Need help: Health Insight

a little over a month ago when the weather broke I had the family at the park with my 10 month old male. We began to walk to a playground which was 5 minutes from the parking lot when the dog began to pant fast and heavily. He pulled so hard as he usual does and when we got to the play ground he just sprawled out and drank 32 ounces of water but his breathing did not slow down or return to a normal panting for the 45 minutes we where there. On the way back to the car he threw up all the water he had drank and collapsed to a sprawled out position several times. I immediately contacted my vet who said it sounded like heat stroke so I rushed him home and put him in a cold bath to cool him down. 10 minutes later he was fine. About a week later the same thing happened. I spoke with my vet and he suggested that he was not ventilating well because of the extreme pressure from his collar. so I proceeded to buy a walking harness so that it would clear his airway. this seemed to do the trick for a few weeks. I have noticed recently that he is highly motivated by my son and really digs in during the walk when he is riding his bike ahead of us but when my son is not with us he still pulls but it is a normal pull and he can walk for hours. This collapsing during walks has now happened a total of 5 times. My question is could it be heat stroke, bad lungs, or is he just killing himself when pulling? I have owned 8 bulldogs throughout my life and though they love to pull, none have pulled like him. Has anyone else had an experience like this, it also happened once after a long sprint behind a four wheeler. Also the throwing up has only happened twice, but the extreme exhaustion and breathing happens everytime?

 

Consult with your vet, intensely!

 

can you take/walk him at night fall when the temps, hopefully, drop some, and see if the same thing happens. Could be a combination of all three.
Isolate the issues: walking him at night, with cooler temps and less stimuli will help eliminate two of the three, then take it from there..
just my .02

 

I think I will try the less stimulus thing first. Temps haven't been over 70 here and were in the 40s and 50s during most of these incidents. He must just be overworking himself. thanks for the inputs.

 

Then heat shouldn't have been an issue here. I would have your vet check out your dog's esophagus & trachea to make sure your dog doesn't have any abnormalities. Some dogs have what's called a "collapsing trachea" in which the trach actually narrows in at times for unknown reasons. Although the APBT isn't a breed that we see in it, it is very possible.

Plus, I suggest enrolling your dog in some obedience training with a reputable trainer as he sounds like he needs to learn his leash manners.

 

One thing is for sure, if the dog had a heat stroke, he/she is more susceptable to it from now on. That goes for anything, or anyone that has a heat stroke, once it happens to you, it is very easy for it to happen again and again. I am not saying that this is the case, but it very well could be.

 

Besides what is already mentioned if you are still having problems you may want to have a cardiac exam by a cardiologists NOT a regular vet.

 

Thanks for mentioning that. This is a very valid concern as well.