TAKE HIM TO A BULLDOG VET FIRST.. MY ONE BULLY HAD THIS WHEN HE WAS A PUP BUT GREW OUT OF IT ONCE THE SKIN GOT RUFF THERE. THE VET SAID IF HE DIDNT THAN THEY WOULD DO SURGERY.. NOW MY NEW PUP HE ALSO JUST GOT IT ABOUT 2WEEKS AGO BUT I TREATED IT AND IT CLEARED ALL UP. ITS VERY IMPORTANT TO FIND A BULLDOG VET .

TAKE HIM TO A BULLDOG VET FIRST.. MY ONE BULLY HAD THIS WHEN HE WAS A PUP BUT GREW OUT OF IT ONCE THE SKIN GOT RUFF THERE. THE VET SAID IF HE DIDNT THAN THEY WOULD DO SURGERY.. NOW MY NEW PUP HE ALSO JUST GOT IT ABOUT 2WEEKS AGO BUT I TREATED IT AND IT CLEARED ALL UP. ITS VERY IMPORTANT TO FIND A BULLDOG VET .

I agree , is very young to go under surgery.
Our Pancha suffer a similar condition and we clean almost every day with kid's cream for diper rash. her tail is very flat and not movement.
it work perfect for her.

good luck

I agree , is very young to go under surgery.
Our Pancha suffer a similar condition and we clean almost every day with kid's cream for diper rash. her tail is very flat and not movement.
it work perfect for her.

good luck

Winnie's tail pocket is the deepest our vet has ever seen and I understand what a challenge it is to stay on top of it. Personally, I would be scared to jump into surgery, especially since he is so young, Im not sure if you are planning on getting him neutered but that could be something to look into doing at the same time if antibiotics dont work. We have been working really hard to keep her pocket clean and dry and knock on wood, no infection. Good luck!

Winnie's tail pocket is the deepest our vet has ever seen and I understand what a challenge it is to stay on top of it. Personally, I would be scared to jump into surgery, especially since he is so young, Im not sure if you are planning on getting him neutered but that could be something to look into doing at the same time if antibiotics dont work. We have been working really hard to keep her pocket clean and dry and knock on wood, no infection. Good luck!

I'm so glad we don't have a pocket. LOL!

Taste the Rainbow

I'm so glad we don't have a pocket. LOL!

Taste the Rainbow

Surgery should be the LAST resort, and anytime a vet recommends surgery (other than ER situation)I recommend getting that second opinion. It will only cost you about $40-50 for that second office visit and considering that surgeries run into the hundreds (or thousands) of dollars its worth getting that medical information as well as peace of mind for a fraction of the total cost of care.

As for cleaning, because he's still quite young (although understandably fidgety) you have a perfect situation to train him to allow you access to his butt area. It may help you quite a bit if someone is there to help distract him, perhaps by holding a teasp of peanut butter that he can lick off slowly, or feeding him some very small cheese tidbits, even a scrambled egg broken into small bits...

Anyway, start with a clean body (put him in the shower and using a hand-held wand, clean his entire butt/tail area using shampoo, gently fingers or even a squirt bottle with some diluted shampoo in it to get some around the entire tail area, up and down. Using your fingertips, try to get into that "pocket" and pull out loose hair, gunk, and anything else...don't be afraid of pulling out hairs, its okay. Then rinse well with tepid water (don't want to rinse his scrotum with hot water!) and again if you can't get all the soap out, using that squirt bottle with clean water, several times, until there appears to be no bubbles...use your fingertips gently to again get into the back of the pocket (hope you don't have very long fingernails...LOL). When you dry off the dog well, with towel, try to patt-dry the butt area but expect that you won't be able to get that tail pocket totally dry at first. If he will allow you to, try to get some soft tissue in there, or even a Q-tip or 2, to see if there's no pus. Don't be alarmed if there's a little blood...its quite irritated now and altho it may be startling to see blood, its really a very small amount, and superficial. Amount an hour later, when it more likey to be dry in that tail area, you can either use a cortisone spray OR Gold Bond medicated powder...don't need both IMO. Spray may sting for a moment, but then so might the powder sting momentarily. If you do this outside on the patio or in the garage (powdering) it won't be so messy.

Surgery should be the LAST resort, and anytime a vet recommends surgery (other than ER situation)I recommend getting that second opinion. It will only cost you about $40-50 for that second office visit and considering that surgeries run into the hundreds (or thousands) of dollars its worth getting that medical information as well as peace of mind for a fraction of the total cost of care.

