English Bulldog Moskito Nightmare

[VespaSeeker]

Hi , I have a fantastic 5 month old English bulldog , but he`s having a nightmare with what i am sure are moskito bites , i cant understand it as i keep him inside most of the time now except for when i take him into the yard for playing or when we go for walks , if it was just 1 or 2 bites then maybe i could understand it ,but he is constantly covered in them ,were talking dozens & dozens ,i have tried one herbal spray from the Pet Shop on 3rd road but it didn`t seem to help at all and i actually thought it might be causing a skin problem as the lumps seemed to get bigger .Has anybody had the same problem ,can anyone recomend any sprays they have tried ,or any other advice would be great , thanks .

[Nienke]

If your dog has such skin problems, maybe better to have your dog checked at the vet. It can be that he's dealing with demodectic mange or a secondary bacterial infection.

Also when a dog is dealing with such problems it is an indication the immune system is not working to its fullest. A dog with a good immune system is not that bothered by mosquito bites.

First thing I would look at is the diet. You don't mention what you give your dog, but if it is any of the dog foods you can get at the supermarket, then I suggest to change to a high quality dog food. More too often I have noticed a considerable improvement of skin and coats of those dogs just by changing from a low quality to a high quality diet.

Wish you good luck with your dog.

Nienke

[Cuban]

...5 month old English bulldog , but he`s having a nightmare with what i am sure are moskito bites... ....i keep him inside most of the time now except for when i take him into the yard for playing or when we go for walks , if it was just 1 or 2 bites then maybe.... ...but he is constantly covered in them.... ....i actually thought it might be causing a skin problem as the lumps seemed to get bigger....

Our puppies (3 months) had something similar a month ago, less red than a mosquito bite on a human with a slight yellow (pus) head. The spots appeared on their belly, nowhere else. No evidence of fleas or flea stool (small black specks) or any other bugs. We have another older dog which did not show any similar marks.

A trip to the vets solved the problem with a little of their experiance and questioning of my wife. It appears that the cleaning fluid that my OH had been using to clean the floors was causing a reaction to their young skin.

They have been on anti-histamine tablets for a few weeks and those areas they sleep are not cleaned with the cleaning fluid.

Also we have avoided the use of shampoos when washing them, water only until the marks clear up.

HTH.

[Nienke]

Our puppies (3 months) had something similar a month ago, less red than a mosquito bite on a human with a slight yellow (pus) head. The spots appeared on their belly, nowhere else. No evidence of fleas or flea stool (small black specks) or any other bugs. We have another older dog which did not show any similar marks.

3 months old pups, and just received their vaccines?

Pus pimples on their belly/abdomen is a typical symptom of the distemper virus. In other words, the pups developed a light form of distemper from the vaccines. You have been very lucky it didn't develop in the full-blown disease.

Nienke

[sbk]

Actually, my adult dogs get those regularly Neinke. Could be bites from the little red biting ant (mot kun) that lives in the ground and whose bite burns like heck. At least, I know for a fact that is what causes my dog's small pus filled bites on their stomachs as I've seen them get bitten and develop the pimple.

[Nienke]

I've seen it several times now in distemper dogs, plus that last year two of three pups developed these symptoms after their vaccination, followed by the full-blown disease. Later on I had another pup that developed distemper after her vaccination.

Vaccines aren't as safe as one wants us to believe, there is no 100% guarantee for protection, and there are loads of (unnoticed, unrecognized and unreported) side-effects.

Also just vaccinated dogs do shed the virus for a few weeks (don't remember for how long), and thus are an increased risk for other dogs.

In the States they just started with a research on the rabies vaccines. They want to test how long the vaccine gives antibodies and based on the results change the protocol for the vaccination to every 5 or 7 years in stead of every year or every 3 years. It is led by the top veterinary immunologists in the world, Dr. Schultz and Dr Dodds. Reason for the research are the so many (harmfull) side-effects of the vaccine. Google Rabies Challenge Fund.

In France already such a research has been done. Don't remember with vaccines, but the results were protection for upto 5 years. And thus annual vaccination is not necessary and even harmfull to the animal.

Nienke

[Cuban]

3 months old pups, and just received their vaccines? Nienke

I assure you that is not the case. The vet has their full history and were vaccinated at six weeks.

NPW hospital has their full histories and ruled out any illness or infection with skin test etc.

