So I thought I would share a success story of my 2 year old English mastiff Butkus and his new feline friend I've attached a before video (bad behavior) and photos ( now good behavior) to show you the difference in 2 months with working with Butkus after reaching out to Roman Gottfried for some assitance . We had Butkus since 10 weeks along with his older brother bentley a yorkie . Butkus had always been a very well mannered sweetheart like a typical mastiff but after my husband brought home a kitten we couldnt get Butkus to snap out of "staring down" and obsessing over the kitten to the point he wouldnt listen to us very well . we werent sure if he had a high prey drive as he had never met a cat and were nervous he was going to kill the kitten. So we started with removing the two and seperating them and allowing butkus to sniff the kitten under the door. This was hard as both are very vocal when left alone behind a door. We never left the two alone and while at work shut the kitten in our bedroom as Butkus and Bentley are couch guardians during the day lol everyday my husband and I would bring the kitten out and hold him close to us letting Butkus know the kitten belonged to us and would shower it with affection so Butkus understood he was part of the family. We would make Butkus sit and call him over to us to allow a few sniffs and he'd eventually get so curious he'd gently lick the kitten . We repeated this for days until we felt we could set the kitten down . Anytime Butkus would run to chase the kitten we would snap our fingers and have a treat ready after he would come to us to sit to try and redirect his attention as he's very food motivated . After weeks and weeks and a cat tree to help allow the kitten to escape his height the two became buddies. I had a little help from my yorkie as well who leads the animals pack and would bark at Butkus whenever he tried to chase the kitten. I have zero issues now and can allow them in the same room with me gone. Butkus's typical behavior with the kitten now is to wipe his drooly lips all over his back causing for multiple self kitten bathing and walking away lol
Took him only two minutes to change my perception
It was yeast infection
So the Oz man (English Mastiff) here had a vet appointment today. He has leaned out and is a healthy 182.2 lbs, the vet couldn’t say enough about how great of shape he was in (minus skin and coat). We went over his health history, I gave him a long list of issues he has been having, and how they just slowly crept in. All the diet changes, omitions, tests, treatments and supplements. I told him how I believed it was a yeast-infection and why. I had read so many articles regarding the subject, thanks to Roman Gottfried sharing one which gave me my first exciting lead in forever!!!
So Oz, after over two years - OVER TWO YEARS - finally had the right test, which came back positive!!!! Oz is about to be treated for a systemic yeast infection!!!
So, for anyone curious on symptoms....
Constant ear infections
Nacho smell
Other nasty smell overall
Greasy/waxy coat
Frequent diarrhea
Sores on paws and between toes -Constantly licking his paws
The calluses at his elbows became scaly and cracked and bled
Face swells up a bit frequently and looked red
Blowing his coat worse than shedding season
Itching and seborrhea would subside temporarily with a bath, no matter what treatment it was a very short temporary fix... maybe three days max.
Thankfully Oz never has shown aggression. Though with how fast his skin has been spiralling in the last month alone, I am sure it would have been coming. I love this big oaf too much to give up on him though 💜. If this post can even help one person find answers for their smooshy face, I will be one of the happiest people alive.
