posted 01-06-2004 12:12 PM         

welcome to the board! I own 4 American Bulldogs. What do you want to know about the breed? You need to make sure ( as with any large breed of dog!) that he knows that you are the boss. Why were they going to put him to sleep? If you have any problems or need to talk my email address is available and i have an American Bulldog group on Yahoo, if you are interested in joining let me know. There are pictures of my 4 on there.

posted 01-07-2004 05:35 AM         

Hi,

my email address is ozzy_americanbulldog.co.uk, send me an email and then i will email you an invite to my group. I will help you as much as i can. Dont worry about it none of your questions are childish! Hope to hear from you soon!

posted 01-07-2004 11:13 PM         

Congrats on your AB!
That's cool that your friend was able to make the distinction between the two.
AB's are awesome!! I'm sure you agree...

Hmmmmmm diet...

Well, let me just talk about dry kibble foods, since that's what i have the most experiance in. I'll assume your feeding this way...
I've tried a food called "Canidae", that i personally think is good stuff at a cheap/reasonably affordable price (if that matters to you, i don't know).
If you have no worries with $$$, then i would definately consider feeding the "Raw" & "Cooked" HUMAN food route. Forget about kibble diets.
But, like the most of us (i think i can safely say) we go the kibble route for convenience & it's lower cost.
Don't get me wrong, feeding "human-grade" kibble is the best way to feed, if your not going the raw & cooked way. Basically, it would be the next best thing. But remember, "human-grade" QUALITY.

A good way to get started on "making the right choice" for your dog would be to go to this website www.naturapet.com & go into "comparisons". Compare different brands/companies to narrow down to your favorites.

I personally have my own fav's from doing what i just mentioned, narrowing them "all" down. I then feed my dogs what's called a "rotation diet", but w/ kibble.

Exercise:

Ahhh yes... 1st off, the AB since the beginning of their presence in America have generally been bred to WORK. To be a "working" breed, menas that a healthy/solid/sound AB l o v e s to exercise/work. What ever you decide to go with, wheather it be running/jogging, swimming (i think this is the best type for a lot of animals, & humans), weight-pulling, you name it, the AB "should" be ready & willing.
At first your AB might be a little slow, but this is natural. Just like introducing anything new to anybody you'd want to take it nice & slow & easy. Gradually, as you see improvement, then go ahead & go faster, longer, harder, etc..
The best type of exercise for "any" dog i'd say, is one that YOU participate in. Your dog will only be motivated, & it makes it seem that it's not really exercise/work, but it's a time for the both of you to understand each other, yes, bonding... Nothing wrong with that, only goods.

Discipline...
Well, this is something that i hate doing... But with a hella physical dog, sometimes you gotta let them know you can be as well. ONLY IN THE BEGINNING THOUGH, and NEVER AGIAN, S E R I O U S L Y . Their smart dogs, and get the point & never forget.
I pretty much don't even have to raise my voice anymore. My Bully knows when he's doing wrong. And he v e r y rarely does.
It'll be tough since he's already an adult.
But really what the hard part is that he's BiG & not a small pup. But i think (besides older dogs) an adult dog is still willing to learn things. Just have consistancy as usual.

What are the specific kinda things your trying to teach him? This could give me a better idea on approach for you?

posted 01-08-2004 07:04 AM         

There are several different kinds of allergy tests, but I think the skin tests (like they do in humans) is supposed to be the best. Perhaps someone else here with more experience in this matter can add to that?

posted 01-08-2004 02:33 PM         

SORRY! I made a mistake! My email address is ozzy_americanbulldog@yahoo.co.uk.

posted 01-08-2004 08:51 PM         

Have you noticed when these bumps come up?
After an outdoor run, after bathing, after feeding, after brushing, after a hot-humid day, when you bring him indoors, etc...?
You also mentioned that it actually left tiny bald spots... This is what makes it slightly different from our experience.

Did you say there wasn't any scratching going on?
Did your Vet mention anything about doing a skin scrap? Or any type of skin test?

Can you tell me exactly what kind/brand of kibble your feeding?
Does he lay down and take a day nap in the middle of the suns rays?
Is his color predominantly white?

