Kinda sounds like you're getting irritated with me, but I completey understand your frustration. It broke my heart when I brought her home with me. It disgusted me, even though I've never owned an EB before in my life... I do know there are a lot of health issues with these dogs many of which can be crippling while being half Butt about the extra maintance. Personally, I do ALL of the research that I can before desiding to bring home a dog. I have brought one dog home of unknown heritage..thankfully he is a healthy boy, just a plain ol mutt dog. There are just some things you have to decide on whether or not a certain breed will fit into your lifestyle.

I'm gonna try some Tough Love like a previous suggester started :D I just have to tell her like it is. The dog needs a lot more than she was given.

I started her on Baytril last night :D I have a dog who is verrry allergic to EVERYTHING lol... I am like a darn dog pharmacy!!!

Hehe I have no problem with Tough Love... My personal dogs are a different Bully breed which you have to have a thicker skin towards people :D

Yes it is "filler free" I have her on Dick Van Pattens Limited Ingredients List, the fish formula. All of my dogs love the DVP. I will definitely keep ya'll up dated!

My dog was on a low dose...5mg twice daily, then the next week once daily then every other day to taper him off.

Mable is very fortunate to have someone like you to care for her.
Thanks for helping her out.
Is the food you are switching her to corn and wheat free?

good luck with her, and please keep us posted!

Thanks again for helping her

Tiffany and Stella

and seeing this suffering of a dog just irritates the $&^% outta me! Why do we sugar coat this crap? the dog DOES NOT belong back in the care of your Aunt. It is painfully obvious that if your Aunt gave a rats@ss we wouldn't have this thread. Now if your Aunts plate is so full that she can't care for the dog, then do the RIGHT thing and remove, forever, the dog from the home. Would you allow a child to stay in that environment? C'mon it isnt rocket surgery!! If hard feelings arise then, by god you can look at yourself in the mirror and know YOU did the right thing. I may come across as harsh, but i have seen the other side of the coin and how the animal suffers. J & T

and in most states it is illegal to neglect an animal that badly. The vet has seen the condition of the dog and would be a good place to start for an ally in telling your aunt that she will not be allowed to let that dog be neglected anymore. It is beyond a delicate situation and trying to spare anyone's feelings, the animal's life and well being is being jeapordized and there is no excuse for it to be allowed to happen again. If this dog was truly that special to your aunt then she should be thrilled to see her properly cared for. I do understand that it puts you in a horrible place and has the potential to ruin your relationship with your Aunt. If you can not take the dog away yourself then you should look into having someone like the ASPCA do it instead.

Cathy
when she first came home

she may need to get on a dose of BAYTRIL for the ear infection. You should get them swabbed to define, clearly, what is growing in there.

[IMG][/IMG]
Andrea, Ruby, Lola and Jigger
XXOO

Sounds like she just fell between the cracks of life... I'm so glad she has someone who can focus on her now

She cant take care of the dog properly so you will. She can visit but she has no business caring for the dog. Tough love. J & T

If she loves Mable then she will realise that she cannot take care of her any more and do the right thing and leave her with you where she will be taken care of all the time, good luck,

Thank you

put her on ketoconazole pills (you have to get that from teh vet). Having dealt a little with some of this yeast issue, my dog was put on that, pred to help open his ears, and baytril ear drops for the ear infection, and the ketochlor shampoo, and food change. And that helped tremendously. But I definately would see about the ketoconazole and stuff for the ears. Good luck!

I never knew it was in pill form. I do have Ketochlor shampoo, baytril, and some pred at home already. I hate pred. but if that's what it'll take I'll do it. Do you think it'll be safe? She's between 10-12 years old now.

I don't want to get nasty with her, but I will make it difficult for her to take her back... let her know the financial and time consuming responsibility that is now involved with keeping her Mable healthy and on this earth longer.

There's not a snow balls chance in the netherworld I will be reimbursed for any of this. I really don't care as long as mable gets healthy again. I really don't want to send her back.

If this is too much personal information, I appologise...

