Spina Bifida English Bulldogs

Welcome to this website. I started this website on January 18th, 2011 and am hoping to create a place where people with Spina Bifida Bulldogs can come together and support each other.

I got involved with spina bifida bulldogs when I started volunteering with SoCal Bulldog rescue. My first foster was a 6 month old SB puppy who was surrendered because her parents thought she was a perfect little bulldog. Unfortunately, after paying full price for a purebred dog, they realized that she was incontinent and did not know how to deal with the situation. My volunteer mentor, Lisa M., has been very supportive and provided a lot of information I wouldn’t have otherwise known to help care for Khloe.

While not all Spina Bifida dogs are created equally, some are able to living long lasting, rewarding and fulfilling lifestyles with the help of a diaper. This makes them a bit more prone to UTI’s (urinary tract infections) but does not prevent them from being the spirited and bullheaded dogs they are.

I have only been fostering for 2 months, but have learnt a wealth of information. I hope you can support me and all the Spina Bifida English Bulldogs out there!

This website is FREE to use and join. As a member you can:

• Post questions
• Add Photos, Videos, Articles
  
• Create a blog post
  
• Meet new SB owners & friends
• Get tips on how to deal with diaper babies

Please use this website as you would your own! Cheers, Sonya

I happen to Facebook a lot. Yes, a lot. Probably more than I should in a day or lifetime. But whatever the case, I was clicking around and stumbled upon Griffin’s Page. Do you know him? He’s categorized under the “Athlete” section and he’s quite the runner!
Griffin is a swimmer pup and can not use his hind legs. He wears a wheelchair and does not know that he is disabled, much like our spina bifida dogs. He is so precious! Click here to watch his video. Enjoy!

So, some people have been asking me where they can buy pants for their bullies. In the past, a volunteer from SoCal Bulldog Rescue would make them by hand and sew them together, but since she’s busy up to her eyeballs taking care of a pregnant rescue and her puppies, I’ve been looking for a place that sells them online.

And welcome Dog Essentials!

Her products have been shown on KFMB TV, San Diego, CA, in Chihuahua Connection & Pug Press

Comfortable stretch knits are used for these secure outfits. They are durable, comfortable, and stain resistant originally designed to meet the needs of larger breeds. An incontinent pad neatly fits inside. These outfits will trap what could happen from any end.

Small, waists of 11” to 15” $18
Med., waists of 14” to 17” $20
Lrg., waists of 18” to 21” $22
XL, waists of 22” to 25” $24
XXL waists of 26” to 29” $26
XXXL, waists of 30” to 33” $28

To order, contact: gerdeslinda@yahoo.com or visit http://www.doggieessentials.com

Hi! My name is Michel and I have a rescue english bulldog, named Ray Ray. He was a puppy mill baby brought to be euthanized because he was born with inverted back legs. They correct on their own at 8 weeks, but the puppy mill owner didn’t think she could sell him so brought him to a vet for euthansia. My friend was there took him and brought him to me to foster. He was 4 weeks old at the time and I fell in love and adopted him. He’s now a year old and one of the best things that ever happened to me.

But I’m here because I have a spina bifida foster kitten. She was found in CA on a pier w/her normal siblings and brought to our rescue. She was 4 weeks old and several vets told us to euthanize her, not because she was in pain, but because they didn’t think anyone would want to do diaper duty for the life of a cat. So that was over 3 years ago. Thumper wears size 4 diapers and a friend made us custom holders and suspenders for her.  You can read her whole story here on our group’s website  http://www.kittenrescue.org/pages.php?pageid=96

So, spina bifida in cats is usually an extreme form of the gene that is responsible for the Manx cats, which are tailless. Thumper isn’t a Manx, or a Manx mix. She’s just an unlucky street cat to be born with spina bifida. I have tons of pics and videos and three years of maintaining a healthy diaper cat. I’m so glad to have found a group of people who are living with the same thing!

Last year, I was given the opportunity to foster Khloe. This bright eyed 6.5 month old puppy stole the thunder and my heart the moment she stepped into my house. Even though she is a special needs puppy, I looked past her disability and learned to love her for her spirit and tenacity. I’ve said over and over again, I’ve never seen such a vibrant and enthusiastic dog who had such a spirit for life. There are days when I’d sit in my office staring out the window and watch Khloe prance (or dash) around the backyard chasing imaginary butterflies. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss her. But the positive is that through Khloe, I’ve learned so much about myself and my appreciate for being.

