Aging Bulldog???
Submitted by bear on June 1, 2010 - 3:23pmHi Everyone-
Just wondering what the signs of an aging bulldog are. Bear will be 5 yrs old this year and his behaviors are changing. He used to get up excited to eat at 6 am and now he won't even eat breakfast. Sometimes he will eat dinner around 6 pm. Should I be worried or is he only requiring 1 meal per day now? He seems to be more lethargic, sleeping most of the time. Sometimes he won't go potty until the very next day.
Another thing he does (which is gross!) is he sits down ( I guess he has an itch) and then licks where he just sat down. Strange!
Also, he has bald spots on his coat. I don't know what they are. The vet says it is allergies but they have not gone away. Does anyone know what this might be?
If anyone has any experience with these strange behaviors please help me. I love my bullie dearly. He is our baby. Thanks in advance!
5 years old isn't old enough to cause...
that much of a change in my opinion. It sounds like he's got some underlying problems that are making his life miserable. Is your vet a bulldog vet? Is he very familiar with the breed? He needs a good checkup and blood panel, possibly he could have thyroid problems, staph infection or any number of things causing his hairloss and lethargy. They should probably do a scraping of one of the spots to see what is causing it and rule out demodex.. Good luck, I hope he can get his quality of life back.
Absolutely agree with Kathy and the others. There is an issue
Underlying that is causing these symptoms. Find yourself a good Bulldog vet, if you aren't seeing one now, and get him tested for Thyroid and skin issues. There is something wrong.
Amy and Sophia
I have scheduled him with a different vet...
Out of town about an hour away. Where I live, vets are no good. Hopefully they can find what's wrong. Thank You for your response.
here is a few suggestions....
has he started to eat less now thats its hot.....my dogs always eat less when it starts getting hot and their appities pick up as its cooler.....i would put very little down in the am...and see what he eats...but always give the option to have a lite am snack...
he will poop less often if he is eating less....as for licking the spot he sat in...could be anal gland leakage...as gross as it is they some times lick it yuck!!!! wilson thinks anal glands smell like channel #5....
if your using a flea application like frontline you can get blad spots.... i would use some vit e and some vit c...that will help his immuntiy...
It may be the heat...
I live in South Texas and it is very hot! I do use frontline;however I have always used it on him and he has never had the bald spots. The spots are in the middle of his back. Thanks for your response!
if the spots are in the middle
of the back...i am sure its from the flea product...i once used advantage on wilson....all his hair fell out from where i had applied that stuff....i am sure its the heat and humity,,,but i would not pass up a thyroid test either
I would also
Consider asking for thyroid function tests. It's a simple blood test.
Olivia
I agree with the thyroid test. I would also take him in and have
the anal glands looked at as he could have an infection or impacted gland or they could be full and with him eating less and defecating less he can not properly release the gland fluid like before. He could also have an infection in his tail pocket....so many things could be going on. Where are the bald spots? He could also have seasonal flank alopeica. Honestly, you need to find a vet that knows the breed and won't just blow off things to allergies. Good luck!
Cain had some bald spots and was an unhappy dog....
until we changed his food. What are you feeding him? That might be the reason for balding.....can you post a picture for us to see?
I would say that everyone else covered the floor issue. His anal glands are bothering him and when he expresses them, they tend to lick it (I am gagging as I type this). I would bring him to the vet and have them take care of that. It can cause them pain and discomfort when they are full or infected.
Good luck with him and I hope you find what is bothering him.
I feed him ...
Natural Balance Duck & Potato. I will see if I can post a picture. Thanks for your response.
Forgot to mention..
He has been on this food for more than a year without any problems.