Stopped using the cleaning fluid and the marks faded away.

[VespaSeeker]

If your dog has such skin problems, maybe better to have your dog checked at the vet. It can be that he's dealing with demodectic mange or a secondary bacterial infection.

Also when a dog is dealing with such problems it is an indication the immune system is not working to its fullest. A dog with a good immune system is not that bothered by mosquito bites.

First thing I would look at is the diet. You don't mention what you give your dog, but if it is any of the dog foods you can get at the supermarket, then I suggest to change to a high quality dog food. More too often I have noticed a considerable improvement of skin and coats of those dogs just by changing from a low quality to a high quality diet.

Wish you good luck with your dog.

Nienke

Cheers Nienke , i took him to the vets 1st thing this morning and the Vet does think its a skin problem of some kind and not moskitos as i thought ,anyway he gave Mr Mustard a shot and some tablets and has sugested i change his food if it doesn`t clear up in a week ,so hopefully all will be well next week and i will get him some better quality food today. Thanks again

[VespaSeeker]

...5 month old English bulldog , but he`s having a nightmare with what i am sure are moskito bites... ....i keep him inside most of the time now except for when i take him into the yard for playing or when we go for walks , if it was just 1 or 2 bites then maybe.... ...but he is constantly covered in them.... ....i actually thought it might be causing a skin problem as the lumps seemed to get bigger....

Our puppies (3 months) had something similar a month ago, less red than a mosquito bite on a human with a slight yellow (pus) head. The spots appeared on their belly, nowhere else. No evidence of fleas or flea stool (small black specks) or any other bugs. We have another older dog which did not show any similar marks.

A trip to the vets solved the problem with a little of their experiance and questioning of my wife. It appears that the cleaning fluid that my OH had been using to clean the floors was causing a reaction to their young skin.

They have been on anti-histamine tablets for a few weeks and those areas they sleep are not cleaned with the cleaning fluid.

Also we have avoided the use of shampoos when washing them, water only until the marks clear up.

HTH.

Hmmmm excactly the same spots on Mr Mustard as you describe , and i clean my floors daily with a chemical cleaner , i will just wash the areas where he lies in water from now on and see how we get on ,thanks for your help, really appreciate it .

[mangotogo]

Hi,

not sure if it is your photo technique but it seems that the hair on the left front leg in the front of the humerus (the front part of the elbow area) looks like more sparse. Tat is a common spot for demodectic mange: inherited form the mother and usually shows up at this age. Immunological stress is oftn implicated. Your vet should do a skin scraping to find the parasites and look under the microscope.

I won't do into the treatment part. Get it checked first.

Can be easy or disaster depending on the animal's response.

PS: I used to have a buldog and he would often stick his tongue out like this....gives them a not too smart look...but cute! Beauty is a relative thing...

[VespaSeeker]

Hi,

not sure if it is your photo technique but it seems that the hair on the left front leg in the front of the humerus (the front part of the elbow area) looks like more sparse. Tat is a common spot for demodectic mange: inherited form the mother and usually shows up at this age. Immunological stress is oftn implicated. Your vet should do a skin scraping to find the parasites and look under the microscope.

I won't do into the treatment part. Get it checked first.

Can be easy or disaster depending on the animal's response.

PS: I used to have a buldog and he would often stick his tongue out like this....gives them a not too smart look...but cute! Beauty is a relative thing...

Hi mangotogo , thanks for your info , if your refering to the darker looking hair just above the white of his paw then its just that he was wet from sitting in his bath i put out for him everyday after our morning walk . As this is my 1st dog i`m still learning and i am not sure what demodectic mange is but i will google it and find out , i am a little worried about some hairloss on his back so i am going to take him back to the vets tomorow .

The medication i got for him from the vet for what i thought were moskito bites ( but were not ) has worked great and he is spot free now ,and also since i have stopped using a chemical cleaner for the floors and switched to a herbal one my gf sells in our shop the little red spots on his belly have cleard up nicely as well . So thanks to you and everybody for there help and advice so far ,Mr Mustard is certainly a lot happier and healthier looking now. And as for the tongue thing he just loves doing it , he never puts it away !!

[onnut]

Hi VespaSeeker

My dog Buster had some hair loss and I changed the shampoo which made a huge difference.

