In need of advice. We don't know what to do.

MsKay13 · Oct 13, 2021

MsKay13 · Oct 13, 2021

This neo-predif powder is prescribed by the vet. It changed our lives. No itching around eyes, etc.

jeriwshaffer · Oct 13, 2021

I do not know if this will help but I use a combination of Benadryl and a prescription antihistamine called MONtelucast. Works very good for my seven-year-old bully who also has environmental allergies. And for his inner digital cysts, they have popped up on my bully twice and both times I have used the antibiotic doxycycline with great results. I know what it’s like to have a new baby, animals, and all sorts of other responsibilities. Never enough time! But if you can just get one or two of the things under control with your bulldog then you will probably feel like you have a better grip on things. And if you have to rehome him, although I know it will be terribly hard, you will be doing it so that he has a good loving home with somebody that has time to work with him. Good luck To you and your family!

bullymonst · Oct 13, 2021

It doesn't sound like you have done allergy testing. He may very well be allergic to the raw diet. I've had 3 bulldogs one had food and environmental allergies that we identified through blood serum tests. Many people will tell you they are not accurate; however I don't agree. First the helped tremendously with her. Second I have food and environmental allergies as well and because they are severe they will only do blood serum tests on me. Gracie was on immunotherapy shots most of her life. They are only able to do the top allergens so she still had seasonal issues. the food test told us the #1 food was flax. Flax is in everything and it was a challenge to find a food without it. We also found she was allergic to all proteins EXCEPT chicken. Most people will tell you not to feed chicken. I started feeding her The Honest Kitchen Limited Ingredient Chicken diet and it also helped a ton. She still took allergy medicine and she would have times that her feet would act up but nothing like they were. She ended up living to be 13. The 2nd one was a rescue and 4 years old and he was a mess. Allergy testing showed he was allergic to everything. We couldn't even do the shots because we were told it wouldn't be worth it. We battled with different food and allergy meds but he had constant yeast infections etc. We were able to keep him comfortable and happy until he passed at 10 years old. My third is currently 2 years old and also a rescue that I got at 5 months old. She has bladder stones and IBD. She also has random fevers that are unexplained aka Fever of Unknown Origin. I have spent over $32K on her in less than 2 years so I understand the financial part.

I highly recommend doing allergy testing. It is a start to finding out why he is so miserable.

If you decide to rehome him you need to find a bulldog rescue. They will work with him and find him the right home that understands his needs and are prepared for the cost of his care. Trying to find someone on your own is not recommended. People will tell you anything because they want a bulldog. Also, there are bad people who may use him as a bait or training dog for dogfighting. There are tons of rescues out there. Unfortunately many are very full right now. I would start with Bullies 2 the rescue http://www.bullies2therescue.com/ they are an amazing organization that I support. They take in horrible cases and keep them until they find the right home. They are located in North Carolina but there are ways to get him there.

It sounds like you really care about him and you want the best. I hope you are able to find a solution to his allergies and are able to keep him and continue to provide him with a loving home.

javalynne8 · Oct 13, 2021

Mona19 · Oct 13, 2021

Hello,
I am really sorry to hear you are going though this situation with your baby.. it sounds to me ( i am not a vet) that your baby was overmedicated. please visit https://nomorevetbills.com or Rotational Mono Feeding Diet ( Facebook).
i am not trying to sell you anything, my bulldog (9 1/2 yo) has suffer from allergies all her life ( tail pocket, TECA, elongated palate, cysts, yeast and constant licking) i am still working on it..
this web site helped us a lot and teach us a lot...
I hope you made the right decision ( there is still hope) if my baby is still here and healthier yours can be too.

BullyPotato · Oct 13, 2021

For what it’s worth, my Bulldog has severe environmental allergies (exhausted food trials of all sorts for long periods of time, etc) and what’s worked best after years of various experimenting is a combination of meds along with regular cleaning: Hydroxyzine 2-3x/ day (which also helps with anxiety/licking but is an antihistamine), Apoquil (1x/ day) & Cyropoint (religiously every 2.5-3 months). And of course the regular medicated bath and foot soaks, cleaning & helps the interdigital cysts etc.

I mention the combination of those meds in case you haven’t tried all 3 yet together for some time and obviously you would talk to your vet about whether it’s right for your dog but it could potentially solve the urinating issue by eliminating that other med. All those don’t help my bully completely but makes all issues more manageable (issues go from 8 to a 3 I’d say) and he’s happy with a good quality of life. I can’t recall the name of the med I tried that caused frequent urinating for itching but if it’s the same one it has a low dose steroid that isn’t great to use long term anyway and also made him more reactive/ tense so that is a possibility for why he’s more anxious as well as family dynamics.

