Bulldogs, The Good, The Bad, and the Skin

I saw a Bulldog yesterday that prompted me on the importance of "an educated consumer is our best customer." (I borrowed that tag line from the long run advertisements, and now I think defunct? chain of stores in the Philadelphia-Maryland area called Syms). Before you fall prey to the incredibly charming and sweet  captivating persona of a Bulldog you have to know what you are getting yourself into.


They are the cutest puppies on the planet, (I know I already said this about Bassett Hounds, but I do think Bulldogs are just as cute, OK maybe a little cuter). Those smooshy round faces, that rolly-polly body, and the adorable-ness is impossible not to make even the most rigid person melt to their knees. At 0 to 12 months old there is nothing but cute bounding abundant love, smiles, laughing, joy, an internal self affirmation that this was the best decision you ever made in your life, and you KNOW that you will never love anything more than this puppy!


Here I am as a fourth year vet student on medicine block (rotation) with my two very sick bulldog puppy patients. Those guys were in the ICU for weeks, but thankfully made a full recovery.

After 14 months things start to go very slowly downhill.. It starts with a very gradual almost undetectable scratch every so often. Or maybe a "little pinker than normal" ear. After a few weeks the itch becomes an incessant "thump-thump-thump" of the foot hitting the floor all night and this really starts to annoy you. So, you naturally make an appointment at your Vet's for "itchy skin." At this first visit I will listen quietly and write down everything that you are saying and doing to try to get the itch to stop. I will ask "what you are feeding? how much? how often? and what you use for flea and tick prevention?" I also will ask if "You have ever had a Bulldog before?"




My best friends baby. On his first Christmas.

 

After a thorough physical exam I will sit down and start to discuss everything that is about to follow in this story. I will admit to you that "Bulldogs are one of my favorite breeds of dogs." "They are gentle, friendly, affectionate, great with children, and usually have few to no behavioral issues. BUT, they are probably the most expensive breed of dog to own." I will explain my bold statement with, "they are expensive because there is no other dog breed that requires more time and attention and has more long standing issues than the average Bulldog." Your heart will sink a little, and you will hope that "your dog will prove me wrong." I won't blame you and I will keep my fingers crossed for you that you are right and I am wrong.


Here is a list of the common Bulldog problems I see:


1. Skin. 
This is the most common Bulldog problem that I see. Many Bulldogs that I treat need chronic medications to just "control" their itch. The skin gets thicker, and bacteria and yeast overpopulate, they get itchier, and scratch more, and traumatize their skin, and then develop wounds, etc. The cycle gets more severe and the interval between the outbreaks becomes shorter. If you have a "quick" first visit at your vet's office I would be willing to bet that they just put you on a steroid (most likely prednisone) for a few weeks. the itch will quickly go away and you will feel as if it is behind you. I really hope that at that first visit your Vet warns you about the likelihood that this problem will be chronic, and that long term steroids are dangerous. when I say "skin" here I am talking, feet, face, ears, butt, belly, and everywhere!.

2. Entropion. 
This is a condition where the excessive heavy haired skin around the eyes rolls inward. The constant rubbing of hair on the cornea causes excessive tearing and trauma to the cornes. It is like ALWAYS having hair or an eyelash in your eye, annoying and painful as your cornea is worn away. It is usually corrected surgically by giving the Bulldog a face life. We actually remove some of the excess skin so the skin roll doesn't rub the cornea of the eye. I have done a lot of face lifts (eyelid tacking) on 3 to 8 week old puppies. If the entopion is not corrected the dog can go blind from the cornea getting damaged beyond the point of being able to see through the eye anymore. (See Levi's story.)

This is Corky. His entropion surgery story.

3. Joint problems. 
When you mutate any animal as much as we have selectively bred the Bulldog you get genetic problems. The elbows and shoulders carry a very heavy load because these guys are so front heavy. Most dogs carry about 60% of their weight on their front legs but Bulldogs can carry up to 70%. Those broad thick shoulders cause an immense amount of joint stress on the elbows which are already bowed out. And just for fun try to look at a hip x-ray of a Bulldog. Most of them don't even look like they have a hip socket.


