Skin Issues are a very common problem many Bull Terrier's (and owners) suffer with.
Some dogs skin problems are worse then others, some are so easy to maintain the owner sometimes forgets the dog even has them until they are triggered!
Often time's These issue's do not present themselves until the dog reaches a year of age so many people believe there dog is healthy and does not have any skin problems and then suddenly one lovely spring day they happen to notice a bit of hair loss or a red patch that seems innocent enough and day after day it gets worse and worse till you can no longer ignore it or brush it off.
You may take your dog to the vet to get a skin scraping done, a few tests, maybe get some creme or told to switch diets.
And before you know it, you are elbow deep into research, switching foods, tummy upsets, monitoring everything that goes in as well as comes out.
Skin problems are often a long tiresome road that for most dogs and owners never really ends.
I will give you a bit of my own life with my Male who suffers from Skin Allergies.
I have to pay close attention to the shampoo he uses, after he gets sandy or dirty or muddy or swims in lakes or ponds he needs to have his body rinsed off afterward in clean warm water.
I have to use natural cleaner for his bedding to be sure it does not cause irritation, he is on a Prey Model Raw diet because everything else caused large itchy bald patches on his body as well as chronic ear infections.
He can only have special home made dog treats and I have to warn others to not give him food or treats and if they do I have to treat the symptoms of his allergies with natural products.
Some Bull Terriers are allergic to grass and there feet break out constantly.
A dogs allergies can be irritated by
Food-
Detergents-
Shampoos-
Mud,Dirt,Sand-
Carpeting fibers-
Nylon-
Grass-
As I have said, this is a life long struggle, and Many owners are unable to properly care for or afford, so please understand this before buying or adopting a Bull Terrier.
The Most common symptoms of Allergies:
Feet licking/ chewing-
Carpet licking-
Ear infections-
Bald patches-
Redness-
Hives-
Oily/smelly coat-
Dry flaky skin and coat-
Red stains around the eyes-
Runny eyes, goopey eyes, crusty eyes-
Itching-
Bad breathe-
Red lumps/ bumps-
Skin infections-
Redness around the toes, tummy, inner elbows/thighs.
Lots of dirt inside the ears-
Some dogs skin problems are worse then others, some are so easy to maintain the owner sometimes forgets the dog even has them until they are triggered!
Often time's These issue's do not present themselves until the dog reaches a year of age so many people believe there dog is healthy and does not have any skin problems and then suddenly one lovely spring day they happen to notice a bit of hair loss or a red patch that seems innocent enough and day after day it gets worse and worse till you can no longer ignore it or brush it off.
You may take your dog to the vet to get a skin scraping done, a few tests, maybe get some creme or told to switch diets.
And before you know it, you are elbow deep into research, switching foods, tummy upsets, monitoring everything that goes in as well as comes out.
Skin problems are often a long tiresome road that for most dogs and owners never really ends.
I will give you a bit of my own life with my Male who suffers from Skin Allergies.
I have to pay close attention to the shampoo he uses, after he gets sandy or dirty or muddy or swims in lakes or ponds he needs to have his body rinsed off afterward in clean warm water.
I have to use natural cleaner for his bedding to be sure it does not cause irritation, he is on a Prey Model Raw diet because everything else caused large itchy bald patches on his body as well as chronic ear infections.
He can only have special home made dog treats and I have to warn others to not give him food or treats and if they do I have to treat the symptoms of his allergies with natural products.
Some Bull Terriers are allergic to grass and there feet break out constantly.
A dogs allergies can be irritated by
Food-
Detergents-
Shampoos-
Mud,Dirt,Sand-
Carpeting fibers-
Nylon-
Grass-
As I have said, this is a life long struggle, and Many owners are unable to properly care for or afford, so please understand this before buying or adopting a Bull Terrier.
The Most common symptoms of Allergies:
Feet licking/ chewing-
Carpet licking-
Ear infections-
Bald patches-
Redness-
Hives-
Oily/smelly coat-
Dry flaky skin and coat-
Red stains around the eyes-
Runny eyes, goopey eyes, crusty eyes-
Itching-
Bad breathe-
Red lumps/ bumps-
Skin infections-
Redness around the toes, tummy, inner elbows/thighs.
Lots of dirt inside the ears-
Some ways to help ease the itching of skin allergies:
Switching diets to a grain free diet should be your first step, do your research into the many kinds of foods you can feed your dog and try some of them.Often times a change in diet will cause a sudden flare up before things begin to get better, so be prepared to take at least 2-3 weeks on each diet to find which is the best one for your dog.
Keeping Benedryl on hand for the spring/ summer months when bugs are at there worst. Many Bull Terrier's suffer from hives when bitten by flies, fleas or ticks. So a good spot on is a must.
Benedryl is safe for dogs to take and you should contact your vet about the proper dosage for your dog so you do not poison them!
Using white distilled vinegar and baking soda (mixed into a container and let bubble BEFORE adding to the washer) is a great alternative to washing detergents when washing your dogs bedding and keeps flare ups down.
Keeping a bottle of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the "Mother" (it will say if it has the "mother" right on the label will say "With Mother") on hand, its helpful in using to rub down irritated skin when it breaks out as it helps the itching and is safe if ingested. **MAKE SURE TO KEEP AWAY FROM THE EYES!
Using a medicated dog shampoo is good to help ease skin itching as well, ask your vet about the best brand for your dog.