Buster is looking for a mate , she has got to be in the Bangkok or Pattaya area. if there is anyone that can help please pm me.

[VespaSeeker]

Hi VespaSeeker

My dog Buster had some hair loss and I changed the shampoo which made a huge difference.

Buster is looking for a mate , she has got to be in the Bangkok or Pattaya area. if there is anyone that can help please pm me.

Hi Onnut , yes i have got some new shampoo for Mustard from the vets and i got some better food for him aswell , i was looking for the Science diet stuff but the Vet talked me into Royal Canine which he says is better so i`m giving it a try . As for the mate thing i might know a thai lady who has a female bully ,i will try and talk with her and get back to you if have any success . Cheers

[onnut]

Hi VespaSeeker

My dog Buster had some hair loss and I changed the shampoo which made a huge difference.

Buster is looking for a mate , she has got to be in the Bangkok or Pattaya area. if there is anyone that can help please pm me.

Hi Onnut , yes i have got some new shampoo for Mustard from the vets and i got some better food for him aswell , i was looking for the Science diet stuff but the Vet talked me into Royal Canine which he says is better so i`m giving it a try . As for the mate thing i might know a thai lady who has a female bully ,i will try and talk with her and get back to you if have any success . Cheers

Thank you, I am not looking to make any money out of Buster for mating, but would not say no to one of his pups.

[mangotogo]

Hi,

when you do a dietary change to see if the skin problem is due to an allergy to some components of the food: you need to give it 2 months before you make an assessment. It can take that long for allergens( item causing the allergy) to be eliminated from the system.

I mentioned demodectic mange with your dog because he appears to be around 6/9 months of age: it is like hitting puberty in humans and the stresses cause the mites ( found on most dogs) to multiply and cause problems.

Just another point: humans have similar mites in their eyelids. Never a problem unless you become HIV or immunosuppressed: then they multiply.

Demodectic mange is not contagious from dog to dog ( not like sarcoptic mange). The pups get the mites from their mother in the first couple of weeks at birth. The bitch is stressed by the pregnancy and lactation: the mites multiply and are transmitted to the pups when they nurse: they are not immunocompetent at that age. That's why you often see the frst signs of demodectic mange on the feet or the muzzle in pups.

Good luck with the diet change, if it is an allergy it can be frustrating. You control but rarely cure an allergic condition.

[VespaSeeker]

Hi,

when you do a dietary change to see if the skin problem is due to an allergy to some components of the food: you need to give it 2 months before you make an assessment. It can take that long for allergens( item causing the allergy) to be eliminated from the system.

I mentioned demodectic mange with your dog because he appears to be around 6/9 months of age: it is like hitting puberty in humans and the stresses cause the mites ( found on most dogs) to multiply and cause problems.

Just another point: humans have similar mites in their eyelids. Never a problem unless you become HIV or immunosuppressed: then they multiply.

Demodectic mange is not contagious from dog to dog ( not like sarcoptic mange). The pups get the mites from their mother in the first couple of weeks at birth. The bitch is stressed by the pregnancy and lactation: the mites multiply and are transmitted to the pups when they nurse: they are not immunocompetent at that age. That's why you often see the frst signs of demodectic mange on the feet or the muzzle in pups.

Good luck with the diet change, if it is an allergy it can be frustrating. You control but rarely cure an allergic condition.

Hi mangotogo , thanks for that , i will take all that on board and obviously i`ll keep an eye on him over the next month or so , but he has improved hugely already ,he finished his medication from the vets and has been on the new food for a few days now with no extra snacks and he looks great , no spots anywhere of any kind and his coat looks much better ,even to the touch is a huge improvement ,before his hairs were very dry and felt britle but now he feels soft and much smoother .

You are right about his age bye the way he nearly 5 and a halve months . I was going ask one question about snaks for him , my vet told me not too give him any but surely one at lunchtime would be ok ( i feed him about 7am and 6-7pm ) i read on the internet that they love frozen carrots , would it be ok to try these with him ? Or can anybody suggest something better ? ( cost not a problem ) .

Thanks

[bina]

divide his mealtime kibble into portions; half he gets as a meal, and the other half he gets thruout the day as 'snacks'. when u finish the portion for the snacks, that is the end of the food for his meal for the day.... a good way to keep his weight equalized and u feeling like u are giving him snacks...

bina