So many questions...where do I begin :/

[Loveabull]

Geez, I really don't know where to start but here it goes..

First off, I just got a new furbaby (these bullies should come with a warning, they're so addicting!! You can't stop at just one )
Anyway, she is 8 weeks old. When I got her from the breeder she looked perfectly fine and he sent me home with Bil-Jac, so that's what I've been feeding her since (got her on 9/13). First I noticed within a day of bringing her home that she got a rash on her tummy. From the way she loves to roll around in the grass when I take her out to potty, I assumed it was from her belly dragging on the ground. I found some info on this site about applying coconut oil to the rash - which I've done - and its not gone, but looking much MUCH better. Then I gave her a bath last night. I used Johnson & Johnson no more tears baby shampoo and the vinegar rinse - which is also a tip i found off this site. Then this morning I noticed what looks like hives that just popped up out of no where on her sides. I've gave her 1/2 tsp Benadryl and by the way, she doesn't appear to be itchy (not from the rash she had gotten on her tummy or the hives) but now i have to wonder what tha heezy is causing this?! Is it possible that she could be allergic to the baby shampoo?? I realize that Bil-Jac is not rated high at all on this site and its chicken which it seems a lot of our bullies are allergic to, however, on another site (www.dogfoodadvisor.com) it gets a 3.5 star rating - which brings me to a whole other topic.
I've been feeding my Dezzy a food called Victor Hi Pro Plus. This is rated 5 stars on the above site but it isn't listed anywhere on the dogfood ratings from this site. The first ingredient is beef meal. My Dezzy does get watery eyes which has caused some tear stains and his poop is soft enough that we have to wipe his butt after a #2. But other than that, I don't really have any other issues with him except on occasions, after he eats, he does do a little hacking like some food got lodged somewhere else and he might throw a little bit of it back up - just a few little pieces of kibble and spit. So then i read that the soft poop, tear stains and the hacking could be caused by the food he's eating. Are the issues I'm having with him enough to worry about changing his food? Obviously, I want to switch my new baby girl off that Bil-Jac and experiment with some other foods but is 8 weeks too young to be switching foods? Could her allergic reactions be from the food she's eating? And if so, wouldn't she have had the same reaction (the hives) from the first day I fed it to her or does it take a day or two for her body to show ME she's having a reaction to the food?

Please forgive me, I know these questions are all over the place

 

[bullmama]

I think it's the grass. Their very "virgin" skin is sensitive at this age. Try to keep her off the grass and wipe her off when she comes in. She may always have an issue with grass or she may acclimate to it.

Make sure you rinse extra well after bathing, especially under the belly area.

Yeah it certainly would not hurt to try a new food or protein, slow switch. I would wait until your pups belly gets better first though.


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[Davidh]

Welcome to the site and congrats on your new baby. Her rash could be from the grass. Every time she comes in from outside I would wipe her don with a damp wash cloth to see if that helps. I would also get some Benedryl cream for the rash. It's obvious there is something she is allergic to where it's environmental or food. Usually it's food related, but she was doing fine on the Bil-Jac when you got her. The Victor food is a good food and a friend of ours feed their bullies that and has good results. We tried it, and ours didn't do very well on it. We feed all our pups FROMM Puppy Gold in the pink bag, and our adults FROMM 4 star grain free. It will take a little experimenting to find a good food that works for your baby, and the other environmental things that are causing the allergies. Try a shampoo that is made for dogs and see if that helps, plus you might have to use a different detergent to wash their bedding, or do a second rinse. Let us know how it goes with your baby.

 

[Loveabull]

Thanks for the advice! Crossing my fingers this is something she'll outgrow She's plenty playful but I hate to see her like that.

 

[2BullyMama]

David and Lisa got you covered.... best of luck with your new little one

 

[Loveabull]

She's had 2 doses of benadryl now and the hives still look the same. If it was the shampoo that caused this, should I give her another bath - with something else of course - to wash off the other shampoo or let the benadryl do its work for a couple of days? Also how common is it for a bully to be allergic to plastic? Bowls, toys, ect.

