11/1/09

The Effect of the Lemon - in Video!

OK - this is gonna be gross for any of you who don't know about this, but to bulldog parents who are trying to help their babies breathe easier, this is a sight for sore eyes. As you can see, Stella isn't afraid of the lemon, thanks of making this whole thing like a fun game for her. But look at what she manages to spit up after only a few shots of lemon juice (note - I had given her a few bites prior to this video footage.) If you have any questions - leave a comment on the blog and I will reply!

11 comments:

  1. Great video (gross but great). I used lemon juice with my last bully to clear him out as well. Works great.

    I just set up a new blog for our upcoming bully pup Argos. Please check it out and contribute if you like.

    http://www.anenglishbulldogstory.com

    Thanks, and I'll be following ur blog!

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  2. I have been reading your blog most of the day and have found it wonderfully informative. Dozer, our 17 week old EB was just diagnosed with Hypoplastic Trachea today. We were wondering if any one has heard of any surgeries to repair the trachea? Our vet thought there may be a shunt that could be installed. Could you please email me at mhighley@northlandservices.com so that I may pick your brain some more. We worry about opur little man terribly as he is already 30 pounds at only 17 weeks.

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  3. Hi I have a 5 mouth old English Bull Dog named Cooper. He had pneumonia when I got him and I was told i should put him to sleep because he has a Hypoplastic Trachea as well as an elongated soft palate. I obviously wasn't going to give up on him that quickly. He was treated for the pneumonia but he actually relasped today. The doctor thinks I caught it early and put him back on antibiotics. He needs to have his soft palate shortened and his nostrils shaved which we were supposed to do this month when the pneumonia cleared up.... Did Stella have that surgery? Do you think I should try the lemon juice? How much do I give and how many times a day?

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  4. Hi Steph,

    Your story sounds a lot like Stella. She had pneumonia often as a puppy. We didn't start relying on the lemon until she had recovered from the pneumonia and her surgeries (yes she had the palate and nostril surgeries and those helped her). Remember to keep him calm and make sure he's not getting too worked up - as that makes everything worse. When Stella recovered, we used the lemon juice, steam treatments and children's nose drops to address her issues as preventative measures. So far - they are keeping her out of the vet's office. The key for us is to really pay attention to when she sounds like she is getting congested, or even if we just know she was being crazy and breathing hard. The lemon seems to help her clear out her system before that phlegm can settle into her lungs and pick up bacteria, etc. I am no doctor, but I know what has worked for us. Once Cooper is doing better from his meds, I would encourage the surgery but make sure the surgical vet is aware of his trachea issues (this can make coming out of anesthesia especially difficult as any swelling from the trachea tube can be dangerous). They should be monitoring him closely when the surgery is over to ensure he's breathing ok. Once that is done, definitely try to train him to think of lemon halves as toys, which should be bitten and carried around. That makes treating him with the lemon juice will be much easier and enjoyable for him.

    Keep us all posted and good luck with Cooper!

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  5. I have to tell you my cousin's friend had told me about the lemon juice, and I didn't believe him. Then I saw your video of Stella, and read your blogs so I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Cooper's on his meds and would not rely on just the lemno juice. But I have to tell you I can not believe how great it works. During the first time he had pneumonia I would try anything just to get him to spit up a half dollar size of phlegm... What is coming out of him with the lemon juice is crazy. Your information is so helpful... Thank you so much.

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  6. Hi Cooper is doing ok, still on antibiotics. He is definately less congested. Still using the lemons! Can you tell me what food you give Stella? Hope she's doing well!!!

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  7. Hi Steph,
    When Stella was younger, and sicker, we used to struggle to find a food that stayed down - she vomited all the time and we also worried she would aspirate on the food and that would end up causing pneumonia again. We went through lots of natural options and also did things to help her like raising her food and water bowls off the ground, keeping her calm after eating (1 hr. of no playing or rough housing), adding water to her food to soften it, etc. We now feed her the Iams Healthy Naturals and she has been doing great on it. http://www.iams.com/iams/premium-pet-food/natural-dog-food.jsp Also - when she would get bad sometimes we would switch to boiled chicken and rice to calm her stomach down - she of course loved that and it is so mild that she always did well wit it. It's not a long term solution but helpful when your dog seems to have an upset system. Hope that info is helpful!

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  8. I tried the lemon on our little Izzy but no flem, actually she seemed to like the lemon a bit. I have givin it to her 3 times now and nothing comes up. We got her about a month ago and she is almost 4 months old now she has been diagnosed with small trachia by our vet and actually 9 vets looked at the xrays and had radialogeust check themto confirm,is there anything else we can try to help her get the flem out to breath better

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  9. Malibu383,
    Yes - you can try steam treatments in your bathroom, we would do this with Stella and kind of pat her sides, until she would get the phlegm up. Also, the vet can do breathing treatments that will help, but will cost you. It's good that Izzy likes the lemon, you should encourage her to like it. When we give it to Stella - we give her big squirts, not little licks - and it often then seems to help if she is a little bit active - almost like it comes lose. Always best to check with your vet though if Izzy is having trouble breathing - they can give her oxygen as well. Also, keep her cool, not too much exercise, and on a good diet. Good luck!

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  10. Hello there! I read about squirting lemon in the back of bullies throats to help them with the phlegm but wasn't sure about it until you posted your video. We have a lemon tree in our back yard and as soon as the video was over I ran outside to pick one. Unfortunately I didn't see the same results. However my bullie's breathing seems to be a little better tonight. I will try again tomorrow.

    Regarding the childrens nose drops you posted; what brand did you use? I would like to try this as an alternative. Thanks!

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  11. Amber,
    Hope the lemon helps out! Sometimes it doesn't result in the phlegm coming out but I do think it helps break it up, which should make breathing easier. I believe the nose drops were "Little Noses", or had that on the label. Also - refer to the post about Benson, his parents use some other natural methods to help him breathe better. And if your bully is young still, there's always the hope that things will stretch out naturally over time. The last time Stella had an Xray - our vet said her trachea actually looked pretty good! Amazing! The body is a resilient thing, adapts to what it can!

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