Update - Nov. 2008

Well, although the construction is still happening at our house, Stella is doing OK. We have been trying to keep her out of the main dusty areas, and she hasn't had any bad relapses. She does seem a bit more phlegmy and pukey than normal, but nothing to worry about. Here are some recent pics. Keep your bulldog updates coming, it's very helpful for other dog owners to hear about how we are all keeping our dogs healthy and happy!

Shout out to Hector!

I recently was emailing back and forth with Hector's family, and am happy to report that Hector had surgery for his palette and nostrils, and is recovering nicely. His vet told the family that if they limit his exercise (he has the small trachea issue that Stella has), he should live a long and happy life!

Dust is BAD for Bulldogs!

Just a quick update to let you know, Stella's recent issues were most likely due to the kitchen renovation that is going on in our house! She was at the beach house all weekend, and was breathing like a champ! Now we just have to try to keep the dust levels down for the remaining few weeks of construction, or stay at the beach house!

Another round of trouble

Well, it's been over a year that Stella has been breathing well, and not requiring anything more than her weekly lemons after any kind of playing or running around. She just finished her 3rd heat cycle, and we also just switched her onto a new food, both of which may have contributed to her recent trouble. Really not sure, it could have just been one too many runs through the house with our other dog Rufus. Either way, it was upsetting to have to see her so uncomfortable.

She had been seeming slightly lethargic and snotty for a few days, and Thursday morning at about 2:30 a.m. - she woke us up with short quick breathing, and sitting up in the bed, always a clear indicator she was having trouble breathing. We saw the warning signs, especially the short, quick shallow breaths.

We brought her into the bathroom, got the steam going, and grabbed the lemon halves. She was not feeling well enough to play her normal lemon bitting games, so we had to hold her and squeeze the juice into her mouth, much to her dislike. Eventually, it started to work, and a few phlegm blobs came up - grand total had to be about 1 1/2 pounds of the thick white mucus. After about an hour, we got her to calm down and go to bed, breathing much better, and clearly feeling better.


However, as of Saturday evening, she is still requiring lemon, still spitting up considerable phlegm, and still sounding very gurgly, but feeling much better. We are keeping an eye on her, giving her lots of rest (no playtimes, walks or rough housing), feeding her wellness canned food, and hoping everything clears itself up on its own in the next few days or week.

I will post an update to let everyone know how she does, we are optimistic, diligently giving her the lemons, and glad we didn't have to take a trip to the vet or god forbid the emergency vet clinic where they really cost a lot! Send Stella your good thoughts, and keep me updated to your bulldogs as well! My best to all of you who have written me over the past months, hope your bullies are doing great!

Jack turns one!

I am happy to post that a proud parent of another English Bulldog with the same problems recently sent me an email and pic of his dog - Jack, celebrating his one year birthday!I am so happy Jack is doing well, and that simple things like lemons and lots of "time outs" have helped him out! Ryan - keep in touch!

- Tracey

"Hey Tracey just wanted you to know Jack turned one yesterday! Something we were told would probably never happen. Just wanted you to know he has been healthy now since March. He still gets his lemon when I can tell he needs it. Was going to send you a video but the way he acts when I give it to him people might think I was killing him! Such a big baby! Anyways hope Stella is doing well and thanks again for all your support with Jack. "

NEWSFLASH! Nectarines Work Too!

Well we knew the acidic ingredients in lemons were good for clearing out Stella's phlegm that is produced thanks to her very small trachea. However, who knew bullies loved nectarines too? Well - they work just as well, if not better since it is probably much more enjoyable from her point of view. Warning - a very large poop also happened after she was chomping on the nectarine - I think all that fruit juice got her going! However, it seems to have really helped our clear out a ton of phlegm! If anyone knows of ill effects of dogs having nectarine juice let me know, otherwise - highly recommended!

Stella and Amy napping

IMG_0352.JPG, originally uploaded by Amy Goldberg.

The girls are happy to be home from the beach and on their own couch again!

Health Update and Thoughts on Spay Surgery

I wanted to write a quick update on Stella, she's doing great so far, although the warmer weather definitely gets her more out of breath sooner.