 

[Marine91]

The gang has you covered so the only other thing i can add is that it could also be mosquito bites depending on where you live.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi Devon, and welcome to EBN. Congratulations on your new baby Jordan, you're right Bullies are like Potato,chips, you can't just have one. Lol. I'm sure she will be great company for Dez. Hives and other allergy symptoms can be caused from food or environmental agents, anything from the protein source, like chicken is a usual allergy for bullies, or from environmental factors such as grass, trees, pollen, etc, and it can also be caused by household products, like shampoos, cleaners, or laundry detergents. I don't have any experience using baby shampoo, my vet told me it was too drying and harsh for their skin, which you wouldn't think being that it is baby shampoo. There are members on her who use it, and it's fine. We use the Petsmart brand Tearless Puppy shampoo with Oatmeal and Chamomile, and we rinse our guys with vinegar and warm water after shampooing. It seems you are doing these things too, so it could be that their symptoms are more food related as you mentioned that they show symptoms like watery eyes, soft serve poops, and tear stains. My female Blossom is allergic to Chicken, Salmon, Beef, corn and grains. Some bullies are allergic or sensitive to grains as well. She showed the same signs as your guys, but she also had pink skin, which really showed up on her because she is all white, she had pink warm ears, hives, pink chin with acne, and she would lick her paws excessively. These are all signs of allergies as well. We switched her to Fromm's Lamb and Lentil, and both my guys seem to be doing well on this food so far. I hope it continues because I'm running out of Proteins. Jordan is very young and should stay on a puppy food until she is about 6 or 7 months old, at which time you can switch her to an adult formula. Puppies need the extra calories, vitamins and minerals for their rapid growth and development. I wouldn't be switching around her foods too much, maybe try and find a food quality 4 to 6 Star puppy food and stay with it until she's older. Whenever you do a food switch, it's best to do a slow transition over two weeks, to avoid tummy upsets and diarrhea. Start with 3/4 of the old food mixed with 1/4 of the old food for a few days, then mix 1/2 of the old food with 1/2 of the new food for a few days, and then mix 3/4 of the new food with 1/4 of the old food, and then finally all new food. It can take up to a month before you see any changes or benefits of. Food change, as it can take this long for the old food to leave their systems. It can be a very frustrating process, and it's really just trial and error to find a food that is tolerated by your dogs. Benadryl will help with allergy symptoms such as hives and itchiness, and it should start to work right away, but it could take a day or two before the hives disappear completely. Plastic bowls don't usually cause allergies, but they can harbor or hold onto bacteria, so it is best to use Stainless Steel bowls. We rinse out their bowls after they eat their breakfast, and then we place them in the dishwasher after their evening meal, that way they get washed every night. I turn on the dishwasher before I go to bed at night, so the load is clean in the morning.

 

[Loveabull]

Thanks for all the helpful info [MENTION=6311]Vikinggirl[/MENTION]
Can anyone recommend a good puppy food to try that doesn't contain chicken??

 

[Vikinggirl]

I'm sorry I do t know of any off hand, but someone with more experience with puppy food should come along soon. You could take a list of the 4 to 6 Star foods, and gomto your pet food supply store and check the labels of a few bags to see which ones are chicken free. The other thing you can do is go with one of the Fromm's chicken and grain free formulas. All the Fromm's foods are considered all stages food, and the good thing about Fromm's is you can change between the flavours without having to coma slow transition, so if she doesn't like one flavour, or has a reaction to it, you can switch to another one easily.

 

[Loveabull]

Thanks again I am considering Fromm's because it's seems to be most popular choice among the fellow bully lovers here on this site, but it's really not the most convenient for me to get here where I live. I do realize I can order it though! I'm also considering switching to Merrick. It's sold in my local Petco store and they too have a variety of flavors - which I think is nice because who wants to eat the same thing ALL THE TIME?! Blah!!

 

[Chanticocat]

We found that carpet in the house caused irritation and allergy issues to both the humans and bullies so we ripped it all out. The humans have less respiratory issues and there hasn't been any hives since.

 

[Loveabull]

We plan on doing that too in the near future. Thanks for the reply [MENTION=12858]Chanticocat[/MENTION] :D