Desperately need advise on 16 week old pup
philsergeant
Palm City, Florida, USA
Started by Clone 1008
In the beginning God created English Bull Terriers, in the image of EBT's, God created all other breeds.
Comments
I have been reading everything on
here that I can to try and help my bully. We have a 17 week old bully his name
is Zeus. A week after we got him he started getting a rash on his belly and
paws. We live in Florida and it seems like he gets it from the grass but I am
not sure. I immediately put him on a double dose of Nu Vet and Grizzly Salmon
Oil. We are feeding him Blue Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat. I have
been giving Coconut Oil also. The vet put him on steroids which I hated doing
but it is the only thing that seems to get it under control.
Today my girlfriend took him to the vet and she came home in tears. His current
assessment is our little guy has a really bad problem and now he is starting to
be concerned about the effects of the steroids (bloated). He left her with a
bleak assessment even saying that maybe he will not live a very long life in
Florida and will have to be on steroids for life! WHAT CAN I DO FOR MY LITTLE
BUDDY???
How do I keep him off the grass? He needs to do his thing. We have been bathing him every week with
Richard's Organics Anti-Bacterial Shampoo from Petsupermarket
I am out of town this week in Jacksonville but I will get my girlfriend to take some pics when she gets home this evening. We have been keeping him off of the grass except to do his thing. He is always in off the grass otherwise. FYI he has been on the Nu Vet and Grizzly salmon oil for almost a month now. And the coconut oil for 3 weeks. The other thing I am wondering if he is having some sort of reaction to either his booster shots or the Trifexis that the vet has him on. I just know that I don't want to go down the steroid route.
http://bluebuffalo.com/natural-dog-food/grain-free-blue-wilderness/wilderness-rocky-mountain-recipe-puppy-red-meat/
Etiderm Shampoo
Douxo wipes
Chlorhexidine + Climbazole Mousse
ElimiDerm Cream
Am I missing anything?
Be strict with the grain-free food and snacks, and resist those puppy eyes begging for people food.
I've seen some negative reports on Trifexis. Even death. When my Vet wanted to put Claxxton on it I questioned her. she immediately said "oh, I know". She said she has tried to call them, with no avail. I've also heard some dogs have no trouble with Trifexis. I am hesitant to use it. Sad reading about your boy Clone1008. I do hope you can figure out some sort of relief for him.
I just remembered that my girlfriend has been giving him Velveeta cheese to get him to take his medicine and she has been using it to train him to sit and lay down! What does cheese do to him?
Phil and others have provided a lot of valuable information which I concur with. However, based on the age of your puppy and the photo's you've provided I'm a tad more worried about Zeus than I would be had it be an older puppy or adult that wasn't being raised on proper food and supplements.
After reading all that you're providing Zeus it's clear you are hitting the mark in all areas that should prove to be very affective for preventing any skin problems. Seeing that you're also doubling up on NuVet I'm shocked Zeus isn't showing positive signs of ridding these skin problems.
What has me worried is the simple fact that he's breaking out with skin problems at a Very young age. I'm confident your Vet calculated this also regardless if he or she expanded on it. Your Vet may have already concluded that Zeus has an immunity disorder and very well could have been born with an extremely weak immune system where he is susceptible to many ailments that usually wouldn't have any ill effect on other dogs. Normally when Bull Terriers are in their adolescent stages and growing so fast their immune system has a tendency to weaken. With this said, it isn't uncommon for some of these older puppies or young adults to show signs of skin problems. Most of the time the causes are from improper diet or stress. However, even with ideal nutrition and constant attention small breakouts can be noticed either by seasonal allergies or an actual allergy to something specific. However, these type of skin breakouts wouldn't be in extreme and would only be for short durations of time. They would also be manageable with appropriate changes which would immediately prove affective.
Zeus, on the other hand, is gaining skin problems at a very young age and even while full concentration is put forth to rectify the problem he isn't have the improvements he should. So far I've noted that you have him on an excellent diet, he's being provided a supplement to help boost his immune system, he's being bathed with medicated shampoos, he's receiving natural supplements (ACV), and a few other things to combat his skin problems. There should be no reason why he isn't showing positive signs of getting better. Actually he should be looking perfect. What worries me is that when he's around 6-8 months old and maturing into an adult his immune system will naturally be weaker than it is now. This is the normal time frame most people note the bald spots showing up from the scent glands located on the center of the head and base of the tail. This is also the time seasonal allergies and other ailments can start affecting them. Even one or two flea bites can trigger a breakout if they are susceptible to flea allergies as well. All of which is correlated to a weak immune system.
The only factor you haven't touched on it "STRESS." The two biggest contributors to skin problems within the Bull Terrier breed are improper diet and weak immune system. Zeus has a perfect diet so my attention would be two other factors - Immune System and Genetic Disorder. Before I'd blame his skin problem on genetics from his parents I'd have to make certain you're doing everything possible to ensure he isn't under any unnecessary stress. Stress happens to be the number one thing that weakens a dogs' immune system making it far easier to be prone to skin problems and other health concerns.
