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

Morrisisboss

New member
May 14, 2016
9
9
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Morris
Hi there everyone,
My husband and I are at a loss and in need of some advice. Its our good boy, Morris...

I will be as honest as I can be about how we are feeling and coping. But I can say that our dogs health is causing mental health issues for my husband and I.

For a long, long time, Morrisā€™s health has been declining. He has suffered from:

-massive tail pocket infections (his tail had to be removed) and now he cant hold his feces very well so he has lots of poop accidents
-entropion, on both eye lids, upper and lower (has had a surgery to correct)
-his vision is limited and suffers from chronic conjunctivitis due to allergies.
-interdigital cysts. They start to swell and explode across the room in about 20 minutes.
-yeast, bacterial infections and losing the fur in his back. (He uses special wipes and shampoos I import and get him professionally bathed for dogs with skin issues )
-chronic ear infections.
-obsessive foot licking and scratching

All in all, we have spend about $45,000 on him.

I have spent countless hours with him in the bathtub, at the vets, preparing holistic poultices and ointments. We have gone holistic as possible but now we cannot. We have done food trials, allergy tests. Everything.
We have tried to make him as comfortable as possible but hes absolutely miserable and wont play or lift his head most of the time.

All he does when he lifts his head is lick, lick, lick and we cant stand it. We are getting angry because the socks and shoes we use wont stay on unless we tape them. We are trying not to get angry with him but it is honestly getting really hard and we know that its absolutely not his fault. We have spent a fortune on him and cant afford to anymore and frankly, are not willing.

He has been on every medication under the sun. Apoquel, cytopoint, steroids, antibiotics, benadryl, and now hes on this anti itch which is helping a lot. Heā€™s up walking around and engaging!

But, when a problem gets better, two takes its place.

We have had to switch him off of raw to a kibble because I have just had a baby. He likes to lick everything and with the baby , we were concerned about meat juice and getting the baby sick.

The anti itch medication heā€™s on has increased his thirst and hes started to urinate in the house and needs to be taken out twice a night. 11pm and 3 am, then 5am.
I need to take Morris out every two hours during the day but my baby is about to crawl and its becoming overwhelming; We are concerned about the baby crawling on a floor shared with the dog with all the blood, feces and urine.
We dont want to lock Morris upstairs and we dont want to limit the babies movements. Our place isnt huge so we cannot really partition off the house.

We are at an absolute loss on what to do. We have called a shelter and they said that if we surrenered him, it will kill him and we have asked family and friends but no one wants the financial burden or can give the time for his medical needs.

Im sure Morris senses our anxiety and he has snapped at two people.

We love Morris very very much. He is a lovely boy. But honestly, hes gone from being our dog, our boy, to a burden being held together by pills and medicated baths.

And maybe there is an obvious answer we are not seeing. Everyone we have spoken to about him has said we should put him to sleep; Its giving us extreme anxiety.

We never thought it would get to this point.

Writing this has me in tears.
help help help help help help help
 

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Cbrugs

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Dec 9, 2016
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King Louie, Jax (French Bulldog), Ella Mae and Darla Rae
So Rory you are going through this. How old is Morris? What are you currently feeding him and how long has he been on this food?

if you do feel the need to rehome, please contact a local bulldog specific shelter. There are many out there.
 
OP
M

Morrisisboss

New member
May 14, 2016
9
9
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Canada
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Morris
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  • Thread starter
  • #3
So Rory you are going through this. How old is Morris? What are you currently feeding him and how long has he been on this food?

if you do feel the need to rehome, please contact a local bulldog specific shelter. There are many out there.
Hi there
Morris is 7. He has been on raw for most of his life, but for times when we had to take him off raw, we found Carna4 (duck blend) hasnt increased any problems with him. So thats what he's on now. We are finding that all his issues are environmental.

I am looking at shelters but my husband and I are having difficulty with it. In the sense we feel like we would be abandoning, giving up on him and perhaps the stigma. But if its in Morriss best interestā€¦ I suppose thats something we will have to get over. We just never thought we would be hereā€¦
 

helsonwheels

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Jan 10, 2016
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Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
Sorry but if you spent 45k on a dog you have a useless vet & his/her wallet comes first. Of course the dog will feel abandon as you recently had a baby. Same thing as coming home with a new baby n introducing the newborn to the sibling(s). Not easy for anyone.

From what Iā€™m reading, you never had issues when he was on a raw diet n before baby has arrive. IF SOā€¦.your answer is right there. Itā€™s very overwhelming bringing a newborn home. Not easy for sure. But not a reason to get rid of a dog you had for 7 yrs. Feeding raw basically you need to clean surroundings of baby. Iā€™m in the food industry n Salmonella or e.coli is not only on foods but it is all over surfaces so when your baby drops something or touches something with their hands and then places those fingers in their mouth they are at risk. Donā€™t mean itā€™s from the dog. That being said, have you tried a dehydrated or freeze dried Raw food?
 