4. Brachycephalic Syndrome. 
(Aka short skull) Our term for what happens when you shove the nose up into the brain. Dogs were supposed to have a nose. When you breed for no nose the anatomical architecture has to go somewhere so the following things happen to the Bulldog.

• The soft palate, (the fleshy part of the back of the roof of your mouth gets pushed down your throat which makes it harder to breathe or pant.
• The trachea gets weaker. So what should be a hard cartilagenous tracheal tube is instead a soft collapsible straw. If you breathe in to hard it is like trying to suck an very thick milkshake up a straw. The straw collapses instead of the milkshake going into your mouth.
• The laryngeal saccules become everted. These live in the back of your mouth on both sides. They are supposed to live in little pockets sort of in the cheek area. But if there is enough stress in your mouth to breathe they become everted. They look like a grape on the walls of your mouth.
• The wings of the nose are excessive and narrow the noses ability to bring air into the nose. Try to hold your nose about 90% closed and then take a deep breath, impossible right? 

We usually recommend surgery to correct any and all of these so that the dog can breath better.




I will go on to say that in most cases these guys have chronic "atopy". This means that these dogs are genetically  predisposed to inhaled or absorbed environmental allergens. To make it simple anything in your environment can set these guys off. Because we can't live in a plastic bubble we try to "minimize" how many things these guys react to. 

So, our basic advice is to;

1. Keep them on a GOOD flea & tick preventative monthly year around. This is a REQUIREMENT! There can't be any missed doses. We know that the one thing most dogs are allergic to, or can trigger their itchiness is flea. And 1 flea bite can start the whole cascade of itchiness. We all also know that once you start scratching you get itchier.

2. Keep the skin as calm and quiet at home as possible in the hopes that it will reduce the severity and duration of your "bad flare-ups." I ALWAYS go over the things that an owner with a dog with atopy should have at home. These include ear cleaners, Benadryl, medicated wipes, Fatty acid supplements, sprays and shampoos. I do a lot of training of my clients to try to minimize the flare-ups.

3. We always talk about food. I want people to understand that about 12% of the dogs with allergies have a food component to their allergies. I get soo much resistance from owners to try a hypo-allergenic diet. The first thing that they always reply is, "he has been on the same food his whole life." To which I reply, "you develop allergies over time. So although he may have been fine eating beef, chicken, or dairy for the last few years he may now be allergic to them. And, if we can just keep that food out of his body then maybe we won't have the allergy anymore?' "If someone told you that you were allergic to bees then you would stay away from bees right?" I also tell my clients that we want to find something that is curable. Not eating a food that causes your skin to itch is a cure for itchy skin. "You should hope for food allergy, because the rest of the list probably isn't curable."

Hives

As a last few pieces of advice I will say; it is very important to know your dog, pay attention to them, watch for any signs of things being abnormal and don't dismiss them. If you see hives give Benadryl. If you have very itchy skin give a bath. If you see your dog is lethargic, having trouble breathing, swelling up like a cartoon character get in your car and go to the Vet NOW!


An allergic reaction can kill.


And lastly, know what you are getting into. Those sweet adorable round snuffly faces and genetic disasters that can cost a fortune. But lord knows I love them!

Remember Pudgie? the bulldog. She came to us with terrible skin.

Skunk's Sweet Tale

I have to admit it. I am a cat person. I mean I love dogs, A LOT! I have three, and they go everywhere with me, but my true love is a kitty, (you know, if I am forced to pick). I think it is the fact that a cat makes you earn their love, a dog is just an opportunist. Cats, they are a challenge that repays you with purring.

I understand that most people are dog fans. I sometimes blame it on experience, rather their lack of it, with cats. I think that if you get to know the love of a cat, especially on those cold snowy winter days bundled up on the couch with a cup of tea and a curled up ball of purring sumptuous fur on your lap, then you know what true joy and peace is. On the flip side, if you have ever watched a kitten tail all puffed up dancing on tip-toes playing with a scrap of paper jumping like a pogo stick Chinese fire cracker all sideways hopping, then you are witnessing pure bliss.

