Postings by Ch. Luke

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Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Sat Nov 10, '12 3:09pm PST  I'm gonna contradict Louie and Nina here. Having dealt with Frenchies since 1980, I need to point out that steroids are a critical component in ANY dog's recovery from a disk/spine issue. Without them, not only does the swelling in the disk not decrease, it actually INCREASES due to the reaction of the nerves and muscles to the pain. If not given immediately, this swelling can and WILL lead to permanent paralysis!!! There are three critical steps in dealing with spinal injury in dogs (and people, too, I write from experience!!!) The first is steroids... usually injection followed by decreasing oral doses daily. Second is muscle relaxants to relieve the muscle spasms which continue to create swelling (and risk of paralysis), and the third is COMPLETE cage rest. The dog needs to be carried out to relieve itself and carried back inside to the crate. ANY walking carries the risk of permanent paralysis. Waiting out a suspected spinal or disk injury is playing Russian roulette with your dogs future health...the sooner the steroids are started, the better the chances of complete recovery. Lukie had about one spinal issue per year. His problem area was a disk in his neck, and his first sign of trouble was to hold one front leg straight out and scream. My vet was so convinced in the IMMEDIATE use of steroids that I always had an injection of dex to give at the first symptom, before I even took him to the vets. His "confinement" was normally three weeks, and fortunately, with this treatment proticol he ALWAYS recovered fully and we were able to avoid surgery. In my own case, my physican tried several times to treat my back with just muscle relaxants and pain pills. They didn't do a thing, if there was any relief, it was temporary and the pain and numbness of my leg started right up again as soon as I stopped taking them. With the addition of just TEN DAYS of steroids, I was completely cured until the next time I did something stupid, usually at least a year or more down the road. Of course, in the case of the OP, NONE of us are vets and we can't even observe the dog so calling a spinal issue is certainly NOT up to us... this dog needs to see a vet immediately, IMO! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Sun Oct 21, '12 4:41am PST  IMO, MOST of the issues like this bulldog can be blamed on the breeders/sellers not educating the puppy buyers. I do believe more than 75% of these buyers got the dog on impulse, either directly from a BYB OR from a pet store, NEITHER of which did one iota of education when it comes to potential health issues with the breed. Furthermore, had these buyers done some research, most likely they could have ended up with a healthy dog from a reputable breeder instead of something cranked out just for profit. Just yesterday I got emails from THREE owners who had purchased Frenchies from me...the youngest was 10 years old, the oldest 13. NOT ONE of these dogs has health issues and these people were calling inquiring about adding another Frenchie to their family. They WERE educated and knew that WHERE you get your dog is more important than how much you spend, and they all knew what to look for in terms of prebreeding testing, etc. Had the above bulldog owners been educated about health issues perhaps they would have ended up with a healthy dog. Not all bulldogs have eye/ear issues if responsible breeding practices are followed. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Dog Health > Opinions on MRI.. treatment for back problems

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Sat Sep 8, '12 6:02am PST  Lukie had frequent episodes with back issues and was treated immediately with crate rest, steroids, and muscle relaxants. I was warned repeatedly that each instance could be the one that caused complete paralysis, so we had the drugs on hand to start the second he was in pain. The surgery was out of the question for me financially, but fortunately, with immediate injection of steroids and the cage rest, he always recovered fully. The MRI can be done at any point because it will indicate the vertebrae in question whether in an acute phase or not. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > Differences between French Bulldogs and Boston terriers?

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Thu Aug 30, '12 5:33pm PST  I will definitely agree about the dog aggression part. Also, the exercise tolerance. Frenchies are pretty much done in with a sedate walk around the block, assuming the temperature is between 45 and 65. Any higher or lower and they are in trouble. They were basically bred to be an indoor companion to the people in the home. As such, they are PERFECT, but for an all around, active outdoorsy dog the majority leave much to be desired. I have had Frenchies for about 30 years and have had TWO that I considered doggy dogs, (Lukie was one of them)... they both could and did swim, hike, and otherwise participate in outside activities. The rest either wouldn't or couldn't. Almost all my Frenchies are good with one other dog of the opposite sex but are more than willing to fight with same sex or in a group of three or more. Why do I love them???? They make me laugh, they entertain me, and they ARE great indoor companions!!! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > French Bulldog

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Wed Aug 22, '12 1:43pm PST  This is our very, very favorite Frenchie rescue and they do a great job! http://frenchbulldogvillage.net/ my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Wed Aug 22, '12 12:07pm PST  I know with Frenchies and other breeds with undershot bites that they often lose the bottom incisors. My vets say it is because of the lack of pressure on the teeth causing a failure of the tissue to stay strong and hold the teeth in place since they do not meet the top teeth. Supposedly lots of bone chewing and tugging is supposed to help keep that tooth holding tissue stronger and healthier. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Choosing the Right Dog > Scruffy's Wisdom Panel results!!

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Tue Aug 14, '12 4:26am PST  FRENCH BULLDOG????????? my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Service & Therapy Dogs > Service dog shots done by owner?

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Sun May 20, '12 6:12am PST  Just to add... I have had TWO dogs go into anaphlatic shock from vaccines. Had they not been AT the vets, they would NOT have survived long enough to get to the vet. Both got epinepherine, but one also required oxygen, lasix and intubation...not something I am capable of doing at home! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Behavior & Training > Odd reaction to one dog

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Mon May 14, '12 2:38pm PST  Lukie always HATED white standard poodles. A major problem at dog shows since almost ALL the standard poodles are white. We have no idea where it came from... he did it from puppyhood and didn't have a problem with any other breeds (or colors) If I was walking along at a show he wasn't even paying attention to ANY dogs until he spied a white Standard, then he would go insane trying to get to it and to grab it. As far as I know, he never got one, at least not when he was with me. I had some pretty large white mini's in show clips and he could care less about them. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Ch. Luke Luke--- the dog talking     Barked: Sun Mar 25, '12 4:53pm PST  Frenchies end up in trouble all the time from going past the point of exhaustion, but in their case, I actually believe there is a point of no return but they most often do not have any idea they are even close to that point. I guess what I am trying to say is that even if they stop at a point just prior to overheating, because of their muscle mass and ineffective cooling mechanisms, they continue to build up heat to the point that it will still kill them, even if they HAVE stopped and are resting. They just cannot effectively pant themselves cool and the very act of panting creates more body heat. I have seen this happen to TWO Frenchies...in both cases the dogs DID stop running and tried to cool down but just were unable to without human intervention. Both dogs eventually were way, way overheated and comatose, but both dogs DID survive with immediate veterinary care. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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