I could be overreacting....

Submitted by nikkibee on October 2, 2012 - 8:52pm

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Hi all, I am a first time bulldog owner and I've had my puppy, Royce, for about 3 weeks. He's 3 months old today. Before we settled on chooseing the bread I did my homework and read up on all the possible health issues that could arise. We took Royce to the vet within the first 72 hours of bringing him home, it was then when we found out that he had coccidia. He was put on meds and I supplied the vet with a new sample on Thursday. Friday morning they called and said the poor guy still had it. It rattled me, his tummys all upset so we're focued on getting that all cleared up. Last night I really noticed that Royce honestly sounded like a coffee maker perculating. He wretches, coughs, and pants like crazy. He's also drinking sooo much water. He goes crazy in his crate at night because hes so thirsty. The nosises are really scaring me, but I dont know if these are normal bulldog noises. Ive been scouring the web and I think I may have done more harm than good, Im even more worried now. I dont want to look like a crazy pet parent. Any thoughts would be appreciate! Thank you!!

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Does your vet see a lot of bulldogs?

Submitted by Kathy Chester N... on October 2, 2012 - 9:57pm.

If not, there is a list of vets by state on the home page. How long has the coughing been going on? Maybe he picked up some kennel cough at the vets? What meds is he on for the coccidia ? Hope you get to the bottom of it, I'm sure he's adorable.

My vet

Submitted by nikkibee on October 2, 2012 - 10:49pm.

I don't think she sees lot's of bulldogs, but I could be totally wrong. When I got Royce he was so skinny, you could see his ribs and hip bones, I changed his food and he put on a pound in a litter over a week. So he went from 9 pounds to 10. The vet said the dosage was too low for a 10 pound dog.He always grumbled like an old man, he fell asleep in my arms on our way home after we got him and boom yup he was totally snoring. I really noticed it last night, even my neighbor mentioned he sounded funny. My mom took him to a pet store where he could have picked it up, I took him to the groomer at the vet so he could have goten something there. And he's a verry social dog, he loves other dogs and hes super submisive, he just rolls over and lets them lick and sniff him. So he could have picked it up there. Oh yeah and he's got that puppy habit of eating EVERYTHING, you dont want to know the number of times I've seen him chewing on something outside and fished a cigarette butt out of his mouth. I feel like i should quarantine him untill he gets his last round of shots and we get the all clear that the coccidia is all gone. Im for sure going to take him in to the vet tomorrow after work. You guys have been amazing, thanks!! Royce thanks you too :)

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Yes, he definitely could have picked up something...

Submitted by Kathy Chester N... on October 3, 2012 - 8:25am.

Our vet and breeder always told us to not take a pup out in public before all shots were finished. I would have him checked for a respiratory infection or possibly pneumonia. One piece of advice, don't let them give the rabies shot until he's 7 or 8 months old and completely recovered. That one is really hard on their immune system.

My advice is to trust your

Submitted by Vern-Rory-Teresa on October 2, 2012 - 10:12pm.

My advice is to trust your instincts - if you think something is wrong, it might be a good idea to take your baby to an emergency vet.

I can tell you from experience that things can go very wrong very quickly, I lost an adult foster boy within 48 hours because I didn't realize how serious his breathing issues were.....I wish I would've followed my instincts 12 hours earlier.

Good luck - I hope your baby recovers fully and quickly

Cooper had coccidia as a puppy

Submitted by tiffscooper on October 3, 2012 - 12:47am.

I remember him being very lethargic . He slept a lot more than usual, and he also was hardly eating or drinking. I agree with the other posts and would trust your own instincts, especially when the chest and lungs are concerned . If your vet is a good bulldog vet they should understand your worries since you are a new bulldog mom :) !!! Good luck and keep us posted :)

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Thanks so much

Submitted by nikkibee on October 3, 2012 - 8:24am.

Thank you guys for your responses. It's the guidance and support I totally need. We're off to the vet today at 5 and it couldn't come sooner. More symptoms keep popping up. I'm starting to think he has ear mites. He's got the brown crust in his ears, he's always itching them and he's started rubbing his head on the ground. He's going to really hurt himself because he'll scrape the side of his head on the pavement when were out for walks. He also started urinating all the time. Today it was 4 times within the hour. He was for sure the runt of his litter and I'm starting to worry he's going to have life long health issues. But hopefully it's just a bump in the road and we'll get him back to 100% and he'll just be a regular old bully. I will keep you posted :) thanks again so much to everyone. I really really really appreciate it. And your bully's are the cutest!!!

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when gracie was a puppy....

Submitted by gracie the queen on October 3, 2012 - 9:44am.

I thought the same exact thing as you....I had to take her to the vet so many times the first few months we had her that I thought she was going to have big time health issues. but, she is completley fine now and has no major health issues. Although she does have typical bulldog things - allergy, skin issues, runny watery eyes....but that is normal in the bulldog world. I would definitely better be safe than sorry and take him to the vet. I hope everything works out!

So the results are in

Submitted by nikkibee on October 3, 2012 - 5:49pm.

We just got back form the vet and here's the laundry list. He's got mites in his ears, a uti, and a respiratory infection, ontop of coccidia. The little trooper. He's on amoxicillin for the infections and surolan for the ears. Thanks for all the advice!

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Poor baby...

Submitted by Kathy Chester N... on October 4, 2012 - 9:29pm.

Hope he feels better soon!

You are seriously lucky that you got him to your vet.

Submitted by AmyandSophia on October 8, 2012 - 10:16pm.

I am glad you got him right in. A respiratory infection could become very bad very fast without treatment. Glad he is on some good meds and will be on the mend soon.

I found it better to just keep my dogs at home for the most part. I always will know I have them vaccinated and safe, but don't ever know when someone else might have a dog they have not had vaccinated and it can pass along anything. Better safe than sorry with our Bullies!

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Amy and Sophia