FOR THE LOVE OF (BULL)DOG!
April 21, 2009-Do you know where they keep hemorrhoid cream at Target? Well, if you don't & you have a bully, you may want to find out! I didn't know where they kept it at the store until last week when I needed to buy some....for Doc!! Recently, Doc has gotten an interdigital cyst in one of his front paws. It is basically a blocked gland which could be caused by an ingrown hair, or in Doc's case, I think it's a way for a food allergy to present itself.
The cysts are painful to him & what he wants to do all the time is lick them!! This is exactly what he SHOULDN’T be doing. I've tried giving him epsom salt soaks in the tub....he doesn't mind them & just stands there while I clean his folds or ears...he's such a mellow fellow!! After soaking in the epsom salt, you need to pat dry the paws completely. Well, this little remedy didn't work.
So I went on to the next at home remedy which brings us to the hemorrhoid cream! Seriously, it helps dry out the cyst. I've read to use it on the cyst 3 times a day for 3 days. And guess what? After the first day, Doc was sitting in the sun & it burst open! Blood everywhere...poor thing. Thankfully he allowed Steve to clean it up & I used some witch hazel (which is also used in hemorrhoid wipes by the way) to help clean it up, followed by more hemorrhoid cream. It has gotten a lot better & he even has gone on walks, which were too painful for him to go more than one house away. After our walks I make sure to clean the paws & use the cream & then again before bed. Surprisingly, he doesn't lick the cream so that's good!!
Of course I have stopped giving him the food I think that trigged the allergy & everyday the paw does look better. With bullies, you just never know what human product you will need on hand!! First Zyrtec & now hemorrhoid cream!!
Here's a photo of his paw before it popped. I don't have one after, but when I get one, I'll be sure to post it for comparison:
I'm sure this is much more information than you wanted to know about hemorroid cream, but hey, chalk it up to learning something new everyday!!
April 12, 2009-It was a great spring weekend here in Minnesota! The bullies & I spent a lot of time outside on the deck! Doc just loved laying in the sun & Vivi just loved watching all the people & cars go by! Howie, well Howie was his usual investigative self & ran into a bee!! The one & only bee I saw all weekend and of course Howie had to find it! I still don't know if he got stung for sure but when we were on the deck, I saw him sniffing around the house & then he shook his head & ran to the other side of the deck. At first I thought it was a spider because I just saw something move and it had long legs (you know those bees that have a regular bee body, but super long legs & wings??)...but then I saw it was a bee! YIKES!!
It's scary when dogs get stung by bees because if they get stung in the mouth, the dog's tongue can swell up, causing their airway to be cut off & they can suffocate. This happened to Howie's dad, Jack, last summer! And it can happen fast, very fast! So as soon as I saw it was a bee, I went over to Howie. He was drooling (which is rare for him), so I figured he got stung! I quickly ran into the house, grabbed an allergy pill (Zyrtec--yep, the human OTC kind) & a bit of a banana (he LOVES banana's & I needed to get him to take the pill ASAP)!! I went outside to him & gave him the pill/banana cocktail. He took it with no problems. Of course I just sat there staring at him....and waiting...watching his every move. I decided to give him another pill just to be sure, plus an ice cube in case there was any swelling....not sure if that would really help, but he liked it & it made me feel better.
Thankfully, he had no signs of being bit in his mouth...however, he does have a pink mark on his chin....so I'm guessing he got stung in the chin...but who knows...it could be a mark from him & Vivi playing (they tend to go after each other's jaws---it's a bully thing) or it could be a zit (no kidding)....so while I'm not sure he did actually get stung by the bee, I'm glad I knew what to do to try to help him!
April 6, 2009-Vivi's first show was this weekend in Eau Claire, WI. We had a great time! Drove each day, so it was a mighty early wake up for both of us; but Vivi did great in the car rides! She got to meet her half-sister Bailey & they would take turns watching each other in their kennels! So cute! I thought Vivi did great in the ring! She only sat during the down & back, as opposed to when on the ramp too (which is what I was expecting). However, the little stinker did NOT go up the ramp either day! I was so surprised because we had even practiced Friday night & there was NO problem!! Haha!! What a silly little girl.
What I was most impressed with was her demeanor while we were waiting outside the ring. It was a very small space & there were LOTS of dogs & people. I was getting a little freaked when I had dogs sitting on me & even poor Vivi!! I did mention it was crowded right? Well, she took it all in stride. She even tried to play with a Pointer's tail that was wagging near her!! Never once did she cower or bark or anything. She's a very mellow little girl! I'm very proud of her!! That was a lot to take in & then to still do what I wanted her to do in the ring? Amazing!
Needless to say she was very, very tired after our early mornings & car rides! Vivi's new photo on the top of her page is her "After Show" look...sweet thing!
It was a lot of fun & I am looking forward to more shows this spring & summer! My good friend Mary was able to take some photos while waiting to bring Bailey in the ring. I'm so thankful to have photos of Vivi's first show! I've posted a few on Vivi's page & then our favorite below. Thanks again Mary!
April 1, 2009-Thanks Jess for the suggestion of changing the order of these posts! Hopefully people will find it helpful! :0)
April 1, 2009-Yay! Howie's page is here!! His was a lot easier to do than Ollie's, which I knew it would be. While it was hard to put down in words Ollie's story, it felt good to have it out there. Vivi and I continue to work on her stacking & ramping (err--is that a word??) this week. Just a few more days until her first show!!
March 31, 2009-Thanks to everyone who has signed the guest book! It's fun to know that the site is being looked at.
March 26, 2009-Today, I set up a forum for Blue Line Bulldogs. I'm not really sure where I'll go with it, but thought it may be fun. Here is the link:http://myforum.bluelinebulldogs.com/ Vivi had her first conformation class tonight! She did pretty well. It was nice because it was a really small class...as in us & my friend Dawn & her bully Jayda! Next week we will be working on the ramp! Have to get Vivi all set for next week's show!!
March 24, 2009-This quite the learning experience! Everyday I keep changing my mind on what will/won't be on the site. Thanks for visiting!
March 22, 2009- Well here it is, the beginning of Blue Line Bulldogs! We're excited to see what the future brings with our bullies & what I can do with this website! Please bare with me in the mean time.