It’s not popular to say but my Bully didn’t do any better on raw or freeze dried (and even developed aggression towards my other bulldog on one freeze dried that went away after switching back) and quite frankly, if it’s a matter of keeping or getting rid of him don’t feel bad for using good quality kibble with a baby around and everything you have going on. I mention this because it seems like if you at least take a couple of the extremely time consuming/stressful issues out (urinating, anxiety, allergies, raw food contamination) along with having a new baby he may have the best chance of staying with your family. Yes, probably raw is best for long term health but what is best in his interest of this dog right now is getting to a manageable place for him to stay in your home. IMHO I really think you should give different med protocols a try and keep up with foot soaks with epsom salt & chlorhexidine. Get some sanitary wipes for the floor after any accidents or blood. Yes, it’s still a lot of work for a doggo but IMHO I really believe you can get him to a more manageable place.

As someone else mentioned if you do get to the point you absolutely need to give him up please exhaust all your options with bulldog rescue organizations (google local and even further out ones that might take him) before ever giving him to a regular shelter or euthanizing him.

Libra926 · Oct 13, 2021

Where are you located?

zizasdad · Oct 13, 2021

Hello
Sorry so late to the game. One thing I haven't seen discussed is chicken. I went thru every diet possible until my Vet found that my girl was allergic to chicken. I mean she is allergic to any form or amount. She will lick herself rare if I let her. Chlorhexidine has been a God send for me. I dilute it and use it daily. I got this gallon for $14 but its 1 table spoon per gallon of water. So I will never run out.

Sorry so late to the game! I know this maybe a stab in the dark, but I haven't seen the subject come up. I went thru hell trying figure out why my girl was licking and biting herself raw. My vet discovered that she is highly allergic to chicken. I mean highly!! There can be no trace of chicken. I have her on dry lamb and rice. I have to be very careful with any treat.
Another thing I discover, because she routinely would get infections was chlorhexidine. The pad are super expensive,but i found this gallon for $14 and I will never run out. Its 1 tablespoon to a gallon of water. I wipe her done daily. She may not always need it but she stubborn and wants it to be rubbed every morning anyway.

Good luck!

BullyBoston · Oct 13, 2021

This is so sad and I feel for you, your family and poor Morris. It's hard for all but Morris is suffering so badly and he's the one who is in so much pain with so many issues. Be patient with him as they are not here for a long time. I know how costly it can get with these dogs. I have an English and a French bulldog. The EB has his own cardiologist because my husband bought him with a very bad heart defect. He has some issues with interdigital cysts and environmental and food allergies. When something flares up or isn't working right for him we research, research, and research to get him what he needs to feel well and happy. I would do anything for my 2 boys as they are my complete world. With that said I know you also have your hands full with the new baby. Morris' diet is very important to his health and well being as you know so perhaps working on this can help him with some of his allergies. Please look into making him his own food (people sometimes cook meats in a slow cooker with some rice and vegetables) or some pre-made/frozen raw food. We use Primal Raw Frozen Pronto Lamb formula and add string beans and barley to eat. My boy's both love their food and it has helped tremendously with their allergies. They are no longer yeasty and smelly and they don't scratch as much. Also, the interdigital cysts on my EB have gone down tremendously. I also give them each a Benadryl everyday as well as pre-and pro-biotics and it has helped them tremendously with some of their health issues. My Frenchie would throw up often after eating and the pro-biotics I give him have let him digest his food a lot better and pretty much curbed his throwing up. I have attached links for some of the food and probiotics:

https://primalpetfoods.com/pages/canine-balanced-bases

All Dog Products

Healthier dog is a happy dog. Check out our variety of products for your adult and senior dogs in different flavors: duck, chicken, salmon, peanut butter and multi flavored pack. Add to cart now.

www.pethonesty.com

Allergy Support Max Strength (Chicken Flavor)

PetHonesty’s Allergy Support+ Immune & Digestive Health soft chews are vet-recommended to help support your dog’s immune system, soothe allergy-related skin issues, promote healthy histamine levels and support normal inflammatory pathways. These seasonal allergy and immune support soft chews are...

www.pethonesty.com

NATURVET Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotic Soft Chews Digestive Supplement for Dogs, 120 count - Chewy.com

Buy NaturVet Digestive Enzymes Plus Probiotic Soft Chews Digestive Supplement for Dogs, 120 count at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

Good luck with your lovely boy and I wish that everything gets better for all soon.

minibull · Oct 13, 2021

Hugs to you for being so diligent and caring for your boy Morris. I wonder if you have tried a vegan diet. Our last English bulldog was allergic to all meats with associated very itchy skin and recurrent yeast and bacterial infections both skin and ear. I couldn't stand to watch her scratch without relief.