I met Skunk’s mom many years ago for the routine examination and vaccines. Skunk was a very important part of his mom’s life. She had had Skunk since she was a kitten, and they were very attached to one another. For the last few years of Skunk’s life she had intermittent bouts of gastro-intestinal upset. We had a difficult time trying to figure out what exactly would cause the episodes. I have a personal (I am a self-proclaimed cat-xpert, because I do have 6, and I dote on them like an over bearing mom) opinion that many cats have GI issues due to a few basic reasons. Here is my medical opinion for diarrhea in both dogs and cats. First check for intestinal worms, really we should ALL be doing this yearly, don’t skimp on this, your dog eats poop, your cat grooms profusely and catches and eats everything it kills. Check a fecal, save yourself those terrible pictures of what worms look like in YOU. Next, is a reminder that your pets eat things they shouldn’t.  If you drink water from the toilet, or a puddle, or lick your hands clean after you climb out of your litter-sand-poop-box then you shouldn’t be so shocked to have diarrhea every so often. In hind sight I do think that Skunk had a chronic GI issue probably related to diet (almost ALL cats get an inferior commercial cat food, “you get what you pay for, and you are what you eat”, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a good cat food from your grocery store). Please don’t underestimate how important a good diet is to your (yes, YOU and YOUR cat included) overall health. Try a bland diet (chicken and rice, or Hill’s Science Diet I/D) and a good probiotic (get it at your Vet’s office). Some pet’s, (and some people (see Crohns disease)) need a special diet lifelong.

With Skunk, she also had chronic persistent dental disease. I find that almost every cat over 5 years old needs a dental every 4 to 5 years. I also think it is almost impossible for the average human being to brush their cats teeth. I beg my Vets to check the molars of every cat at every visit, and I also break the Vet Laws by manually removing those huge hunks of tartar glued on the molars at every visit. Then I beg and plead with the owners to have their cats teeth cleaned. I wholeheartedly, fully admit, that 1 in 5 owners will actually pay for, and schedule, a dental for their cat. So for those other 4 of you I at least take some small solace in knowing that I at least removed some of the insulting tartar. (Ok, that’s a BIG can of worms, and I know many a Vet is now shaking their head, and pointer finger at me.) Skunk’s mom did have Skunk’s teeth cleaned, she did come in for every exam, and she did pay very close attention to her cat. She is a great example of how to do everything right, despite having a cat that seems to have everything wrong.

In the summer of this year Skunk came in with a mammary mass. Mammary masses in cats are notorious for being very invasive, fast growing, and have a terrible prognosis. We don’t see them very often but when we do it is a hard and sad discussion to have with an owner. There are surgical options, and there are Veterinary Oncologists who offer treatment plans, but I admit, based on personal experience most cats die within 6 months.

Skunk was euthanized 2 months after she came in and was given her poor prognosis. I know her mom was very concerned about her comfort level at the end. I spoke to her many times about the possible treatments available to try to alleviate her kitties discomfort. I always tell owners to keep me posted on every aspect of their pets life. I want to know if you think they are hurting or struggling, and I want you to know that there are many options available. Some are expensive, some are cheap, and some patients respond differently than others. So keep your healthcare team posted on how you are doing, and we are here to help you every step of the way.

Merry Mis-Fortunes

I am reminded of the old saying “no good deed goes unpunished” almost everyday at work. I was especially feeling as if I should just hang my head low and not be nice anymore when I came into the clinic and was told as soon as I walked in the door that someone had left 2 adult cats in a cat carrier by the dumpsters.

