BIG updates on both ALDO and KATARA- lots of questions-- help please

[JAKEISGREAT]

Paying people off aleardy, getting an early start for 2012 Awards?

A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do!!

 

[Alice Kable]

We love our easy on harnesses from PETCO!

I can tell you Mack is allergic to rice, who'd have thought rice!

I'm glad Katara is out of the woods! You are doing a good job with your babies!

 

[Vicaroo1000]

Martingale collars here...fancy fun ones with cool graphics on them and a reflective badge for night time walking. Training Bo with a harness would be folly. They ARE roomie and quite frankly can come right off if they wanted to take them off. I'd never put a tight, flat collar on any dog. But that's just me. The chain noise IS a correction and doesn't require pressure on the neck. Bo is still a puller at times (he's getting better!) so there are other tactics I must use to manage these "relapses" ha ha.

I'm glad Kat is better. I'd have been sick with worry. She and Aldo are just going through normal EB puppy stuff. Hang in there. It gets better.

 

[MamaAndi]

I admit it! Both my bullies wear collars when we go out but neither one of them is a puller. Tank stays right beside me when he has the collar on and Bre doesn't like to get to far away either so we are good in that department.

I wish I could offer more insight on the rest of your pups issues. I'm sure poor Aldo's skin will clear up once things normal out. And I'm hoping Katara's problem was a total fluke and will never be an issue again.

 

[acarabias]

She and Aldo are just going through normal EB puppy stuff. Hang in there. It gets better.

Thank you everybody for your kind words, you sure make me feel much better. I am going to try to take it one day at a time and not stress so much! you guys are awesome!

 

[karenben]

i use a half check chain on annie and a harness i swap between them depending on her mood!!!,if shes behaving then the harness if shes being a bulldog then the half check chain lol,as for the reaction to rice ,its very possible many dogs fed rice in any form will show a reaction it just doesnt suit their systems,its only a filler ,a dog could be fed the same food for a long time and all of a sudden get a reaction ,karen

 

[izstigspunks]

Thank you everybody for your kind words, you sure make me feel much better. I am going to try to take it one day at a time and not stress so much! you guys are awesome!

Hang in there girly, you'll find what's best for your twosome. Everyone here gave great advice using their experiences. I use harnesses for my two, the collars are more for show. PetSmart training taught us to use positive reinforcement and lots of treats at first. Then with a lot of practice, our bullies should get the drift and behave. Again, SHOULD is the magic word.

I would get Aldo checked out for mange too. Stig's mange was brought about by food allergies.

And let me know what the secret is for stressing less about these cuddly beings when you find it.

 

[Fontanafox]

First let me give you a hug because I know how you feel. I've had many days where I'm near tears because my Wilson has environmental allergies which makes it harder to prevent and treat. He's had the blood allergy test so I saw he was allergic to pork, potatoes and some other stuff, including grass. Well he's on the right food but still has yeast issues and skin scabs.

When I took my dogs to puppy training classes at Petco they insisted I use a collar and not a harness but as soon as training was over I would put their harnesses back on. Don't ever recall having any issues with the trachea then. I really don't like using collars on them but I have actually seen bullies wearing them at the park. I guess it all depends on whether your dog is a "puller" or not. BabyGirls head is on the smaller side so unless (I put it real tight) it would just slip off anyway. Wilson chokes so easily on his kibble that I don't constrict him around his neck even though he has a big head.

OK...this food thing is going to be a trial and error thing. Best thing you could do is get an allergy test for both. Once you get the results you will have a foundation for what NOT to feed them. Now the vet who did the test said the test was maybe 65% accurate so keep that in mind. In my case I was at a dead end because steroid shots are only a temporary fix and using them long term can cause a lot of problems like diabetes, liver problems and such. So I finally had the allergy test done but I wish I had done that FIRST. Otherwise you'll wind up buying expensive bags of food you'll never use up unless you have a friend whose dog can eat anything you can donate to. Remember each dog is different. What might be good for Katara might not be good for Aldo. As [MENTION=3904]Poppy[/MENTION] said, "Stay Strong." Hoping you find the source of the allergy sooner than later for Aldo.

 

[Biogirl71]

I am so glad Katara is doing so much better. Yay! So much stress to go through for the both of you.

Well you got plenty of good advice above. Harness for sure for these guys and other such breeds with breathing issues. We were leash training our pug and using a collar and he ended up getting tracheal damage and his lungs filled with fluid and had to be in an oxygen tent for 24 hours. Poor little guy, we felt so bad but had no idea at the time. After a lot of care, he got better, but we didn't use a collar for walking after that.

 

[Poppy]

How is she feeling today?

I had no clue about this trachea business for bullies. I feel truly stupid because Poppy is sooo people hyper so we have to keep her still and pop the leash. Bunk is yappy dog reactive so again we pop the leash. I guess we are just lucky we didn't do any damage. *hangs head in shame*

 

[acarabias]

I feel the same way [MENTION=3904]Poppy[/MENTION] I feel bad that I was so vigorous with her. I think it was a combination of things for her, the popping probably swelled it up a bit, then the big chunks put more pressure on her trachea when she refluxed it back and it swelled up even more and then the fluid started collecting. Of course I am not a vet, but this is what I think happened. I feel that even though it might take me longer to train them, I rather them be safe.

 

[karenben]

i dont think bulldogs are ever fully trained they are to opinionated,karen