Bully Breeds and Skin Sensitivity

[Pops2]

Originally Posted by SisMorphine

Skin problems are very common in all bully breeds. If it's around his eyes and groin it makes me think demodex, which is something that is usually made worse through food issues (so if he has to switch it up all the time then that isn't helping). Will the rescue have him vetted and have a skin scraping done?

this isn't true of wellbred bull breeds, wasn't a problem for Floyd Boudreaux, Maurice Carver, Alan Scott, Art Parker or Joe Painter. this is very common w/ crap bred extreme types like english, supersized johnsons & the blue & grey american bullies (gotti/razors edge/greyline).
thicker, healthier, stronger skin is a big consideration in using bullbreeds in crossbred hunting dogs.

[corky]

Foxy, thanks for the recipe and tips. I'll give it a shot.

[Chewbecca]

Originally Posted by Pops2

this isn't true of wellbred bull breeds, wasn't a problem for Floyd Boudreaux, Maurice Carver, Alan Scott, Art Parker or Joe Painter. this is very common w/ crap bred extreme types like english, supersized johnsons & the blue & grey american bullies (gotti/razors edge/greyline).
thicker, healthier, stronger skin is a big consideration in using bullbreeds in crossbred hunting dogs.

Actually...most short-haired breeds run the risk of sensitive skin.

Yes, good breeding helps, but the less hair to protect the skin, the more sensitive the skin can be.

[corky]

Originally Posted by Chewbecca

...the less hair to protect the skin, the more sensitive the skin can be.

As a breeder of Devon Rex cats for 10 years, this makes sense to me. Devons are often bare on their undersides and necks and they can have sensitive skin. It may simply be that the irritations are topical in both Devons and Bully breeds. I wonder what Corky might be touching that would irritate his skin. It could be blankets and laundry products, carpeting, floor cleaner, his crate, etc. I have allergies myself, so I can re-clean things he brought here and use gentler, unscented products.

[corky]

Yesterday he started taking liquid Benadryl and we switched his food from a chicken and rice formula to a duck and potato allergy food. Already he's getting better. I think it may have been the food, but we'll have to see how he is when the Benadryl stops.

[corky]

Whether we are dealing with an allergy or stress-induced mange, I wonder what we can do to soothe the raw skin around his eyes. One is quite sore because he scratched it so much. Can anyone suggest a product? All the things I've read about would be too irritating to put by his eyes. Thanks.

[corky]

His rescue group says that over the year he's had multiple food changes and his face never got so bad that he needed to see a vet. He's also moved to a number of foster homes and never flared up, either, so they don't think its stress-induced. They think the problem is with an environmental irritant.

I have severe allergy-induced asthma and my mom has multiple-chemical sensitivities, so our household cleaners are very mild and most are unscented. I rinse the floors after using Mr. Clean and I don't think I've mopped the floors very often over the holidays because we had so much going on. I can't have any air fresheners or perfumes in the house. Laundry soaps are unscented, etc.

The only thing I wonder about other about food are his toys. We bought him hockey balls to catch and a nylabone that he really likes to chew. Those may be new-to-him things that he could react to. Oh... and I've been feeding him raw carrots which are my dogs' favorite crunchy treat. Would shoving his face in the snow to find the ball (that he buried) irritate his eyes? *shrug*

He did let me put aloe vera around his eyes and seemed to enjoy that, so it must feel better.

We'll go to the vet with the rescue coordinator tomorrow or Tuesday.