The dumpsters are strategically placed beside the road that the clinic is on but hidden from view by a small number of evergreen trees. It is quick, easy, and inconspicuous to pull off of the road scoot into the dumpster area and drop an unwanted package. When I was told that someone had left their cats at our dumpsters I was livid. What the hell were these jerks thinking? They probably knew that if they surrendered them at the local county shelter that they would be euthanized, (see Darla’s Second Chance), and maybe they had called us already, and I am sure if they did we told them that we were all full at the JVC house, (I have a 4 adult cat limit), (I have never gotten down to that number). Or maybe they called the other local shelters and were told what we told them. There is no place for another adult cat here in Harford County, actually I don’t know of any place in the country recruiting adult cats (if they are then I smell something fishy). So maybe I did this to myself? Maybe it was an owner desperate but caring enough to have not left them at the shelter, or maybe it was the universe reminding me again “that no good deed…”. Either way I was still furious.

I said things to myself that consisted of the following. “Damn you, whoever you are, I don’t go to your house, or your place of work and dump my laundry, or my credit card bill, or my dirty dishes.” I don’t leave others to pay my way, to resolve my problems, and because it is a well known fact that I am a big giant softy, incapable of euthanizing a healthy animal I get your cats? I mean WTF? Ok, I know, I swear a lot. I swear a lot on the inside, and sometimes on the outside. I am Italian, and I spent 10 years at sea, it’s not my fault.

After about 10 minutes of venting at the messenger I finally made my way to the cage that held the two dump-ies. They were both obese, obviously middle aged housecats. We scanned them for a microchip (see Jitterbug Decides). Could anyone be dumb enough to drop off one of our own clients cats? We microchip for free , so just about every pet we take care of here is microchipped. Scanned for chip and found, No chip. Probably a good thing because I would have called Animal Control and reported them. You see it is a misdemeanor to dump an animal, and I already mentioned that I was mad!

The small community of Veterinarians keep a close eye on each other. We understand and protect each other. One of the biggest challenges to our profession is burn-out. It happens, a lot. It happens because we come into this profession because we want to make a difference. We feel compelled enough to make a difference that we go to college for at least 8 years, at a cost of over $100,000 and then get out of school to be made to feel like we should be running a non-profit. There isn't one day that we aren't asked for a discount, or told that this “cat really isn't theirs”, they are just feeding and housing it, etc., etc., It is soo hard to act like you don’t care because a client can’t, (or doesn't want to) pay.  This kind of crap causes burn out. I knew that most would have just forwarded "these two cats dumped on us" problem to the “appropriate authorities”, (aka the shelter). But me, nope I can’t do that. (please read section on burn out again, krista).

So naturally I did what I always do next. I gave them a complimentary physical exam, microchip, checked them for FeLV/FIV, vaccinated them, gave them a flea and tick preventative and placed them in their 2 week quarantine. Oh yeah, and of course we gave them a name. Merry and Mistletoe. (It was December we weren’t too creative).

It has been about 2 years. Mistletoe was adopted and Merry remains with us, on a constant diet, and always happy and safe. And a part of our JVC family. She has her own set of medical challenges. It happens with chronic obesity. She seems very itchy most of the time, we term it pruritus. She will groom herself to the point of looking "mangey". So we keep her on monthly flea and tick prevention. (the number one itchy thing affecting pets is fleas, so every itchy pet should be maintained on monthly flea and tick preventative, (and yes ask your vet for some recommendations, that stuff from the grocery store is dangerous and doesn’t work) year around. She is also on a special hypo-allergenic diet. It keeps her itch at a simmer.

She is still with us. You can find out more about her by visiting our website.
http://jarrettsvillevet.com/
Or by coming in to meet her in person. She is a torti, so she comes with her own set of issues, but then again, don’t we all?

To learn more about allergies
http://tinyurl.com/3bjlomh
To learn more about hypoallergenic foods

http://tinyurl.com/3d6f7lk

To learn more about obesity
http://tinyurl.com/3poqd3n


To learn more about Merry
http://tinyurl.com/3f6gxmn

Update, October 2013. Merry was adopted by a former staff member and lives a happy quiet life of ample time, affection, and doting. She has been maintained at a healthy weight on a single protein allergy diet. We are elated to have her find her own happy ending.