As for cleaning, because he's still quite young (although understandably fidgety) you have a perfect situation to train him to allow you access to his butt area. It may help you quite a bit if someone is there to help distract him, perhaps by holding a teasp of peanut butter that he can lick off slowly, or feeding him some very small cheese tidbits, even a scrambled egg broken into small bits...

Anyway, start with a clean body (put him in the shower and using a hand-held wand, clean his entire butt/tail area using shampoo, gently fingers or even a squirt bottle with some diluted shampoo in it to get some around the entire tail area, up and down. Using your fingertips, try to get into that "pocket" and pull out loose hair, gunk, and anything else...don't be afraid of pulling out hairs, its okay. Then rinse well with tepid water (don't want to rinse his scrotum with hot water!) and again if you can't get all the soap out, using that squirt bottle with clean water, several times, until there appears to be no bubbles...use your fingertips gently to again get into the back of the pocket (hope you don't have very long fingernails...LOL). When you dry off the dog well, with towel, try to patt-dry the butt area but expect that you won't be able to get that tail pocket totally dry at first. If he will allow you to, try to get some soft tissue in there, or even a Q-tip or 2, to see if there's no pus. Don't be alarmed if there's a little blood...its quite irritated now and altho it may be startling to see blood, its really a very small amount, and superficial. Amount an hour later, when it more likey to be dry in that tail area, you can either use a cortisone spray OR Gold Bond medicated powder...don't need both IMO. Spray may sting for a moment, but then so might the powder sting momentarily. If you do this outside on the patio or in the garage (powdering) it won't be so messy.

I would use the meds and put some antibiotic onintment under his tail and hopefully that will clear up the infection. For regular tail pocket maintenance, I use a dry kleenex or cotton balls twice a week to clean the pocket. I try to keep it as dry as possible so I don't use things like baby wipes. I do a deep cleaning during baths and then of course dry it thoroughly.

I have a 6 year old with a deep pocket and tight tail. She has only had a couple of irritations over the years.

I would use the meds and put some antibiotic onintment under his tail and hopefully that will clear up the infection. For regular tail pocket maintenance, I use a dry kleenex or cotton balls twice a week to clean the pocket. I try to keep it as dry as possible so I don't use things like baby wipes. I do a deep cleaning during baths and then of course dry it thoroughly.

I have a 6 year old with a deep pocket and tight tail. She has only had a couple of irritations over the years.

I would like to thank everyone for there responses this has been a great help as earlier today I didn't know what direction to turn. I figured if my Vet said that surgery was needed then it was needed but after the responses I think if it clears up by next week i think I'll past on it and get in the habit of clean it one or twice a day. I knew the infections could happen but I didn't know that they could happen this fast and be that bad. That's the last thing I want is the little guy in pain! So please if anyone else has info on this please post it on this board and once again thank all of you for your time and your info it has been great.

Dev

I would like to thank everyone for there responses this has been a great help as earlier today I didn't know what direction to turn. I figured if my Vet said that surgery was needed then it was needed but after the responses I think if it clears up by next week i think I'll past on it and get in the habit of clean it one or twice a day. I knew the infections could happen but I didn't know that they could happen this fast and be that bad. That's the last thing I want is the little guy in pain! So please if anyone else has info on this please post it on this board and once again thank all of you for your time and your info it has been great.

Dev

One of my bulldogs tonka has a very tight tail. When he was a puppy he got a infection, and i took him to the vet, and they sold me the same story, it would always be a problem blah, blah. So after some research, i decided that i would try anything before surgery. So Twice a day, every day i do my cleaning, and for four years i have never had another problem! Don't get me wrong this is NOT a fun thing to do, but it's worth a try in my opinion. I have also heard many positive things about having it cut off, but i think any avoided surgeries is a good thing. Good luck, and please let me know how it goes.

One of my bulldogs tonka has a very tight tail. When he was a puppy he got a infection, and i took him to the vet, and they sold me the same story, it would always be a problem blah, blah. So after some research, i decided that i would try anything before surgery. So Twice a day, every day i do my cleaning, and for four years i have never had another problem! Don't get me wrong this is NOT a fun thing to do, but it's worth a try in my opinion. I have also heard many positive things about having it cut off, but i think any avoided surgeries is a good thing. Good luck, and please let me know how it goes.