From an outsiders point of view... I honestly think the dog had been pushed aside a little when her second kid was born, a boy... he's almost eight years old now. A year or two after she had Collin, her husbands drug addictions became apparhent to the entire family and the animals in the home sat even further in the back of her mind. She really lost herself into keeping her family together, and didn't think about the dogs. As her husbands addictions became controlling of his life, it also became very demanding on her and her family. I'm ball parking this since I don't live with them, but I remember noticing Mable getting a little stiff about 4-5 years ago. When my aunt finally left her husband she moved into a 2nd floor apartment and was forced to have Mable stay with my grandmother. She stayed at my grandmas for a little over a year. While she was in my grandmas care she started packing on the pounds... table food, crappy dog food, and she wasn't encouraged to leave her crate. Her fur on her white legs and her fur on the white on her face started tinging (sp?) red. I went over and saw Mable basically in the same condition as she is in today with the exception of the eye infection. I made a promise to myself I'd get her on track. I went over to my grandmas twice a week treated her for her yeast issue, got some Gluco., and a new dog food for her. I told my grandma to feed the dogs seperate because Mable needed to lose weight... grandma was feeding Moist and Meaty along with the Publix brand dog food. My grandma couldn't bring herself to feed them seperately. I left one of the canisters of Malaseb with my grandma to wipe her on the days I wasn't able to come there. Grandma didn't wipe Mable either. I just can't believe that I gave them everything to fix this dog over a year ago and she's still in the same condition today. I was trimming her nails, giving her baths, cleaning her ears, nose rope(just found out that's what it's called from here!, feeding her. I just don't get it. I really think my aunt has become so self absorbed nothing matters... a fat dog is a happy dog. I am frustrated beyong belief... just because a dog wags her tail doesn't mean that she's happy that she can't walk more than 6 feet without getting out of breath and be in so much pain that she needs to rest.

How could anyone let their dog get into such a sad state?? what's the situation with getting her from your aunt (I'm new, out of the loop)? Is your aunt also a senior?

Poor Mable. I'm so glad she has you. How long do you have her for? I agree with everyone - try to find a way to keep that dog. At least she can enjoy whatever time she has left being taken care of properly

you need to tell your aunt that you are keeping her and if she tries to take her back you will go to the authorities, please take pictures of her so you can show your aunt how terrible she is, and also to keep track of her improvement, I aqm sorry if I sound harse, I just cannot stand when someone is neglegent with their pets.

put her on ketoconazole pills (you have to get that from teh vet). Having dealt a little with some of this yeast issue, my dog was put on that, pred to help open his ears, and baytril ear drops for the ear infection, and the ketochlor shampoo, and food change. And that helped tremendously. But I definately would see about the ketoconazole and stuff for the ears. Good luck!

she is lucky that you are helping her, sweet girl


MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue | www.midatlanticbulldogrescue.com
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I'm not saying she was obviously or intentionally abused, but this much neglect combined with gross obesity is neglect...no other word for it. See if your aunt will at least pay for some of her medication or her food and shampoo (basic maintainence) and I expect it will take 2-4mos to get this dog into shape, health and weight-wise. Start her on canine vitamins also, to help with immune system, coat, etc. This dog has been in need for over a year, to get as bad as you have described.

aww what a sweet girl. IDK why i didn't see your post before. I may have some Tresaderm at the house! Trust me, I have basically a dang dog pharmacy thanks to my highly allergic APBT! haha

I really hope so Pat. Mable has such a great spirit and outlook on life. She really doesn't deserve to be neglected like this again.

of all the meds this dogs needs and the maintence..
she might just change her mind about the care taker of the dog
and let you keep her
pooor baby
this is very sad to hear

I have used it on my senior bully's ears. But when she got an infected noserope, I asked the vet if I could use it since I had it on hand and he said it would work for that. I used it twice a day for a week and it's completely healed. Check out Tresederm with your vet, you may be able to use it for both her ears and folds...just keep it out of her eyes.

Bless you for helping this gal!!

Dawn


"Little Miss Betty Cuteface"
Toofie on the left, eyeball on the right.


Raven (prior to tripawd surgery) and Betty

Thank you Annie... Crap-o-la how long ago did the DVM Pharm. get shut down? This is the second product that I regularly carry around the house that has been discontinued

Douxo
http://www.entirelypets.com/douxochlorhexidinepspads.html

My vet recommended this since Malaseb is no longer available.

Good luck.....it certain is going to be a new year for that girl!

you can convince your aunt to let you keep this poor girl 'forever'! You are on the right track...great job!! This girl sounds like so many of the rescue intakes that we get. Hats off to you for stepping up, and taking charge of this sweet girl. It will take time for the new diet & meds to kick in & to see some progress but it will pay off. Hang in there. Update when you can. Sometimes people get overwhelmed and just let things get way out of control, maybe that is what happend here.

I really hope i can talk her into it. IDK if it will happen though, Mable has been her rock through her second childs birth all the way through her recent divorce. She did live in the lap of luxury in her first 5 or so years, but her priorities changed when she had her second child I think...as an outsider looking in on her situation.

Thank you for the suggestions... Not ever having an EB before,... what is the Vitamin C for? We always have yogurt around because my older dogs are fed raw, I'll start making her diet a little more tastey for her :D I thought about adding the green beans... Hopefully I'll have her for longer so the change in diet will continue to help her lose weight. You're right, she's not anywhere near ready for exercise. Well, I was thinking about dedicating on of my other dogs Kiddy pools as therapy... fill it half way with warm water and let her walk around in it. I know they can't swim, so i figured walking in water was the next best thing!