I'm no expert, but try & answer these Q's for me so i can try to narrow down what might be going on....

posted 01-09-2004 06:10 AM         

The tiny bald spots came from after the bumps scabbing up and the hair falling out with the scab. This has occured slightly in the previous outbreaks, but the last one, he lost lots of hair.

posted 01-09-2004 06:32 PM         

What's the name/brand of your shampoo?

Yeah with giving him a bath, try to be a little more gentler. From beginning to end.
Okay, i'll assume that you bathe him outside with the garden hose.
When you first start spraying/soaking him down w/ the hose, try to be gentler with your other hand (the hand that rubs him down). Tyr to make sure that your rubbing in the direction of his hair. Usually this would be downwards or backwards.
When you start the shampooing stage, be sure to do the same thing. It's gonna seem awkward rubbing/scrubbing in the shampoo gentler than before, and in a 1 direction manner, but just give it a try, it's still possible to give a good bath .
When drying him off, be sure to be extra gentle at this point, because his hair pores & hair follicles are extra sensitive & soft.
Basically they can be easily damaged.
Again i'll assume that you towel-dry.
When doing so, do as the same as above. Your not gonna be really rubbing or scrubbing here, it's gonna be more like deep wiping (1 direction).

Basically, if this is what's causing the bumps on his body, it probably caused by his hair pores & hair follicles becoming inflamed from the harsh rubbing throughout the bathing process.

posted 01-09-2004 07:10 PM         

This can also happen when you brush him down harshly.
Basically, when ever his hair follicles are pushed awkwardly &/or harshly in the oppisite direction of it's natural flow.

Stress...
Stress can be a major factor too.
How long have you had him?
Is he being stressed-out a little more latley?

Nutrition:

You said that you got him from a shelter or the pound right?
Well in the pounds, they don't necessarily give "good" food there, & coupled with unnecessary stress from that enviroment could be what's showing up now, that has been building up.
JMO, but i don't really think that Purina is a "wholesome" type of kibble. They use chemical peservatives that have been recorded to cause cancer. And they also use a number of ingredients that are known to be allergens to many dogs today.
And they use "filler" ingredients. Filler meaning = it has little or no nutritional value what so ever. They just use them to construct the food into shape, but more so, to save money.
This could be the reason why your dog was scrathing/licking his feet.

Nutrtion is a very important part in keeping your dogs Immune System strong & healthy.

Does his skin & coat look dull & is it dry to the touch?

What's the name of that other brand you bought?

If you could afford to buy something like Eukanuba Large Breed Adult, than instead of going with Eukanuba, i (JMO) would go with a food/kibble called "Chicken Soup", or like i said before "Canidae", or Natural Balance Ultra Premium. Shoot, just rotate amongst all 3 !!! There are a lot more brand companies that are as wholesome if not better IMO, but those are W A Y M O R E worth it's price than Eukanuba, IMO .

Check out PSI's American Bulldog site. They have something on their about "Bully Bumps".
I don't think they currently have any info on it, but just email them with concerns you have about your AB. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help you out. Hopefully .

posted 01-09-2004 07:22 PM         

Are those bald spots still bald?

With scratching his hiney on the carpet & stuff...

It might be worms, or some type of bacteria that's giving the itch.
There's a specific thing that can be causing this, but i can't recall it right now. I'm not sure if it's a bacteria, or mites, or worms. I'll let you know if i ever remember.
But even with just the rubbing his butt on the floor thing is something worth going to the Vet for. The earlier the better...
That's always a for sure .

posted 01-09-2004 08:06 PM         

Yup it is! Anal glands!
When a dogs anal glands get full or something like that, and their not able to naturally get rid of that foulish smelling stuff (by naturally taking a dump), they say that you should take your dog in so that a professional can "squeeze it out". But if i remember right, you could actually do this at home yourself. BUT, you gotta stick your fingers up in there, seriously !!
And if you don't know what to look for, i guess that's why they say to have it done by a pro.

Personally i would'nt mind doing it
I've always wanted to get "hands on" experience, but i've never had to.

posted 01-10-2004 05:00 PM         

The new kibble I have just started him on is Pro-plan by Purina, which I am now guessing isn't much of a step up from what I was giving him before. I will see how he does with it and will try the others you have mentioned.

Do you have any suggestions on good brands of shampoo to use. The one I had is supposed to be for sensitive skin, but that is obviously a cruel joke.

Thanks again everyone for the helpfull suggestions. I am truely a novice at this but you are making it a smooth ride.