A common mistake people make with Bull Terriers is crating them for too long which can lead to stress build up which not only weakens the immune system but can also initiate OCD problems. Bull Terriers are not a breed that can be kenneled or crated for prolonged time frames. People who work during the day with nobody else at home often make the mistake of crating their Bull Terrier puppy while its still physically and mentally developing. This can do a lot of harm and have ill affect. Even receiving a puppy at an early age (prior to 8 weeks old) from a breeder can cause stress on a puppy that has been taken away from its siblings and brought to a whole new environment can be damaging for their health and future temperament.
One thing you haven't explained is Zeus's daily living and exercise schedule. Is he receiving enough exercise and attention during the day? Is he being crated for extensive amounts of time? Does he have free roam or is he being restrained to certain area area only? Do you notice him barking or whining a lot during the day either for attention or to be let out to play?
In the event that Zeus is being provided proper attention and exercise and has not been confined for extensive amounts of time your last avenue to approach would be a genetic disorder he was born with. How did the parents look? What colors were the parents? I assume one them (if not both) were white. How was their skin? Did either have a history of skin problems? Most likely the breeder wouldn't mention any health problems but you may have noticed them if you spend time with the parents.
If all else fails, I would recommend that you find a specialist that can conduct a proper allergy test as well as an immune system test. Your local Vet does not have the equipment or expertise to do these tests but he or she can refer you to a specialist that can conduct an Intradermal allergy test or similar test which will give you clear and concise documentation on what ailments are affecting your Bullie. Sometimes it's better to have this test done that go for months trying everything possible to help get your Bull Terrier back in line with healthy skin and coat. Testing the immune system will also provide you with the proper information that will let you know if he has a serious problem with his immune system which could prevent meds, proper food, and other other remedies from effectively preventing common skin ailments.
I wish you luck and wish I could be there to help your beautiful Bullie Puppy. Please keep us posted on his progress. There is hope and there is an answer to his skin problems but it may require proper testing.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Thank you for your concerns and reply. To address your theory of possible stress issues, here is a little info.
I bought Zeus from a breeder in Arkansas and had him flown in to me. He was 8 weeks when I got him, he was a present for my girlfriend's birthday. So I didn't get a chance to meet either of his parents. All I have to go on is the word of the breeder who has always "seemed" to be very helpful.
As far as crating him, we have been doing this since we got him. I ordered one that he is able to grow into by moving a divider inside.
We have always thought that we were doing the right thing as far as crate training him. He goes in the crate at around 7:30 am and a neighbor comes over at noon and takes him out to do his thing and play with him a bit. Then he is out around 4:30 pm when my girlfriend gets home. She usually walks him to burn off any energy and of course to exercise him. He goes back in his crate usually around 10:00 pm for the evening. He so far has never been a puppy that whines or barks when he is in his crate except when he needs to go to the bathroom occasionally.
We don't put him out in the yard at all except to relieve himself. As far as the room in the house, I have a very large screened in pool area that he is able to run around and play in and he is in our house with us when inside.
We have 2 cats that have gotten used to him and they will play around with each other.
Is there any other info I can give you?
According to the data you provided, Zeus is spending 18 hours of the day in a crate. I guarantee you this will an affect on him negatively and most likely is the cause for his immune system to weaken to the point where he is more susceptible to be prone to ailments that normally wouldn't pose any ill affect. Research causes of weakened immune system and you'll see "Stress" come up in every discussion. Zeus has no way of telling you how stressed he is and although you see how happy he is when your wife gets home at 1630 it doesn't mean he's a happy puppy. Chances are he's a wild man for the remainder of the day until he is put back in his crate at night.
I understand your schedule does not allow for more time to be spent with him due to both you and your wife working. The weekends aren't enough to play "catch up" with Zeus for the exercise and play he missed out on during the week.
You need to make a change in order to provide Zeus with an appropriate and healthy daily living regiment. I can provide two suggestions:
1. Allow him to spend the day at a Doggy Day Care where he'll interact with other dogs, socialize with people, exercise and play, and preoccupy his mind in order to prevent stress and depression.
2. Build yourself a nice big Kennel run in your backyard that he can run freely in. This will give him space to exercise and exert energy that he needs. Provide overhead shelter and shade from the sun and a dog house for comfort. This is far greater than confining him to a small crate and will keep his mind and body occupied.
I promise you if you make a change for him you will see a big difference in his health, skin, and character.
Please analyze his current daily schedule compared to what I recommend:
"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
We are starting to see REAL progress! We have taken everyone's suggestions into account.
1. More time out of crate to minimize stress
2. Washing every 2 days with Etiderm
3. Wiping feet and belly after being in yard to do his thing with Douxo wipes
4. Using the Chlorhexidine + Climbazole Mousse for soothing 2 -3 times a day.
5. Using the Elimiderm in the evening.
6. He is still on Cephalexin for another couple of days.
7. He is totally 100% off steroids and he looks so much better...no bloated.
8. Double dosing on NuVet for a few more days then down to one a day.
9. Grizzly salmon oil and coconut oil added to food once a day.
10. Braggs ACV added to drinking water (bottled now not city)
11. Feeding Blue Wilderness Puppy
I see the bloating is almost gone too,... you must be so relieved.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
www.bulliesofnc.com
Zeus is doing absolutely fantastic....no more rash!