OP
M

Morrisisboss

New member
May 14, 2016
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9
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Morris
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  • #5
Have you tried Benadryl? Do you notice his allergies flare up more at certain times of the year? My bulldog Lucy does the licking behavior and we use Benadryl, put boots on her feet, and give her baths with chlorhexadine. The vet was giving us all sorts of medication, but I found the simple things was what helped her.

have you tried Benadryl? My bulldog has allergies and terrible skin issues, which flare up at certain times of the year more than others. We also give her baths with chlorhexadine.
Hi there,
We do chlorhexadine baths and hes been on Benadryl. It worked a little but he still itched so hard there is blood everywhere. What heā€™s on now is stronger but theres the side effects.
 
OP
M

Morrisisboss

New member
May 14, 2016
9
9
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Morris
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #6
Sorry but if you spent 45k on a dog you have a useless vet & his/her wallet comes first. Of course the dog will feel abandon as you recently had a baby. Same thing as coming home with a new baby n introducing the newborn to the sibling(s). Not easy for anyone.

From what Iā€™m reading, you never had issues when he was on a raw diet n before baby has arrive. IF SOā€¦.your answer is right there. Itā€™s very overwhelming bringing a newborn home. Not easy for sure. But not a reason to get rid of a dog you had for 7 yrs. Feeding raw basically you need to clean surroundings of baby. Iā€™m in the food industry n Salmonella or e.coli is not only on foods but it is all over surfaces so when your baby drops something or touches something with their hands and then places those fingers in their mouth they are at risk. Donā€™t mean itā€™s from the dog. That being said, have you tried a dehydrated or freeze dried Raw food?
Hi there, thanks for your reply.
I apologize for my lack of clarify. Morris has been on raw food since he was about 1 yr. My dog tends to eat his meat, and then lick everything he can. Would that not increase the likely hood of the baby picking up a foodborne illness or something of the like?

I absolutely understand germs are everywhere , etc etc but the thought of me missing some meat that accidentally gets on the floor and ends up in my babies mouth just fills me with anxiety.

We have tried dehydrated foods in the past and honestly didnt give much thought going back to it due to cost. It could be an option. But we do find his problems are environmental, not food based.

We have had our bad run ins with vets for sure. We have had to change vets maybe 4-5 times? One tried to tell me my dog needed surgery without even meeting him; Itā€™s insane. We ended up driving an hour outside Vancouver to find a vet that was affordable who didnt need/want to due a million tests that we had already done. A lot of Morrisā€™s costs have been from corrective surgeries and specialist visits; Itā€™s easy to spend a thousand here, a thousand there. Gives new meaning to getting ā€œnickled and dimed to deathā€
 

helsonwheels

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2016
13,064
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Alberta
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Canada
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Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
At the end of the day up to you if you have time for the dog as you recently had a baby. If you truly want to keep him I would go back to dehydrated foods. Would be one less issue on your plate. Since you live in Vancouver, whatā€™s extremely healthy is breathing salty air. Ocean side is a huge therapy for dogs just as in humans.

@Cbrugs, whatā€™s that allergy shot thatā€™s given every 3 monthsā€¦starts with a ā€œCā€? I know it but wonā€™t spell it rightā€¦ Might work for Morris.
 
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M

Morrisisboss

New member
May 14, 2016
9
9
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Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Morris
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
At the end of the day up to you if you have time for the dog as you recently had a baby. If you truly want to keep him I would go back to dehydrated foods. Would be one less issue on your plate. Since you live in Vancouver, whatā€™s extremely healthy is breathing salty air. Ocean side is a huge therapy for dogs just as in humans.

@Cbrugs, whatā€™s that allergy shot thatā€™s given every 3 monthsā€¦starts with a ā€œCā€? I know it but wonā€™t spell it rightā€¦ Might work for Morris.
Youā€™re absolutely right. I know the salt does wonders for his skin.
thank you for your input. :)
The shot is called Cytopoint. He was on it for a while but it was very hit and miss for him.
 

Cbrugs

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Dec 9, 2016
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King Louie, Jax (French Bulldog), Ella Mae and Darla Rae
Yes itā€™s Cytopoint. It works great for my French bulldog.

so if youā€™re concerned about germs after the dog eats raw, what about cleaning his face after he eats? Iā€™m not too concerned about the germs but I spray a microfiber cloth with colloidal silver and wipe their faces after they eat just to clean their faces.
 
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M

Morrisisboss

New member
May 14, 2016
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9
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Morris
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  • #10
Yes itā€™s Cytopoint. It works great for my French bulldog.

so if youā€™re concerned about germs after the dog eats raw, what about cleaning his face after he eats? Iā€™m not too concerned about the germs but I spray a microfiber cloth with colloidal silver and wipe their faces after they eat just to clean their faces.
Oh thats an interesting idea using colloidal silver. We do clean his face after he eats but its just licking of everything after he eats is our main concern regarding that.
We try to prevent him from licking everything but theres only so much we can do, shy of putting on a muzzle.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Youā€™re absolutely right. I know the salt does wonders for his skin.
thank you for your input. :)
The shot is called Cytopoint. He was on it for a while but it was very hit and miss for him.
We do the Cytopoint tooā€¦ it was/is the only thing that helped with our boys ears outside of raw food.