Haha I like the way you think... IDK if number three would apply in my situation though... I can't really "lose" mable... it's impossible, she's in so much pain she has to take a few steps and sit down.

I will use a combo of number 1 and number 2... if it doesn't work, I will just make the promise to mable that I'll visit her very often to take care of her medical needs.

I will not make excuses for my aunt and her lack of... concern/care. I completely agree, it breaks my heart to see how bad Mable has gotten.

I look forward to hearing what other meds you've used. I actually own American Bullies, as well as an APBT... my APBT is the most allergic dog who has walked the face of the earth. Thank god I only had to walk out of thats vets office with two prescriptions. We switched her off of Rimadyl and put her on Metacam so it'll be easier on her liver and kidneys, and i got a prescription to get the Adequan off of 1800 pet meds. I do have Baytril at home for my other dog, do you think i should just jump to it with that medicine? It is a whole heck of a lot more effective than the Zymox... i just figured to see if the smaller guns would work before pulling out the big ones.

period


MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue | www.midatlanticbulldogrescue.com
A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization

at all I guess you can approach it a few ways.
1. you can tell her you have fallen in love with the girl and are willing to do whatever it takes to take care of her health and involve your aunt in her life (that way maybe she won't feel like she is giving her up)

2. you can tell her exactly what the vet told you and see how she responds and ASK her why she has not done A, B and C to ensure she is not in pain.

3. If it were me (i'm kinda crazy about dogs though) if she resisted in giving the dog up I think while she was in my care I might just "lose" her (aka, contact reputable rescue that can ensure her health and happiness for the rest of her life)

I don't recommend 3, that's just what I'd do


MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue | www.midatlanticbulldogrescue.com
A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization

My boyfriend/husband (what ever you want to call him lol) and I talked about it when we brought her home. She is just in terrible shape all around.

you can convince your aunt to let you keep this poor girl 'forever'! You are on the right track...great job!! This girl sounds like so many of the rescue intakes that we get. Hats off to you for stepping up, and taking charge of this sweet girl. It will take time for the new diet & meds to kick in & to see some progress but it will pay off. Hang in there. Update when you can. Sometimes people get overwhelmed and just let things get way out of control, maybe that is what happend here.




http://norcalbulldogrescue.org

I completely understand this part. I really am at a loss on what to do for this old girl... I really don't want her to go back.

the only things i would add is 500mg of vit c two times a day.....i would either give yogurt or get some probitoics as the antibotics are going to ruin some good bacteria...
all you need to do is good hygiene which your doing....and lose some weight...exercise may not be ok if the joints ache... so some people like to add in green beans as a filler...apple pcs are good... i like to give carrots the baby ones....this helps her feel full...
but keep up the good work its just going to take time....and effort....

you're going to have to be very tactful.


I don't rescue animals because I want to feel better about myself, or morally superior to anyone. The best part of my life with animals is the humility they teach and the humanity the foster.
Jon Katz "Soul of a Dog"

Except Bella was severly underweight and thankfully doesn't have HD. It sounds like you are on the right track. I would suggest a chlorhexiderm shampoo and benadryl. The zymox helped Bellas ears but I eventually had to get another kind of drops from the Vet to completely knock out the infection. I don't recall the name and I'm at work and can't check and see. Did the Vet check for dry eye?

Also, I would cut back on her food and add some green beans to her diet. Good luck and thanks for helping her.

Not really trying to be rude but any dog that has overgrown nails, yeast infectins, ears swollen shut and is morbidly obese is a neglected dog. Your aunt either doesn't care or just doesn't bother. Send her a thank you note for the dog and tell her she can visit come visit.

Ooops Mods, I posted this in the wrong forum... could this be bounced over to the health forum?

The Zymox is for her ear infection, and the Neo-Poly-Bac is for her eye infection. I am going to pick up some saline for her dry eyes this evening. Yes, I started trimming her nails last night, but I had them finished at the vet. She's very good for grooming...she was pampered at one point in her life and was at the groomer every other week. Is it wrong of me to hope my aunt will realise she's not up to the challenge of finishing her treatment and lets me keep her?

Thank you for your concern, and I look forward to meeting and getting to know ya'll.

Hopefully you can keep her, terrible neglect.

Did you get her nails trimmed and is she on anything for her ears?

The change in food and general hygiene will help a lot, eye drops...

you have her on a lot of things at once so give it some time.


MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue | www.midatlanticbulldogrescue.com
A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization