws otherwise? Could it be a grass or other allergy?
Elsa also suffers from a dry nose that runs a lot, lots of shedding and dander (I know bulldogs can shed a lot, but it's getting worse), and the newest issue are tear stains. I'm especially worried about the tear stains, not because of how they look, but the fold under her eye is constantly moist and now she is losing a little fur and has a red pimply looking bump on one side. She also is having more eye "boogers" than she had before. She has more gas than before and her poops are softer and bigger. We wipe her face a few times/week, bathe her every other week, and treat her nose daily with coconut oil.
I was wondering if all these symptoms could be a food allergy? When we first got her, she was eating Pure Balance, a Walmart brand. And although it didn't seem terrible, I wanted to do better by her. I went to a local pet shop and they recommended Zignature dog food. We tried some sample bags, and she liked them all, so I bought her the 11lb bag of Trout and Salmon Meal. We did the slow transition over the course of a week. She ate the entire 11lb bag and so I went ahead with the larger bag. We've been on that food for about a month, and in that time period her symptoms have become worse. So, I am leaning towards a food allergy. Any suggestions on what our next step should be?
I'm so excited to have her in my life and want to give her the best I can. I've been reading everything I can, both in these forums and on other Bulldog websites. There's so much info. out there, it was becoming a bit overwhelming sifting through it all, so I appreciate any and all feedback!