She was so much better after around 1 week of eating v- dog kibble. Her chronic skin and ear infections stopped. We went from bathing her four times a week (advice by vet, with Medicaid shampoo) to once a month or less. Eventually we started supplementing with things like peanut butter, broccoli, and sweet potatoes to help bulk up the diet. Our current boy does so well with this diet and allergies always flare when we give him meats, Even though he gets severe hives only with some meats. No more than minor unobtrusive allergies when I keep him on the meat free diet.

It sounds like you have a lot going on and have tried so many things. This would be a fairly simple thing to try.

The other thing that helped her ears were regular flushes with apple cider vinegar (half water or hydrogen peroxide, half ACV -- that did not want us to use the peroxide, but early on it seemed necessary) followed by packing the ears with Kleenex for her to shake out the excess liquid. After several months on the v dog, we no longer had to regularly flush her ears.

ppardoski · Oct 13, 2021

So sorry for your family and Morris...I had a white female English Bulldog named Beauty. She had all the same issues as Morris, eye surgery, conjunctivitis, ear infections, cysts on paws between toes, allergies, seasonal flank alopecia, surgical removal of benign cyst on top of head between ears, cysts in mouth on Jaw bone removed as her last surgery. I could go on...so much love for her and hated to see her with so many ailments but always took care of my baby girl. I did holistic pet nutrition shortly after I got her from a breeder at 3 months old. Discovered that Salmon and Turkey are the highest quality Protein with little ever allergic reactions. Beauty could not eat beef, chicken or any whitefish due to allergies, gastric sensitivity, vomiting, etc. Chicken is known to cause ear infections in most breeds, lamb & duck are more 'oilier' based meats. I also used 93% Fat Free ground turkey, cooked about 1 lb/week to put over her kibble organic, sensitive, dairy-free, no eggs, wheat free diet.

Also, after the vet prescribed Merck prescription drops (which burned) for dry eyes & others which were quite costly, my eye doctor prescribed an over-the-counter 'Retaine' for humans which consisted of Mineral Water/Oil effective for Dry eyes/alllergies. These did not burn and Beauty did let me apply those along with Mineral Water drops to rinse/clean the mucous from her eyes - this was about 4-6 times per day.

Another holistic cure for the season flank alopecia after Vet prescribed antibiotics & prednisone which never worked and would only make these hot spots even redder/more irritated, I discovered that Melatonin 3 mg capsules once a day over dry food resolved the issue within 4-6 weeks, no more redness or itchy spots and her fur grew back within 2 months and never an issue. I kept her on the 3mg/day dose as a maintenance plan the rest of her life and never had any issues after. Just the issues with the cysts on her paws. I used peroxide to cleanse, and calendula oil to clear up and heal the cysts to prevent infection. Sovereign silver first aid gel is also great for skin/healing. It helped to clear up the bruising around surgical sites within a few days - I was amazed at how quickly she healed!!

Unfortunately, I had the epileptic cysts in her mouth removed, since it seemed to be a reason she stopped eating for 1-1/2 weeks, she was 9-1/2 years old at the time. I was having to feed her one kibble at a time, she would choke/vomit on soft food, rice and everything else I tried. After that surgery, she was on a down-ward spiral - whether it was the anesthesia and her reaction to it, but she start developing seizures shortly after, which was one of the most difficult things to watch and see her go through that and feeling so helpless. This was during covid lockdown, and unfortunately vet kept prescribing different medications without being able to witness and see her condition, until I finally decided I could not possibly watch her go through another one of these episodes. I took her to the vet on Aug. 21, 2020 as I called prior, and said this cannot go on any longer - this seizure was continuing for 90 minutes and no more medication as I had just picked up a new script last night. After sedation, her heart stopped within a minute & she was no longer suffering. The Vet apologized to me with tears in his eyes, saying 'I'm so, so very sorry - I didn't realize how bad Beauty really was...she was very, very bad and you made the right decision for her. It was the hardest, most emotional thing for me to do having her for a blessed 10 years and 3 months - even more devasting than my divorce, which marriage lasted less than 6 years!!

