From the Lists

	*A Word of Warning* by Beatrice
I came close to losing my precious Bertha last week and want to share this with the list for others to learn from. Because we live in Central Florida, I am constantly aware of the dangers of heatstroke from our hot temperatures. I exercise Bertha in the early mornings and late afternoons/early evenings. I do not let her outside during the heat of the day and she is never outside unattended for more than 5-10 minutes. I thought we were "safe" from heatstroke if we avoided excessive temperatures and exertion. I did not realize that an allergic reaction could trigger heatstroke. . I am aware that Bertha has sensitive skin and that she occasionally breaks out in a rash from crawling around on the grass. It is obvious that the rash is a contact allergy from the grass or something on the grass (fertilizer or weed killer or pesticide) because the rash is confined to her belly, chest, inner thighs and the inside of her forearms and it only appears after she's been outside. Her first reaction was about a year ago when she broke out in a patchy rash on her underside and scratched all night long, so created some really tender areas, but had no other symptoms. I took her to the vet that next morning and he gave her a shot of cortisone and the rash cleared up. Since then, I have made a habit of washing off her underside when she comes in from outside and if I see any areas that look pinkish, I put Gold Bond medicated cream on them and we have kept it under control...until last week. . Last week I let Bertha out in the yard at about 4:30 in the afternoon. After 10 minutes I went to the door and called her. She normally comes charging in like a cannonball when called, but not this time. I stepped outside and called her again, then saw her about 75 yards away taking a snail's pace step or two in my direction. Her sides were heaving. As I raced over to her, I thought, "My God, this looks like heatstroke, but how could that be?" Her breathing was very labored and loud as she tried to suck in air. I scooped her up and ran to the pool and jumped in with her. I noticed that her whole underside looked like raw hamburger meat. I then grabbed a towel, called the vet to say Bertha was in trouble, threw her in the car and raced for the vet who fortunately is only 2 minutes from my house. Upon arrival at the vet's, Bertha's temp. was 105 degrees. Doc gave her a shot of cortisone and a shot of valium, then we put her in the tub there and ran cold water over her. After 5 minutes, her temp was down to 102 and she gradually returned to normal. Doc said that heatstroke can be brought on by the stress and fever associated with an allergic reaction which is something that had never occurred to me, so I just wanted to warn others to be aware of such a possibility. . Bertha is just fine. The redness and puffiness had dissipated by the next day. Fortunately, we have 5 different areas of fenced in yard, one of which is a good-sized river rock garden, so that is now the only area Bertha will be allowed in by herself. . Offered by a bulldogx-l list member, reprinted with permission.

	*Added to Words of Warning* by Bekki
It is very scary, and anyone with a bully or any kind of dog for that matter needs to know the signs and what to do. . Also, an allergic reaction can happen in an instant. My bully, Petunia, was stung by a bee and thank goodness nothing really happened. My vet told me to be very careful, that the next time could be different. She was stung again about 2 weeks later and almost instantly went into convulsions. I'm only about 1 mile from my vet and with help, was able to get her to him in time. She was never allowed out again in bee season by herself. . As far as insecticides used in treating your yard, be very careful. Even though our lawn service claimed that it was safe for pets, Bruno ended up with welts all over his body, not life threatening, but alarming to say the least. . Years ago, we had a pet schnauzer. He became very ill, ended up having to have 8 blood transfusions. We lost the dear little fellow anyway about 10 months later. He died from lead arsenic poisoning that the lawn service used to kill grubs. . We now live with lots of weeds and a not so picturesque lawn, but my bullies don't get sick from a lawn service spraying their harmless treatments. . Offered by a bulldogx-l list member, reprinted with permission.

	*Thyroid or Aloepoecia* by Ann
Thyroid - The thyroid is very small in the bulldog so it is rather common for bulldogs to have borderline thyroid problems. There is no cure but, after testing at a competent Vet, the Vet prescribes .01 Siloxine (NO GENERICS) for every 10 pounds of the dogs weight. The pill is divided up and give twice a day. Otherwise, the dog will have times of the day when they still have "low" thyroid production. The LEAST amount of Siloxine given is usually .08mg per day (pill is divided in half and given morning and evening). It must be given for the rest of the dog's life. . Aloepoecia - This is hair loss that is "non-specific" in cause. The dog loses its hair in a "mirror-like" pattern and, usually, does not get it back. Sometimes, if the hair loss is caused by some stressful situation, it will return gradually over a period of time. . Offered by a bulldogfx list member, reprinted with permission.