Hello Jan,

My name is Erica I have a 81/2month old brindle frenchie lately I’ve noticed around her eyes she seems to be loosing hair and today one of her eyes looks a little puffy. I use puppy wipes to clean her face but have stopped using them just in case I didn’t know if it was from the wipes or maybe her food. We use  purina pro plan just wondering what I could do at home first to prevent going to the vet.

Thanks, Erica

Hi Erica,

From your description & your dog’s age that sounds like an outbreak of demodectic mange or a proliferation of mites.  Mites normally live peacefully on a dog’s skin but can get out of hand and start to multiply.  Since they live in the base of the hair follicle they will cause the hair to fall out.  Around the eyes is one of the places it shows up.

Most cases of mites will resolve themselves on their own with no treatment.  It is difficult to treat by the eyes because most products should not be allowed in eyes.

Diet is important in your dog’s immune system’s ability to fight off invaders like mites.  I would suggest you get a higher quality diet for your Frenchie.  Go to your local specialty dog food store (not a big box store) and get a human grade food made with no corn, no wheat, no soy, no chicken.  Try a lamb and rice formula I recommend in my book such as Prairie or a fish diet like Taste of the Wild.

Good luck - keep me posted.

Your Bulldog Pal,

Jan

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I am getting a one year old frenchie and they said that she has stress mange and that it is haredity. vet said that spaying her should fix it so the people have had her spayed is this true will that stop her mange just wondered

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hi jan

Hi G,

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Hi Jan,

My French bulldog is 13 months old.  We have been battling some skin issues with her since she was 5 months old.  It started with a yeast infection in her right ear.  Since then she ahs had 3 infections in the same ear.  We try prescription washes and solutions, with little help of preventing the situation or solving the issue.

She also has a severe paw licking issue, and gets a pimple looking rash on the hairless part of her belly.  We feel bad for her and want to resolve this issue for her sake. I started her as a pup on the Whole Pet Diet, then moved onto the B.A.R.F. diet, and now per my vets request Royal Canine Hypo- Allergenic Hydrolyzed Protein dog food. The same symptoms have persisted.

We have had snow for about a month and I noticed that my dog wasn’t liking her paws as much.  I am starting to believe that she is allergic to grass. The second the snow melted away and grass appeared, her belly broke out in a rash again and the paw licking started up again.

My husband wants to treat her with the allergy injections, but it is costly. What would you recommend for your frenchie?

Thanks, Sara

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Hi Sara,

I have a couple suggestions.  First, do not feed her that Royal Canin formula, it’s soy and I don’t think dogs are meant to eat soy.  Feed her something high quality (raw or other) that is not chicken based but rather venison or duck or salmon, etc.

Next, her condition could be contact allergies since she’s better in the snow when her paws get cleaned off. Be sure you are not using any harsh chemicals anywhere she walks.  Clean her bedding once a week with dye and chemical free detergent.

You can give her the allergy shots and she will look better for a while. But they are steroids and have very bad long term effects.  I do not recommend them except maybe for a very short time to get severe allergies under control.

Try giving her dye free children’s dose of Benadryl (pink box) instead.

For her ears, be sure you keep them dry.  Yeast thrives on moisture. Try using an ear cleaner like Oti-Clens several times a day until her symptoms subside.  It’s available at pet stores, follow directions on box.

Do not over bathe her, it will only increase allergic problems.

I have a lot more suggestions on how to treat allergies plus food recommendations in my French Bulldog Health System.

your bulldog pal,
Jan

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Thank you for such a quick response.  I look forward to any information you might have regarding the “frenchie”.

My little bulldog is miserable.  Her one ear continually has a redness to it, causing her to shake her head.  I take her to the vet and she is prescribed anitbiotics and ear drops.  It goes away for a short time then it returns.

She is constantly doing the sit and spin.  Her eyes are watery.  She constantly licks her paws which are red and inflamed.  And occasionally, her underbelly toward her back legs breaks out in a rash with little red bumps.

I recently stopped giving her processed or purchased dog food and started making meals for her myself.  I omitted anything to do with corn, included baby food, brown rice and hamburger or chicken with shredded vegies or potatoes.  It appeared as though she was getting better, then all of a sudden it all comes back again.

I bathe her once a week with oatmeal soap to keep her clean enough to know that her fur is not collecting anything.  She is primarily an inside dog and goes outside occasionally.

Someone suggested a product that I can purchase on line that controls the yeast levels.  Do you know anything about this?

Judy

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Hi Judy,

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Hi Jan,

I really want to get a female puppy from a quality breeder or rescue.
Do you have any suggestions?  I have looked at what seems like 10,000
puppies on the internet, tried to get as much information that I could,
I have taken all kinds of internet quizzes and really just want to make
sure I get a healthy wonderful little puppy.

Do you have a breeder you would suggest?  I would consider rescuing
one but really want to have my first frenchie be all my own you know.

How would you suggest I go about getting something like an eight week
old female pied with a cute little dot on the top of her head?  I know it
sounds specific, but man are they cute.

Thanks again,

Tim

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Hi Tim,

Do not get one on the internet - there are too many scams and puppy mills.
Start by going to the French Bulldog Club of America site, at this link:
http://www.frenchbulldogclub.org/

Look under events and see if any are listed in your area.  Then you can see
the dogs and breeders in person.  You could also go to a Bulldog show
because the bulldog breeders often know or also breed Frenchies.

If there are no upcoming events, look in their breeder directory at this link.
http://www.frenchbulldogclub.org/ht/d/sp/i/310/pid/310

You can also go to local French Bulldog meetup groups or local clubs.
These you can find by doing a google search for French Bulldogs plus
your city name.

You will be surprised how much information you can get from Frenchie
owners that you just talk to on the street.

Choose the breeder carefully.  Frenchies do have significant health issues
and can be costly if they become ill.

Jan

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