We probably give her the equivalent of about a half a lemon every other day or so, and she bites it, licks it, plays with it until there is literally nothing left but a lemon peel. So if you are wondering how much actual lemon juice she gets - squeeze out a half a lemon into a squirt bottle and see if you can get that down your Bulldog's throat. Of course, lots of that juice comes out the sides of her mouth while she is playing with or biting the lemon.

I never cease to be amazed at the amount of phlegm she spits up after the lemon juice and a bit of activity, and how much better she sounds and feels from getting it out.

Another dilemma we are going through is whether to spay her or not. Surgery is always risky with these dogs, but with her and her extra small airway, we are especially nervous. We know its the best for her long term health, but we have run into 3 different bulldog owners in the past 3 weeks who lost their first bulldog during spay or neutering surgery. Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with this process and decision? If so, please post. We don't have any intention of breeding her, never did, but I am really worried about an "elective" surgery, vs. just putting up with the once every 6 months heat cycle. Our vet has told us it could be detrimental to not spay her, as they can develop issues from remaining "intact" and not reproducing, which I believe. But for now, she doesn't have any surgery scheduled.

What a mug!

Canidae Dog Food

Just for reference - this is the new dog food we are feeding Stella (and Rufus) ever since she had her hives break out. So far so good - they both love the food and they are doing good on it. http://www.canidae.com/

A few recent pics

Here are some really cute new pics of me and Stella - we both love to sleep!

Tell Your Bulldog Story

If you have a bulldog with the same challenges as Stella, primarily the hypoplastic trachea, but all breathing related issues are of interest - then send me your story! Lets help get the word out there on how to help our beautiful friends have a better quality of life! Send me a picture of your dog and his/her name, age, what the issues are, and any tips or tricks you have found that make things easier! And if you are using the lemon to help your bully - post a video!

The Entire Lemon Treatment!

OK - I finally got a Flip video camera and have captured the entire process of getting our bulldog Stella to bite the lemon halves, and how the lemon juice then breaks up her phlegm, allowing her to breathe easier! Its kind of gross - but it beats the hell out of having a bulldog with pneumonia or just not feeling well. The phlegm she spit up in this video is relatively small compared to what I have seen come out of her. After a few of these events, she is generally feeling and breathing MUCH better!

Rufus and Stella Chillin at the Office!

Stella at the office

Another Kinda Gross Reference

Just a nasty reminder of the wonders the lemons work for Stella - here is another picture of a recent spit up she had of phlegm. She usually spits up a few of these before she is feeling all better. Last night I was up with her at 3 a.m. as she was awake and seemed to not be able to rest well. The minute I got out of bed, she jumped down and ran for the stairs to head to the kitchen, wagging her tail faster than you can imagine. She knew I was going to go down and get her a lemon, and she started biting it and licking it immediately - I swear she knows its good for her, and sorry to sound dramatic, but I think they help keep her alive and happy.

Stella Update! Long Grow the Lemon!

Just a quick update to let everyone know we have abandoned our regimen of Benadryl - it just seemed to not really do much in the long run. What DOES work is a constant lemon half as a fun toy that she gets a few good bites on every few days. Seriously, I can't begin to convey how much this simple treatment helps her, and how amazed I am that more vets haven't heard about it for helping difficult breathers. We also have her on a new food that is a simple protein source, and she seems to have much better results with this than the last round. She still vomits up fresh food right after eating when she is getting "phlegmy" - or is too active right after eating, but if she is feeling clear from her lemon treatments and isn't trying to wrestle Rufus or the kittie, she is holding it down pretty well!

Benadryl for Breakfast and Dinner!

After a quick visit with DocSide vets tonight, and reviewing how well Stella was breathing during her treatment for her hives, Dr. K has given us the green light to try keeping Stella on the Benadryl over the next few weeks to see how she does. We will give her approx. 1 gr. per 1 lb. of her weight (38 pounds) twice a day. I will report back on how it does for her. Right now she is snoring away peacefully, happy to have her nails trimmed and be on the path to breathing easy! (we hope).

I hope everyone likes the switch of the blog to a white background - I have a feeling it will be easier to read for everyone.