Bull Terrier Bald Spots and Callouses
BulliesofNC
Richlands, NC
This discussion was created from comments split from: Keeping a white bull terrier white!.
Comments
Anything anyone knows to fix it?
Some Bull Terriers are rough on themselves by the way the sleep, play, and rough house. Many people have a hard enough time keeping them from banging up their noses and not only losing the hair off the bridge of their noses but developing a callous on it like a construction workers hands.
I'm always rubbing Bag Balm on the elbows and ankles of my Bullies and with a couple of them it's a losing battle. The older they get the hair just won't grow back and callouses will slowly develop. Sleeping on them, getting up and down, and playing hard only makes it worse. Some Bull Terriers just seem to be a little more delicate about they way they sleep, walk, play, etc. and thus end up having less bumps, bangs, and bruises.
White Bull Terriers have a lot higher of a tendency to have skin problems. Hearing impairment is another thing that's effects white bull terriers a lot more than the colored ones.
I will continue to swear by the benefits of supplements that help the immune system. I strongly feel that all Bull Terriers need a little extra boost to their system to keep them healthy. I think it also minimizes the possibilities of allergies and thickens their coat.
I know your Bullies are on the best possible nutrition available for any dog and you don't short cut them from anything that would prove to be beneficial. I'm unaware if you are adding a supplement to their diet though. If your not, I recommend that you do.
Keep rubbing that Bag Balm on her bare spots because if you slack off they'll be hard bald callouses by the time she's 3. During the winter those spots will be a lot easier to manage and you may even see the hair grow back.
Nitro is the same way and he really enjoys roughing himself up worse then any Bull Terrier I've seen. He can't chase a ball without diving head first for it every time and sliding across the grass for about 5 yards. Out in the woods he'll chase a squirrel, rabbit, or snake straight through a pricker bush without a second thought. He'll come back with a smile on his face and about 5 cuts on the bridge of his nose and he could care less. When I bath him it takes twice the time as most other Bullies and he usually only stays clean for a few short minutes before he finds a way to get dirty again. He should have been a Tri-colored Bullie! Thank God for the use of chalk at the shows because otherwise people would be asking what battle he just came from.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Obviously we want nothing but the best for our Bullies and I know most everyone on the forum values your opinion and suggestions.
Many others use NuproGold which is good also. I actually used NuproGold for about 4 years and had great results. I think there are some added benefits with the NuVet though and I'm thoroughly pleased with the results. There's a video on that link that I provided above that explains in detail about the product and the proven benefits for a dogs health. My dogs eat one a day and think I'm giving them a treat.
There are several supplements that have been tested and proven to be beneficial for a dogs health. My concentration was finding a vitamin/supplement that helped the immune system. Although I hate saying anything negative about the Bull Terrier breed I find that their immune system isn't as strong as other breeds and from the ages of around 3 months to 24 months their immune system is still developing and often not 100% capable of fighting off certain ailments especially with the skin. Take for example demodectic mange. Many people that see a dog with mange think it was caused from neglect (which could be true) but the truth is mange comes from a type of mite that all dogs have. The fact that some dogs immune system simply can't ward off negative effects of mites causing bald irritated spots is because their immune system couldn't handle it. In truth, grain shouldn't have a real bad effect on a dogs skin but if their immune system can't handle it they will be affected. Yes, I still avoid grain with my dogs but it isn't because I fear they will react badly from it (I doubt they would) but I know it has no nutritional value.
My objective is to strengthen their immune system so they are not prone to several ailments that could develop early or late in their development. I guess I've seen too many of the same ailments with this breed over the years that I feel more confident in the true cause and correct cure vice what I see diagnosed by vets that don't know the breed and the treatment they provide. I can't help feeling bad for a Bull Terrier that I see that has bad skin problems or other problems that could have been prevented and can be easily cured. A common site will be that of a Bull Terrier with either a bald spot on the bridge of their tail or the center of the head. A very common thing for a bull terrier that is about 8 months of age to 24 months of age which is need of help with their immune system. As the Bull Terrier gets older and immune system develops the spots will most likely go away but during the time the owner and their Vet are all confused by the small areas of localized demodectic. I can go on facebook at any given time and read about some rescue shelter or private foster that's asking for donations to some poor Bull Terrier suffering from BAD skin allergies or mange. They claim to be in need of expensive treatment and medicine when 99% of the time they need a change in diet, exercise, and a supplement that will help their immune system. Now I realize there will always be some BT's that have genetic disorders associated with their immune system and will battle health ailments for the rest of their lives but too many people ruin them when they are young and developing and put a permanent damper on their future development.
Those that care about their Bull Terriers and provide properly for them reap the benefits of a healthy dog that "mysteriously" doesn't develop these ailments. I take a daily vitamin myself. However, I don't always eat right. However, I will say that my dogs don't have the opportunity to eat junk and enhance their risks for health complications. Again, these are just my opinions and my experiences of what has proven to work well for my family of Bullies. I'm anal and do a lot of research. I just want them here with me for as long as feasibly possible.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Thank you Steve. Invaluable information and awesome insight as usual.
0.55/day, less than cup of coffee, you too can help nourish an immune deficient Bullie
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Thanks for the order code Steve!
BTW, with shipping it's $0.59/day to strengthen a Bully's immune system
It just allowed me to order.
I will post some this weekend or earlier if the rains stop. Atiba, you or anyone else are always welcome for a visit. They love company.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Mother and daughter and the other unrelated. He put up a prescription straight away.The bald spots on my Bullie were getting worse and as I said after googling it I thought it can't make things worse.I really hope you get the same
result as it could prove a turning point for our furkids .
Atiba, I was not able to get Photos of Lucian this weekend. He found something he was not supposed to find, and was under the weather. He was pretty much on fluids for that is all that would stay down. He has perked up some as of yesterday and is eating again. He even came down this morning at 530 to see me off and was wagging his tail.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Source! I had a BT with a localized spot of demodex mange once and that was my course of treatment.
Also, if it was just a small localized spot of demodex that has not come back, you can still breed. But if it comes back after they entered adulthood, I would not recommend breeding.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Going back to the spots i'd nearly forgotten that nearly two weeks ago I took my Bullie , along with my collie across the fields late one evening as it was getting dark. My Bullie disappeared off into a swampy pond and I could hear him having a drink. He emerged like a swamp monster - all I could see in the dim light was his white head, shoulders back and tail- the rest of him was greeny black with algae and muddy water. I did bath him but maybe I didn't do it good enough and maybe ingesting the water hasn't helped either? I'm avoiding going anywhere near there again. Ah, these Furkids! I'm sure grey hair has nothing to do with age!- or wrinkles
http://bulliesofnc.com/online-store/supplements-vitamins
Even localized demodectic mange is usually caused from the dogs immune system becoming too weak to fend off the effects of common mange mites found on most any dog.
You can always have your Vet conduct a test to see if there's any concerns in regard to your Bull Terriers immune system. If I were to bet on it I'd say there was because it isn't uncommon for this breed to battle skin problems especially if they're not afforded proper foods and supplements to boost their immune system.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com