1. True beauty is not skin deep. Learning to know someone beyond their physical appearance and shortcomings can help you truly appreciate what the person (and life) has to offer.
2. There is always a solution for everything. Broke a dish? Buy a new one! Can’t control your poop? Put on a diaper! You can’t cry over spilled milk, so you might as well see the bright side of things.
3. Love and give like crazy. The act of giving can prove to be very rewarding, especially if you give without expectation.
4. Patience, patience, patience. Oh, fostering animals can be the most testing of all! Like the time Khloe chewed up the newly installed back deck? Or the commemorative football book that Bubba ate? Sometimes looking inward and reflecting can be the most challenging of all. But at the end, we are the ones with the brain and can make decisions for ourselves. Learning patience should be one of them.

Hello everyone. I am brand new to this web site. I am thankful that I have found other people that understand our struggles!! We bought our Bella from a pet store the day after Christmas in 2010. After a few months and a lot of vet visits, they determined that she has spina bifida. It has been an ordeal to say the least. I was not prepared for the messes and the UTIs and the over all stress of the situation. We love her so much and to look at her you would never know she was sick. My children love to snuggle and cuddle with her. Right now, we have yet to try diapers. That is how I found this web site, I am looking into what works for them. When she was in heat, we used my daughters panties with a panty liner. They did not stay on very long.  Over the year, she has became more aware of her bowel movements and will even try to make it to the door to be let outside when it starts. But her urine is another story. She dribbles all of the time. She has had multiple UTIs and the antibiotics give her awful diarrhea. I am looking forward to reading everyone’s stories and what works for them. Thank goodness I found this site!! I am so excited!!

This video is to show how to put a diaper on a dog. This method works for dogs who are incontinent, have spina bifida or in heat. You will need a harness, clips and adult diapers.

I recommend using Walgreens Certainty Fitted Briefs for Adults, which is what is used in this video. For a 35lb dog, I use the Medium size and they look like this. You’ll also need a harness and some double sided aligator straps. I don’t know what they’re exactly called, but you can buy those at Joanne’s Fabrics. They look like this.

We are raising money to cover medical bills for Hera, the unpoopable sb dog who has not had a bowel movement in 16 days. Thank you for your support!

Hi All,

I wanted to give all of my fellow spina bifida families an update on little Khloe.

Sonya, the amazing creator of this website, fostered Khloe and I adopted her in March of this year. Khloe has traveled all over the country now and is quite a celebrity at the dog park in San Francisco. She has two other doggie siblings that adore her. She is has a ton of energy and plays all day.

We use Huggie Pull-ups in size 4T-5T and they work great. We buy them in bulk from either Costco, Amazon direct orders, or Diapers.com. Between the three sites someone is always having a sale and shipping is free. We also bought a diaper genie and that is a life saver too.

Khloe did start to get a rash/red marks from wearing her harness everyday. (We use the Dritz fashion clips to clip her diaper and underwear to her harness). So we have switched to the Puppia harnesses. Our vet recommended them because they are mesh and much more comfortable. They are breathable too, so the dogs don’t get hot wearing them. Besides that Khloe has been problem free. We give her about a tablespoon of cranberry juice in her food twice a day to keep the UTI’s away. She also gets special treats from a dog bakery in SF that are grain free and made from pumpkin. They really keep her poop solid.We use a little bit of baby powder on her (just point and squeeze the bottle right at her butt) every time we change her diaper. It just keeps everything a little bit more dry back there.

We have discovered that Khloe is actually somewhat aware of her bladder, but not her bowels. She prefers to pee outside with her siblings and she even marks now. We take her diaper off on walks and she squats and pees just like our other dogs. She marks trees and plants too. She still goes in her diaper during the night, but besides that she usually pees outside. She doesn’t have full bladder control though, and she will pee without knowing it, but she certainly has some. So that was kind of a fun discovery.

Also Khloe had really dark “tear stains” (I guess that is what they are called) in the fold coming down from her eyes. We found these amazing, all natural pads (that every English Bulldog owner should have) by Happytails, called Eye Pads. (http://www.wag.com/dog/p/happytails-eye-pads-103859) and they really keep all her folds healthy and have significantly lightened the stains. You just have to be good about using them everyday.

I will post some pictures soon of Khloe in her Christmas undies:)

Happy Holidays!

We couldnt be happier with her

I found this today and find it rather amusing and spot-on! I’m lucky to have friends who don’t complain about my pets, but even if they do they keep it to themselves and don’t come over. My house is pretty clean for having 5 animals at the moment (1 is a foster, I swear!) and I vacuum twice a week and defur the sofa almost daily.

There are some people who love animals and those who don’t. This gave me a chuckle… I think non-pet lovers should definitely read this!

Sorry guys, I’m on a roll here with new videos. I love using my cellphone camera, but I love taking videos of Khloe even more. She’s such a clown!