New Bulldog Mom

[BulldogMother]

... and so excited to find this forum. Reba is my six-year-old "rescue" bulldog. She was used for breeding in Texas and ended up in a Vermont rescue situation, where I found her. She is the SWEETEST thing and I fear she has lived most of her life in a kennel. She is gradually learning to use the great outdoors as her bathroom area, but we still have nighttime problems there. I am 79-years-old, so I am with her a lot of the time. She has the run of the house and goes outside with me (rural area) without a leash. She is in heaven.

Questions ... She lives for food. She gobbles her meals and I don't think she chews at all. Someone suggested getting her a nylabone, which I did. No interest from her. She does have occasional cherry eye problems and I was told to use optixcare when the eye got red, which I have been doing. I suppose surgery is in her future, but we are still getting to accept each other as family. It has been almost two months.

She also has that tail pocket problem, meaning it has to be cleaned every day. I have been using chlorhexidine and then Desitin. She has no tail. The rescue folks says she was born that way. She gets along fine with the two cats. She loves to roll in the freshly tilled dirt in the garden and basically is one happy dog these days. And I am smitten. (The photo is Reba and a friend.)

 

[Dmrock]

... and so excited to find this forum. Reba is my six-year-old "rescue" bulldog. She was used for breeding in Texas and ended up in a Vermont rescue situation, where I found her. She is the SWEETEST thing and I fear she has lived most of her life in a kennel. She is gradually learning to use the great outdoors as her bathroom area, but we still have nighttime problems there. I am 79-years-old, so I am with her a lot of the time. She has the run of the house and goes outside with me (rural area) without a leash. She is in heaven.

Questions ... She lives for food. She gobbles her meals and I don't think she chews at all. Someone suggested getting her a nylabone, which I did. No interest from her. She does have occasional cherry eye problems and I was told to use optixcare when the eye got red, which I have been doing. I suppose surgery is in her future, but we are still getting to accept each other as family. It has been almost two months.

She also has that tail pocket problem, meaning it has to be cleaned every day. I have been using chlorhexidine and then Desitin. She has no tail. The rescue folks says she was born that way. She gets along fine with the two cats. She loves to roll in the freshly tilled dirt in the garden and basically is one happy dog these days. And I am smitten. (The photo is Reba and a friend.)

So glad she found you. She's probably never experienced the simple things

 

[2BullyMama]

Welcome and thank you for rescuing her. It will take about three months for her to fully open up.

For slowing eating, if feeding kibble, pour on a baking/cookie sheet, she will have to chase on the tray

 

[helsonwheels]

Wow, congrats

I used a slow feeder. It looks like a built in maze in a bowl.
And I freeze marrow bones like the photo attached. I feed it to my dogs frozen. Great for their teeth and raw marrow builds the immune system. Keeps them busy for a few hrs

 

[rjisaterp]

Welcome to EBN.

Reba looks very content with you. Thank you for rescuing Reba.