i have a 7 year old bully with a super deep tail pocket. she's had a couple infections & this is what i do. wash it out as good as you can with a mild or antibacterial shampoo or soap. if possible, put him in the tub and if you have a hand held shower head, just hold it right up to his tail on lukewarm water temp. get all the gunk out gently with a soft cloth or just your finger. then, to make sure you get it TOTALLY dry, take a hair dryer with a cool setting & blow it dry. make sure it's cool & make sure you get it really dry in all the crevices. after that, there are several different things you can put in it to help heal it. if it's super bad, i usually leave it for a couple of days after cleaning it thoroughly, until it's not so raw & painful & then i use either gold bond medicated powder or if there's no open sores, malaseb. also, i use malaseb wipes or spray just for regular cleaning & maintenance. after it clears up, you should clean & dry it daily. i definitely wouldn't have surgery done on a pup that young for a tail infection, and now that you're aware of the issue, you can prevent it in the future or at least catch it before it gets too bad:) good luck!!

i have a 7 year old bully with a super deep tail pocket. she's had a couple infections & this is what i do. wash it out as good as you can with a mild or antibacterial shampoo or soap. if possible, put him in the tub and if you have a hand held shower head, just hold it right up to his tail on lukewarm water temp. get all the gunk out gently with a soft cloth or just your finger. then, to make sure you get it TOTALLY dry, take a hair dryer with a cool setting & blow it dry. make sure it's cool & make sure you get it really dry in all the crevices. after that, there are several different things you can put in it to help heal it. if it's super bad, i usually leave it for a couple of days after cleaning it thoroughly, until it's not so raw & painful & then i use either gold bond medicated powder or if there's no open sores, malaseb. also, i use malaseb wipes or spray just for regular cleaning & maintenance. after it clears up, you should clean & dry it daily. i definitely wouldn't have surgery done on a pup that young for a tail infection, and now that you're aware of the issue, you can prevent it in the future or at least catch it before it gets too bad:) good luck!!

do a cross-post and ask this same question on the General Forum. You would probably get more feedback regarding your question and how to keep your puppy's tail clean and free of infection.

do a cross-post and ask this same question on the General Forum. You would probably get more feedback regarding your question and how to keep your puppy's tail clean and free of infection.

I'm at work now, but if I get a chance I'll try and get a picture tonight if he let's me It is pretty sore for him right now kind of raw he has lost a bit of hair because of it also.. We are using a warm rag Duoxo Spray Gel and gold bond powder.

Dev

I'm at work now, but if I get a chance I'll try and get a picture tonight if he let's me It is pretty sore for him right now kind of raw he has lost a bit of hair because of it also.. We are using a warm rag Duoxo Spray Gel and gold bond powder.

Dev

if you posted a picture of the tail. How are you cleaning it currently?

Monday...........

if you posted a picture of the tail. How are you cleaning it currently?

Monday...........

Yes we have antibiotics and steroids he will be on them for a week until we get back from a wedding this next week. I think then he was going to re-look at it but it sounded like he wanted to do surgery and I thought that was kind of quick for a young puppy who has had this once. I just posted out here to see what other people thought and what way i should go. So Thank you onslowsmom and torn anymore info would be great.

Dev

Yes we have antibiotics and steroids he will be on them for a week until we get back from a wedding this next week. I think then he was going to re-look at it but it sounded like he wanted to do surgery and I thought that was kind of quick for a young puppy who has had this once. I just posted out here to see what other people thought and what way i should go. So Thank you onslowsmom and torn anymore info would be great.

Dev

I would hate to put them thru surgery if the infection can be healed.

Wouldn't they want it to heal anyway before operating?

Try as best you can everyday to get in there good and clean that pocket.

Monday...........

I would hate to put them thru surgery if the infection can be healed.

Wouldn't they want it to heal anyway before operating?

Try as best you can everyday to get in there good and clean that pocket.

Monday...........

try to use antibiotics and ointment first. the problem with most vets is that they are very quick to do surgery especially on bulldogs. most vets do not think very highly of bulldogs which is why it is very important to get a vet who knows the breed well. I have heard of vets telling people they should have their dogs nose wrinkle removed to prevent an infection. if I were you I would get a second opinion. On the homepage of this site there is a list of bulldog vets by state. maybe the infection is so bad surgery is required but I would not do it without a second opinion especially on a bully that young.

try to use antibiotics and ointment first. the problem with most vets is that they are very quick to do surgery especially on bulldogs. most vets do not think very highly of bulldogs which is why it is very important to get a vet who knows the breed well. I have heard of vets telling people they should have their dogs nose wrinkle removed to prevent an infection. if I were you I would get a second opinion. On the homepage of this site there is a list of bulldog vets by state. maybe the infection is so bad surgery is required but I would not do it without a second opinion especially on a bully that young.