we had to stay on once a month at most six weeks was all we could go anything past that his ears started to get dirty
 

Crystal Searcy

New member
Jun 14, 2013
2
0
Hello. I have 2 English Bulldogs.
My 7yr old Male has a few of your baby's problems.
Apoquel was tried at his old vet. Junk! Cost me $160.
Old vet wanted to literally cut out his cysts! Hell no!! That's when she was fired!!
My new vet, has gotten him all handled!! He actually got a yeast infection in his ears when I first went there. 2 visits later... fixed for $30.
What really took care of these problems was, hill's prescription diet derm complete! I pay $107 for a 24lb bag. With one dog on it, it'll last you longer. It's guaranteed they'll eat it or your money back. It is for food and environmental allergies.
Also, I use malacetic wipes. Hc for his paws to keep them clean and free of more issues and regular for his face and ears. My vet does recommend them also. Those will set you back less than$75 and last.
Basically, with what he has now... you could keep him problem free for way less.
Good luck!!
 

manecya

New member
Jul 10, 2017
25
2
Country
Canada
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Henry
I am so so sorry this is happening to you, I canā€™t even start to understand how hard this must be. I donā€™t have any intelligent advice. Just sending you good luck and wisdom and peace. Youā€™re a wonderful dog mom, hope youā€™re feeling better.
 

I love Emily

Member
Jun 22, 2016
77
20
Alberta, Canada
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Emily
Hi there everyone,
My husband and I are at a loss and in need of some advice. Its our good boy, Morris...

I will be as honest as I can be about how we are feeling and coping. But I can say that our dogs health is causing mental health issues for my husband and I.

For a long, long time, Morrisā€™s health has been declining. He has suffered from:

-massive tail pocket infections (his tail had to be removed) and now he cant hold his feces very well so he has lots of poop accidents
-entropion, on both eye lids, upper and lower (has had a surgery to correct)
-his vision is limited and suffers from chronic conjunctivitis due to allergies.
-interdigital cysts. They start to swell and explode across the room in about 20 minutes.
-yeast, bacterial infections and losing the fur in his back. (He uses special wipes and shampoos I import and get him professionally bathed for dogs with skin issues )
-chronic ear infections.
-obsessive foot licking and scratching

All in all, we have spend about $45,000 on him.

I have spent countless hours with him in the bathtub, at the vets, preparing holistic poultices and ointments. We have gone holistic as possible but now we cannot. We have done food trials, allergy tests. Everything.
We have tried to make him as comfortable as possible but hes absolutely miserable and wont play or lift his head most of the time.

All he does when he lifts his head is lick, lick, lick and we cant stand it. We are getting angry because the socks and shoes we use wont stay on unless we tape them. We are trying not to get angry with him but it is honestly getting really hard and we know that its absolutely not his fault. We have spent a fortune on him and cant afford to anymore and frankly, are not willing.

He has been on every medication under the sun. Apoquel, cytopoint, steroids, antibiotics, benadryl, and now hes on this anti itch which is helping a lot. Heā€™s up walking around and engaging!

But, when a problem gets better, two takes its place.

We have had to switch him off of raw to a kibble because I have just had a baby. He likes to lick everything and with the baby , we were concerned about meat juice and getting the baby sick.

The anti itch medication heā€™s on has increased his thirst and hes started to urinate in the house and needs to be taken out twice a night. 11pm and 3 am, then 5am.
I need to take Morris out every two hours during the day but my baby is about to crawl and its becoming overwhelming; We are concerned about the baby crawling on a floor shared with the dog with all the blood, feces and urine.
We dont want to lock Morris upstairs and we dont want to limit the babies movements. Our place isnt huge so we cannot really partition off the house.

We are at an absolute loss on what to do. We have called a shelter and they said that if we surrenered him, it will kill him and we have asked family and friends but no one wants the financial burden or can give the time for his medical needs.

Im sure Morris senses our anxiety and he has snapped at two people.

We love Morris very very much. He is a lovely boy. But honestly, hes gone from being our dog, our boy, to a burden being held together by pills and medicated baths.

And maybe there is an obvious answer we are not seeing. Everyone we have spoken to about him has said we should put him to sleep; Its giving us extreme anxiety.

We never thought it would get to this point.

Writing this has me in tears.
help help help help help help help
Big hugs to you my Dear. I feel you so deeply, went through a similar nightmare with skin and feet with an American Bulldog cross rescue. Oh the food changes, eliminations which ended up telling us that our poor boy was sensitive to red meat, anything with feathers, grain and even fish would go right through him. Oh yes I remember well him chewing his feet raw, he could not walk on grass, snow or, even road surfaces without peeling his pads. Ya know I do have allot of experience and was reduced to almost nothing mentally and became very humble in my quest to cure. Oh and the guilt, the tears and yes the daily back breaking baths. However, have not come close to what you are enduring. This is my opinion so don't need my head ripped off by others................Sometimes there comes a time when you let go. In the quest to heal, one can do more harm than good, when it comes to the enduring sufferings. You are all suffering. You have done your best. My advice is to let him go.
 

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