Avoiding store bought treats with lots of ingredients also helps, buying some chicken breasts or steaks and cutting them into small bits and dehydrating them is a fabulous and fun way of creating your own healthy dog treats.
Switching from a nylon collar to a hemp or bamboo collar can also help should your dog have a nylon allergy, also hemp and bamboo both have antibacterial properties which doesn't hurt either!
Rinsing your dogs coat after swimming in pools, lakes or ponds, playing in the sand or mud. but DO NOT OVER SHAMPOO! using shampoo too often can strip the coats natural oils causing it to dry out and itch even more. warm water (or cool in the hot summer months) is just fine for rinsing dirt,sand or mud from the coat. the reason I mention rinsing the coat after swimming in lakes or ponds is because often they contain bacteria's that can worsen if not cause some serious irritation. There is this one lake that whenever my boy Cesar swims in if i do not rinse him off within a few hours will cause him to begin licking his feet till they are red and sore.
Spring pollen often causes ear infections, using a cotton ball to lightly wipe out the dirt can help. Just make sure you do not try to dig too deeply into the ear, if you see dirt or build up down in the ear- leave it be, it will work its way out on its own, do not damage or hurt your dog trying to clean the ears.
Hives are pretty common and can vary from nasty to mild, they can look like large pussy bumps or tiny fat red spots, you can have just a few or they can cover the whole body, they are itchy, painful and sad to see when your dog is suffering from them. hives can stick around for minutes, hours or even days.
Most often caused by insect bites, they can be caused by many things and if your dog develops them you should contact your vet to know how to treat them.
KEEP BEDDING CLEAN! Seems like a no brainer, but many people have dog bedding in an area of the house away from everything else and often times the bedding goes unwashed for weeks or months at a time because the owner does not think about it. Your dogs bedding needs to be cleaned regularly to keep the build up of bacteria to a minimum keeping the possibility of skin infections at bay.
Make sure you schedule a weekly washing for ALL your dogs bedding, blankets, towels,pillows, etc.
Switching diets to a grain free diet should be your first step, do your research into the many kinds of foods you can feed your dog and try some of them.Often times a change in diet will cause a sudden flare up before things begin to get better, so be prepared to take at least 2-3 weeks on each diet to find which is the best one for your dog.
Keeping Benedryl on hand for the spring/ summer months when bugs are at there worst. Many Bull Terrier's suffer from hives when bitten by flies, fleas or ticks. So a good spot on is a must.
Benedryl is safe for dogs to take and you should contact your vet about the proper dosage for your dog so you do not poison them!
Using white distilled vinegar and baking soda (mixed into a container and let bubble BEFORE adding to the washer) is a great alternative to washing detergents when washing your dogs bedding and keeps flare ups down.
Keeping a bottle of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the "Mother" (it will say if it has the "mother" right on the label will say "With Mother") on hand, its helpful in using to rub down irritated skin when it breaks out as it helps the itching and is safe if ingested. **MAKE SURE TO KEEP AWAY FROM THE EYES!
Using a medicated dog shampoo is good to help ease skin itching as well, ask your vet about the best brand for your dog.
Avoiding store bought treats with lots of ingredients also helps, buying some chicken breasts or steaks and cutting them into small bits and dehydrating them is a fabulous and fun way of creating your own healthy dog treats.
Switching from a nylon collar to a hemp or bamboo collar can also help should your dog have a nylon allergy, also hemp and bamboo both have antibacterial properties which doesn't hurt either!
Rinsing your dogs coat after swimming in pools, lakes or ponds, playing in the sand or mud. but DO NOT OVER SHAMPOO! using shampoo too often can strip the coats natural oils causing it to dry out and itch even more. warm water (or cool in the hot summer months) is just fine for rinsing dirt,sand or mud from the coat. the reason I mention rinsing the coat after swimming in lakes or ponds is because often they contain bacteria's that can worsen if not cause some serious irritation. There is this one lake that whenever my boy Cesar swims in if i do not rinse him off within a few hours will cause him to begin licking his feet till they are red and sore.
Spring pollen often causes ear infections, using a cotton ball to lightly wipe out the dirt can help. Just make sure you do not try to dig too deeply into the ear, if you see dirt or build up down in the ear- leave it be, it will work its way out on its own, do not damage or hurt your dog trying to clean the ears.
Hives are pretty common and can vary from nasty to mild, they can look like large pussy bumps or tiny fat red spots, you can have just a few or they can cover the whole body, they are itchy, painful and sad to see when your dog is suffering from them. hives can stick around for minutes, hours or even days.
Most often caused by insect bites, they can be caused by many things and if your dog develops them you should contact your vet to know how to treat them.
KEEP BEDDING CLEAN! Seems like a no brainer, but many people have dog bedding in an area of the house away from everything else and often times the bedding goes unwashed for weeks or months at a time because the owner does not think about it. Your dogs bedding needs to be cleaned regularly to keep the build up of bacteria to a minimum keeping the possibility of skin infections at bay.
Make sure you schedule a weekly washing for ALL your dogs bedding, blankets, towels,pillows, etc.
If your Bull Terrier is exhibiting any of the symptoms mentioned above, be sure to contact your veterinarian right away as many of these things can be caused by things other then allergies so it is in you and your dogs best interest to have them diagnosed and treated by your veterinarian before trying anything mentioned here.