As difficult as it was to let go of my baby girl - she no longer had to go through another episode, and suffer. I honor her and all our bully friends by looking at the photos of how she made everyone smile, laugh and entertain us with her silly, goofy antics. All pictures of our bully friends bring so much joy and happiness!! Be blessed with all your memories of Morris, whatever decision you make and hopefully others can benefit from holistic suggestions.

Hope this helps.

blabaird · Oct 13, 2021

We have been very fortunate in a lot of respects with our Grace Kelly but we found the best thing for her skin by accident trying to prevent bladder infections with a home remedy by putting apple cider vinegar in her drinking water. She went from having hot spots and skin issues that we tried everything from the vet and other home remedies but to no avail. We started putting apple cider vinegar in her water for the bladder infection prevention and the apple cider vinegar did not help that but all her skin issues and hot spots cleared up, we did not put it together at first so when it appeared the apple cider vinegar did not help the bladder infection issues we stopped and then we started having skin issues again, my husband and I sat down one day and said to each other, what has changed from before, we stopped the apple cider vinegar in her water bowl and once we started putting it in again the skin issues completely cleared up and we have not had an issue since, she is going to be 11 in November so that has been nearly 10 years now. Now we still have issues with her folds around the nose and we clean her ears regularly but no more itching or bare spots on her body so it may or may not work for you but it's worth a try!!

oscarmayer · Oct 13, 2021

I’m not in a position to read all of the replies..
Has he been allergy tested and if so, what were the results?

Charissa · Oct 13, 2021

Hello, I have some very good news. I have had 10+ English Bulldogs, some have had their tail pockets done (basically no tail). Some have had allergies, some have had the inter-digit cysts. I learned early on to always go to a Bulldog Vet. It'll save you lots of money, time, headaches, and mental stress. Most Bulldog Vets are in touch with Bulldog "show" veterans who pass along the knowledge of years & years worth of experience. That helped me tremendously. I'll pass what I know to you.
Inter-digit Cysts are caused by wetness in or around the paws, either licking or standing on wet surfaces. (1) Keep feet dry at all costs (that means towel drying when they come in from outside if it rained or walked in water. I found that the dog will stop licking once the cyst if gone. So, here is the cure all for any skin issues: Canine Relief (online) sells an Anti-microbial spray that works excellent & only costs around $18, you can also find other brands like Vetricyin at the pet shops but I like Canine Relief best because they also have a follow up wound relief that you apply in-between applications (minimal $). Call & talk to a representative & they will tell you the best approach. I myself apply the Anti-microbial spray more often than directed. Catching it early on will provide the best results: in 1 -3 days it will be completely gone if caught early enough. When there is an ongoing inflamation it can take days longer, just don't give up. You will see results daily. I even use it on cold sores that I'm prone to getting, yes it is the same as human anti-microbials only it cost less.
I feed raw when possible ($$$), but, also have tried all other forms of dog food. I feed grain-free when I've fed kibble. Allergies are caused by grains. Stay away from "hot" meats like pork, venison, and lamb. I've had 2 babies with my bulldogs and never had a worry about feeding raw. Don't let the dog lick the baby but, if it happens, then don't freak out.
You can give a human grade allergy med like Claritin for eye itching or goo.
I would not put your dog "Down" and if you cannot keep him, there are people like me who are not intimidated by a bulldogs special needs. I rarely go to a vet except for surgeries and rabies vaccinations. Otherwise, I go to clinics to save money. I have had to report some vets to the veterinary medical board for treatments to bulldogs that are unnecessary & unnecessarily expensive. One Vet put one of my sold puppies in an oxygen chamber ($2000), telling the new owner to put the puppy down. Turns out that 1 in every 200 bulldogs have a undersized Trachea and eventually grow into a healthy sized Trachea. I took that puppy out of the oxygen chamber, while they were outraged at me, telling me I was a killer...to a bulldog vet who treated it for the correct "bacterial" not viral pneumonia. Told the owner to get a nebulizer/humidifier & put Tylan (purchased at a feed store for bovine respiratory antibiotic). In a week the puppy was bouncing around and acting normal. I had known to bring the puppy home and give it a dose of Tylan on top of raw hamburger until I got it to the vet the next morning. The killer was the vet that didn't know about bulldogs.