Hot Spots on English Bulldogs?

[bullmama]

Well, it ends up that Tidus has this moist dermatitis that he has probably had for many, many months. It has been being contained with all of these meds for his eyes, but we believe he had it before he ever got the eye ulcer which was the initial cause of the damage to the eye. The amount of hair we had to shave off to find the 'edge' of this was unimaginable!!! So he has been given steriod injections, topical spray, and antibiotics. This has been 'hidden' under his fur all of this time. I have some new pictures but I am not sure if I should upload them, it is pretty awful looking.

I have much work to do keeping him clean and such so I don't know how much I will be on the next few days, but I will keep you all posted.

 

[kazzy220]

[MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] Yes please upload pics .......... that's how we all learn what's wrong with our bullies because somebody has put up a pic of it!! Sounds like your mobile vet is the one to stick to - unless of course it requires surgery!!

Poor little Tidus!! I hope he had the staples taken out of his eyes too!

 

[bullmama]

Be prepared, this is really awful looking.....

This was the size of a quarter when it first showed up in the evening. By morning it spread to what you see now.

In the photo below is the dermititis that Tidus has had for a very long time. Where I have circled you can see the little pink bumps. These are so small, they are impossible to feel under the thick fur, I can hardly feel them now that he is shaved. So for some reason, he got the itch really good, and caused it to flare up. Once he did this, it just spread.

My advice to those who read this in the future:

If your dog is itching what seems to be "nothing", (Tidus was always batting at his ears with his hind legs) ....it could be something. You must use your fingertips and really feel down into the itchy area. If he has had this for such a long time like we suspect, than we have been masking this problem by treating his eyes with antibiotics and steriods (in low dosage), but not enough to help a problem such as this one. So I am hoping (and PRAYING!!) that if we can rid of the dermititis than it will also help his eyes. And yes, them stupid staples are finally OUT!!! The amount of steriods and antibiotics should now really show us if he needs eye surgery or not.

 

[sheshistory]

Oh my...I am so sorry. Poor little guy and poor you. Thanks for posting pics so we can all learn from your experiences with Tidus. Do they know what caused it? Or what exacerbated it?

 

[bullmama]

It could be so many things.... but remember the swimming kiddie pool? This is when all of the problems began.... and these small bumps look very similar to what Yuna had, but hers were right on top of the head, easy to see and feel. Tidus's neck is so foldy, and soft, with gorgeous white & brindle fur.... Could also be a food allergy of course..... but the only way to find that out is to get allergy tested or do a science diet food test. The vet was telling me today, yes the food is no good, but the formula for allergies is made so that there is not enough of any particular protein or substance to cause allergies. (hence all the fillers and crap in it) I told him I would think about it, but I would rather wait to see if this course of treatment works first. I don't want to try too many things at once, because then who knows what is curing it, right?

 

[KMARINO]

Oh my... POOR Tidus, it looks as miserable as I am sure he is feeling, I agree with previous post, I am glad you showed the photo's we all need to know and what to look for. Give Tidus a big kiss from me, and tell him I hope he feels better soon!!!

 

[Champ Waring]

Yes, very true. With Champ's hot spots, the vet said wait to change his diet. Otherwise you don't know if it's a food allergy or an environmental allergy. Change one thing at a time!
It is unbelievable how fast these things "grow". Nothing one minute and overwhelming the next. Hope he finds lasting relief soon. Champ's still on antibiotics. His were never this bad, but they just kept coming back. He has one on the underside of his neck that is relentless. Poor babies. xoxo -Neely

 

[bullmama]

Thanks for all the support everyone. He has been snooozing away under my desk all night. He is not even getting up when I do (unusual) and either he feels soooooo much better he don't wanna quit snooozing, or he feels worse. But I think it's cuz he feels better. He is not doing the "I wanna scratch" quiver anymore!

I still wonder what the 'trigger' was. Could have been a bug bite or even nothing at all, I guess..... just a paw that scratches too much....

 

[gatorfan85]

Beefy has booboos like that from when him and baby joe faught. I just keep cleaning them and i wash him with selsun blue(of course) so he doesnt itch it.

 

[kazzy220]

Oh wow ....... and it got like that overnight??!! It's amazing how quickly it spread!!

Poor Tidus I hope he feels better soon. But in some ways it's probably a relief - you must finally feel as if you are taking a step in the right direction!! Let's hope you find the exact cause soon!

 

[bullmama]

Beefy has booboos like that from when him and baby joe faught. I just keep cleaning them and i wash him with selsun blue(of course) so he doesnt itch it.

Yeah but this is not a wound, it is more like itchy hives. Swelled up and started ooozing by morning. He wanted to itch it this morning, I was able to curb him tho. He does NOT like the steriod spray at all, it must burn when it lands. He slept all day yesterday, and perked up in the evening. Now he's sleeping again.

Oh wow ....... and it got like that overnight??!! It's amazing how quickly it spread!!

Poor Tidus I hope he feels better soon. But in some ways it's probably a relief - you must finally feel as if you are taking a step in the right direction!! Let's hope you find the exact cause soon!

Yep. Started out the size of a quarter or so, put a cone on his head and it spread to (almost) what it is by the next morning. It did spread a bit further by the next day but not by much because I was babysitting him the whole time to make sure he did not itch it. He was miserable, his lips were quivering!!! I wish my vet could've come out the day before, but there was no way we could have done this without a vet tech help. And at this point he is the only vet I trust to help me find THE UNDERLYING problem. Hopefully he did.

 

[kazzy220]

Yep. Started out the size of a quarter or so, put a cone on his head and it spread to (almost) what it is by the next morning. It did spread a bit further by the next day but not by much because I was babysitting him the whole time to make sure he did not itch it. He was miserable, his lips were quivering!!! I wish my vet could've come out the day before, but there was no way we could have done this without a vet tech help. And at this point he is the only vet I trust to help me find THE UNDERLYING problem. Hopefully he did.[/QUOTE]

[MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] This may be a stupid question .... but if it got worse when you put on the plastic cone .. which must have been close to the original spot ... could he be allergic to the plastic?

 

[bullmama]

[MENTION=959]kazzy220[/MENTION]

No, he is definitely not allergic to plastic. The cone fits around to where it was sitting in part of the area of the sore,...... but it was the only way to keep him from itching it. I had to make a choice. If I would have left it off he would have continued to scratch it with his paws, which would have been worse.

On another note, his eyes are nice and white and not bloodshot for a change!!! So that is one good thing. Thank goodness I have this bathtowel Lou sent me to use to kinda 'wrap' the area. But now Tidus is sporting "Molly" on his butt. LOL

 

[Lacey28]

Awwe! Poor baby bully! I hope things get better very soon.

 

[Gertie's Mom]

WOW! Those pics are awful! Poor boy, it looks sooo painful! Hope he's doing better soon