Bullbreedlover

In regards to deformaties in certain breeds I would rather try to prevent than not do anything. While many many breeders have had cleft palate or hare lip puppies in our breeds we have never had any.

We have supplemented our bitches(Bulldogs and Bullmastiffs) with Folic Acid for many many years. We start with a daily dose(half the human dose) at least 2 weeks prior to them being due in season and continue with this until they are due to whelp. Have also supplemented all our dogs with kelp powder, wheat germ, and savoury yeast.

Well, I reckon, That if your wife loves British Bulldogs then you will end up getting one. But thats cause I am so biased about them.

After reading all through this thread I am so glad my NZ prefix was approved in Aus straight away. What an ordeal for you SS. Bugger that.

My parents owned Basenjis many years ago when I was very young back in the early 70's. They are a breed that is intelligent, clean(they clean themselves like a cat) can be very very vocal(dont forget they yodel not bark) and require the best fencing ever as they are well known for their climbing of fences. When Dad built our dog kennels he also put a mesh roof on them as they would climb to the top with ease. They could scale a 6 foot wooden fence. Also very aloof with strangers. Contact a few breeders and research as much as you can as they are not a breed for everyone.

Our beautiful British Bulldog Llemmegs Mr Mojo Rising, at his FIRST show in Puppy class last weekend at Darling Downs Ch Show took out Dog CC AND Best of Breed(9 points) Sundays show saw him being awarded Reserve Dog and Reserve Best of Breed. Such a handsome dude. Congrats to all the winners so far!!

Variations in curvatures of the spine in Bulldogs can range from virtually nothing(ie a table top back) to an excessive curve in the topline. This may be born from the fact that she was not very well bred/and or from diet. I did also notice too that she is very down in pasterns.(front leg wrist joints) At her age this is not going to be corrected and it is not going to make a difference. I would suggest elevating her food bowl so she doesnt have to crouch down so much for her meal. You can do this by placing some bricks against a side wall and putting her food bowl on this. Just making sure the bowl doesnt slip off.

That is really good to know Carlo. As I said I didnt mean to alarm you but it is best to be safe than sorry.. OK I am going to suggest another thing to help with her weight gain. How much exercise does she have? If she is very active then reduce it down. Half it. Quarter it even. She wont put on weight if she is burning calories with her exercise. When you say she has an arch in her back what do you mean? Her spine is suppose to be curved? Her knees(patellas, stifles) are suppose to slightly turn out. Looking at her she does have excessive curvature of the spine though so I am guessing this is what the vet was on about. And yes it is rickets in dogs. Rickets is a vit D deficiency and can cause anorexia andcalcification of soft tissues. It is actually a rare condition these days but anything can happen with a very poor diet when growing up. Please dont despair. You have done/are doing a wonderful job with her. She has clearly been under nourished in her critical growth period as a youngster. A food supplement will help but in the long run the damage has been done sadly. You can only do your best for her now.

The other thing you will notice with a season is that her vulva area will be swelling. Actually sometimes with a pregnant bitch the vulva area may not reduce much if she has fallen pregnant after a season. I am not meaning to alarm you. It is just a possibility that she may be pregnant. We use it as a really good sign with our bitches. Looks like she may of had a few litters in her life time unless she just has really saggy boobys. Look Carlo. There are options if she is preggers. You need to talk to your vet on this one as well. Given her condition I know what I would do if she was preggers. The best thing you have done for Pearl is give her the best of homes with all the love in the world.

Not necessarily!! Usually at the onset of a season it will be just blood. Wipe her vagina with toilet paper and just check the colour. There is another reason for the possible discharge but I dont know if you want to go down that avenue. Clear stringy discharge can be a positive indication that a bitch is pregnant.

As the American Bulldog is not an ANKC registered breed, and most people on DOL own ANKC registered breeds you will probably only get guesstamites as to what he will actually turn out like. Why not ask the breeder who you got him off. They should be able to help.

Elders weather forecast Saturday Possible Thunder Storms 90% chance of 10 - 20 mm rain 16 - 24 degrees Sunday Showers 90% chance 5 - 10 mm rain 15 - 22 degrees

I still dont like the way the Best of Breed comp is run in regards to Reserve of Breed winner getting nothing. Reserve of Breed in alot of cases can be really important for a breed in the eyes of exhibitors but for this comp now it means nothing. I know I refer more to the actual breed results than the groups or in shows. They to me are a true reflection of a points score competition on a National basis. When you have an entry of say 30 in your breed and you get Reserve Dog and Reserve of Breed its just too bad, so sad never mind. And yet you achieved a huge award as such. Oh well It will be interesting to see just how this all pans out as far as people who submit results go.

Clyde Have they searched the house again and again. Could he be stuck somewhere, anywhere. Were the doors open while the house sitter had a nap? Is there a gap in the fence or was there a gate open?

Hugs to you and Alvin that he is found safe and well

Carlo Forgot to ask. How much does Pearl weigh? Depending on her weight now and what she should be then we can determine how much she should be getting. I would say though that she would be needing at least 1 and a half cups of moistened dry food plus added extras per meal at this stage until she has a good weight gain. My 25 kilo puppy (although very hot weather at the moment and his appettite has decreased) gets 1 and 1/4 cups per meal plus dog roll, treats and chicken plus cheese, sardines, Weight to food ratio is on the packs as well. Proplan will result in less toilet output. The better the food the less toilets.

