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Author Topic:   American Bulldog Help
Loca
New Member

Posts: 2
From:Findlay, Ohio 45840
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 12-14-2003 06:19 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Loca     Edit/Delete Message
Help me please...
I have 3 year old American Bulldog. I have had an American Bully before, but this one is something!
This one is allergic to everything! His skin is so extremely sensitive. We have him on a hypo-allergentic food to do excessive gas, Benadryl for his skin allergies, special shampoos for bath, etc. you name it.
The problem I can't get under control is his body odor. I think it's his underbelly. He has little to no fur on his underbelly and when he wakes up from laying in a "ball" it seems to be worse. When he wakes up his skin in his groin area and inside his thighs are very red and that's were the odor appears to come from. Colognes don't work because of his sensitivity - nor can I use FreBreeze on his "bed clothes" .(I do wash them often and double and triple rinse them) I can't bath him but 1 or 2 times max a month or his skin is a mess. I don't know what to do????
Can you help? It's very offensive.

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susan_cude@hotmail.com
Member

Posts: 813
From:Santa Maria, Ca.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 12-14-2003 09:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for susan_cude@hotmail.com     Edit/Delete Message
Hi, I wonder if rubbing baking soda on his belly would help. But of coarse I don't know if he's allergic or not. You should get some good advice for that from here....Good luck! Susan

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Maisey
Member

Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 12-14-2003 10:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maisey     Edit/Delete Message
Have you taken your pup to a vet? I think that you will have to do testing to find out exactly what his allergens are. It's not easy to figure them out and even harder without the help from a vet. Holistic vets may be an option for a more natural approach. Finding WHAT it is he is allergic to and eliminating it from his environment is the key to success, giving him meds for the symptoms isn't going to solve the problem just mask the symptoms. Many foods claim to be hypoallergenic, and while they may have eliminated ingredients that most dogs are allergic to...the next dog may have a problem with one or more of those ingredients. Lamb and rice is supposed to be a "hypoallergenic" food...my Poodle will still have a reaction to it. I've been able to get a grip on his allergy issues with feeding a natural raw diet. Check out the Food For Thought thread...there were some good discussions on allergies in dogs and food there. Also this site offers several articles on allergies and dogs, it's a good place to start learning about the different types of allergies and plan a course of action.
I would:
1) Research everything you can get your hands on concerning dog allergies. Doing this on-line is effective and quick. The FOOD FOR THOUGHT thread here has alot of links to get you started.

2) Visit your vet and make it clear that you are more interested in finding out WHAT he is allergic to and eliminating that, than you are in masking the symptoms with medications and temp. solutions. Be persistent, look for alternatives, research all medication suggested, really understand your dogs condition, symptoms and solution options.

3) Research foods, this could solve alot of problems. The Whole Dog Journal is a good starting place. Home cooked meals, raw diets, natural kibbles...understanding how to read a label and knowing the ingredients will make a big difference. You may have to experiment with removing certain ingredients one at a time to figure out which he is allergic to. Typing in the words "allergies in dogs" in a search engine will bring you lots of information. Try others too like "holistic dog care" holistic allergy help for dogs" "natural remedies for dogs with allergies", you get the idea. The reason I say to look into holistic approaches is because with my dog, much of what I got at my regular vets office was advice for quick fixes... popping a pill to make the symptoms tolerable, I have done this for years and been very frustrated. I finally looked into some holistic approaches, mainly changing his diet and it has made all the difference.

4) Take a good hard look at the environment, it sounds like you already know some things he reacts to, keep a list written down so that you can give this information to your vet.

Is your dog mostly white?

Hope some of this is helpful, Maisey

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GoodboysBaddogs
Member

Posts: 409
From:Los Angeles, Ca.
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 12-14-2003 03:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for GoodboysBaddogs     Edit/Delete Message
Maisey,
Thanks for typing all of that for me... LOL!

Loca: Maisey's right-on! (#'s 1-3 )
***2) Visit your vet and make it clear that you are more interested in finding out WHAT he is allergic to and eliminating that, than you are in masking the symptoms with medications and temp. solutions. Be persistent, look for alternatives, research all medication suggested, really understand your dogs condition, symptoms and solution options.

Loca:
How's your AB's gas problems doing on the hypoallergenic food? Try looking into supplementing your dogs diet w/ "probiotics & prebiotics".
Probiotics are actually "good" bacteria that live w/in your dog's digestive system. They help break down food so that it is better & more easily absorbed. And, protect the body from diseases, and help keep your dog's immune-system strong & healthy. Moreover, so your dog's I-S can fight off the "bad" bacteria on the outter side causing bad oders, etc..
Prebiotics is actaully a carbohydrate that helps produce m o r e "good" bacteria.
Both Pro-& Prebiotics are eliminated from food processing (when the food is cooked at high heat levels). Some companies do a coating spray on their food after the cooking process, to insure that it's still available at optimum levels.

When you give your bully a bath, try to be more easier/gentler when your rubbing him from beginning to end of the bathing process.
Especially when your drying him. I'll assume that you towel dry... Try to dry him in a one direction motion. Try drying him in the direction to where his fur grows (generally backwards or downwards). And be extra gentle.
Rubbing in the wrong direction and/or rigorously may be causing follicle inflamtion. Are you seeing any bumps on his skin after (possibly 1-3 days after bathing) bathing?
I'm thinking your dog may possibly have a bacterial skin disease called "Seborrhea". I believe that there are two types. Dry and the over excessive oily hair type. I'm pretty sure that the Oily type might be what's causing the bad coat oders?
Anyhow check into "Pyoderma" & "Seborrhea".
I'm not quite sure if these problems can ever be eliminated, but they sure can be controlled. Again, not too positive on that. Then again w/ today's medicine & nutritional miracles, you never know... Go see a reputable veterinarian, possibly even dermatologist.

Keep Us Posted & Good Luck

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