This is pretty much exactly what has happened if there is no sign of mites(which she is clear of) The fact that the sores open up again is worrying but a soothing healing cream will help

The first photos are NOW and the second lot are THEN. She has been wormed twice with a vet allwormer and she was skin scraped for mites which was negative.No heartworm check as of yet.He has purely dealt with the skin.Her ear is a cauliflower ear from haematomas and is very badly scarred.Her ears are very dirty and stink badly.I have been using Epiotic on them as a cleanser. Which soothing cream? Thanks for taking time to help. I thought she had a haematoma, just needed to ask. With her ears being very very dirty, was the vet able to view them to make sure she didnt have a perforated eardrum before you applied the ear cleanser. Its obvious she has mites in her ears if they are very dirty and stinky. You wont get rid of them just with the cleanser. You need ear mite ointment. These can be purchased from a large pet store. Did your vet prescribe any for her? I would also recommend Sudocream. Purchased from Woolworths in the baby section. It is zinc oxide. From the photos she is certainly looking better which is great. You did very well to keep your cool. And she is now in such a better place. One can only imagine how much worse she would of got. This has been going on by the looks of it for a long time. To not of sort some veterinary advice on their behalf is just heartbreaking. How is her tail? is it a tight screw tail which also needs attention or is it nice and clean? We have owned Bulldogs for over 30 years. Have pretty much seen it all except I have never seen a bad case as poor Pearl. Advice comes with hugs to Pearl The sudocream is for her skin.

Hi Carlo In these photos are they all before ones? or now ones? Pearl is very underweight. I dont mean to sound as if it is your fault. Hence the need for the extra meal per day. One is not enough as I said before I would also suggest a nice dog roll. Yes I know many people dont advocate feeding rolls but there are some great preservative free ones available. Just as an extra filler to get some weight back on. As she is very skinny her stomach will need time to adjust to extra food. Has she been wormed lately and has the vet checked for mites? Any routine bloods taken. Heartworm meds etc. Please dont give her a yearly heartworm as it may knock her back at this stage. Some of her skin may never recover and she may always be bald in those places. Has her ear been damaged at all. It doesnt look right in the photo? What are her ear canals like? Clearly she is still very much raw and sore. Are you applying a soothing cream as well to her skin? Of course my suggestions are only a guideline.

Poor Pearl, I feel gut wrenched that her owners have put her through this. There is no need for this type of abuse. Now that I have that off my chest, please take Pearl off the beef mince, she does not need it. Slowly introduce a good dry food, ProPlan is expensive but they have a great range and I recommend this. If she is not used to dry food just soak the bikkies for her in a little warm water and let them rest a bit before you feed her. Hoping she does not inhale her food too quickly. Please increase her meals to two a day. One big meal for a Bulldog can expose a risk of bloat so divide her meals. Continue with a malaseb. Please please do not give her any raw bones. Bulldogs do not need them. If you want to give her something to chew get a good quality nylabone chewbie. She will be happy with that. Chicken, rice, sardines, cooked offal(add rice to it) yoghurt, grated carrot, etc I am really concerned with the condition of her skin as such. Does it have an elephant skin type feel to it? and keep her out of the sun please and yes off the grass as much as possible. I have to go out but will check back to add a few more things later PM me if you would like some more Bulldog help

The only nasty experience we have had with a hedgehog and dogs was about 35 years ago back in NZ. And yes we do have hedgehogs in NZ A hedgey strolled into the kennels and didnt come out alive. One of our Boxers sadly shredded it to peices in the middle of the night. We woke to a hell of a noise as the other dogs were trying to get it as well. End result one Boxer with many puncture wounds and spikes protruding from muzzle. I cant remember if she did require treatment but please do watch her and apply antiseptic solution.

Going by the photos it does look like her patellas are not good. I would suggest getting both the hips and patellas x rayed. I dont mean an xray that you would send away for her to be scored for HD but just a normal hip xray so the vet can see what her hips are like in relation to her structure. I dont know what your financial situation is but it isnt cheap sadly. Then after a professional opinion has been given you can review options open to you. If you only choose the patella xray(completely understandable if you do so. Please ask your vet for their opinion) and she has injured her knee caps then surgery is the only remedy. Fingers crossed.

Some very good points raised by Conztruct. In light of recent events Agatha and Fraelighte, you may wish to review your thoughts on how CCCQ has handled all this.

Quite true. Lead training is another issue in which many breeders dont take enough time to do. My puppies are on a lead from as early as possible. They are taught to accept a lead from a very early age and I encourage new owners to continue with this. Whether they are staying with me or going to a new home. It doesnt matter. I try to take the time to start them off the right way. Many breeds can be very stubborn, and the Bulldog is certainly up there with the best. Sometimes it can be a huge challenge but you have to perservere without destroying a dogs self confidence in the big wide world.(Have I used that word in the right context?) Leads are a safety harness. They are a tool in which we teach our dogs. How many times have I seen a baby at a show for instance that has been put on a lead for the very first time, just that day. At 12 weeks old for heavens sake. And everyone thinks it is so funny that a puppy is doing somersaults, being dragged around a ring and is totally stressing out. Socialising babies is very important, but of course as they are not fully vaccinated this needs to be controlled. Getting them accustomed to noises, sights, everyday issues as much as possible. I never leave any of my dogs outside unsupervised for any length of time unless they are suitably contained. They are always out with us. Never left to their own devices. This is just the way we do it.

I am an advocate of crate training. Always have been, always will be. I like to bring my puppies u with them knowing that this is their place to sleep and they also have their toys to amuse them if they are not out with us. I will never bring a puppy up to have full reign of the house. It is my domain, not theirs but I do allow exceptions to that rule LOL. But not all the time.