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

—-

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

Comments(2)

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

—-

Hi Judy,

Comments(1)

In case we don’t have enough to worry about with our Bulldogs
and their allergic reactions to things in the environment . . .

There is virtually no government oversight in
the manufacture of pet toys.  In fact there are no safety
requirements like there are in children’s toys.  No government
standards for hazardous chemicals.  Consequently there can be
high levels of lead and other harmful chemicals in your
dog beds and toys.

An organization called Healthy Stuff has just released a list
of dog beds and toys with ratings as to how much lead or other
hazardous materials are used in the manufacture.

It’s an eye-opener!

Especially toxic are half of the tennis balls tested!  And lots of dog
beds - that’s a lot of exposure for the hours your bulldog sleeps.
I suppose I should be somewhat relieved to find that Kong toys
are on the “low” list, but why should they have any toxins.

Take a look - it’s in alphabetical order by manufacturer:
http://www.healthystuff.org/departments/pets/product.least.php

If you are really concerned you can write the government or
the manufacturer of your favorite products.  If they get
enough mail they do listen.

I’m glad there are folks concerned enough to test these products
and let us know.

On a lighter note, Archie and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Our bulldogs give us so much to be thankful for!

your bulldog pal,
Jan

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Hi there Jan,

My name is Angela and I have written to you in the past pertaining to
my wonderful little bully, Dolly. She had been having head tremors at that
time and you really helped me out with the information you provided.
You will be happy to know that for the most part the tremors have subsided.

I do have another question for you about Dolly that you may be of some
assistance. My husband and I have your book, “The Healthy Bulldog”, which
we love and refer to on a lot of occasion.

We just can’t seem to find what we’re looking for when it comes to her ears.
For the past two weeks she has these tiny red bumps inside her ears.
They are crusty with dry blood on them. There is not an odor or any puss.
It actually looks like the end stages of the chicken pox. One ear worse than
the other. She has just began to scratch at them.

Since she was a puppy, she has always allowed me to clean her ears out
with aloe and vitamin E baby wipes, but lately she runs from me and hates
for me to come near her with the wipes no matter how gentle I am. It is
strange for her to not like her ears cleaned considering she used to love it.

My hubby and I also are very proud owners of another male bully named
Samson and two very precious toy poodles, Tiki and Sweet pea. I have
been watching their ears and they are fine. No bumps or crusty blood.
Brian, my hubby, seems to think it may be an allergy to her food, but
she has been on the same food since we first got her.

Could she be developing this allergy as she gets older? We think
it may also be a yeast infection. She also has a couple small bald
spots on her neck due to scratching.

I just wanted to pick your brain and see what you thought. We will
be calling the vet if need be. Please forgive my long email. I know
your busy and I do appreciate any ideas you may have.

Thanks a bunch, Angela

——–

Hi Angela,

It is probably not yeast because with a yeast infection in the
ears, there is usually brownish smelly discharge or waxy stuff.
And it’s sour smelling.

It could be food allergies - what are you feeding her? And is she
on any medications or supplements?

Food allegies can create bald spots and ear infections.  The scratching
is a classic sign of allergies.

She can develop an intolerance to her food over time.  Being
fed the same ingredients, however good, constantly can lead
to a reaction to some small ingredient.  I recommend changing
food every 3-6 months to avoid this.

Although food may be the underlying cause, there are some
remedies to make her feel better now.

You can give her a dye-free benadryl children’s dose (pink box) -
it really helps short term with allergic reactions.

You can try using some calendula cream in her ears - it’s a soothing,
healing cream.  You can get it at a natural foods store.  It may clear
them up in a few days.

If not, it could be mites.  Do you see any tiny brown granulated looking
spots?  Usually there’s an odor involved with a mite infection.
An easy cure for mites is to rub a few drops of mineral oil or
mullein oil (natural foods store) in the ear.  It will kill any mites.

It can also be associated with fleas, but I’m assuming that is not
the case.

It is also possible that there is something in the baby wipes that
is irritating her ears.  By stopping using them, you’ll know soon if
that’s the case.

If you take her to the vet, he should do a skin scraping to determine
what it is.  They often just prescribe anti-biotics without even finding
out what’s the cause.  And it doesn’t sound like she has an infection.

I hope this helps.  Please let me know how she’s doing and tell me
what you’re feeding her.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

Comments(0)

Is chicken bad for bulldogs?  I see it in a number of good dog foods and am confused.  If I look for other meats in dog food what should I be looking for?

John

——–

Hi John,

Chicken is in a lot of good dog foods because it is plentiful
and inexpensive.

I don’t think chicken is bad but there are a lot of food allergies
in dogs related to chicken.  My bulldog Archie is allergic to
chicken.  He had digestive problems and the vet said it was
inflammatory bowel syndrome and he would need to be on meds
his whole life.

I simply could not buy into his diagnosis and that’s what led to
all this research I did on food.

So I did some food trials and whenever I gave Archie chicken,
he would have a reaction.

The reason why so many dogs are allergic to chicken is (in my
opinion) because of over vaccination.  Allergies are really an
immune reaction to a certain protein that that the immune system
perceives (mistakenly) as an intruder.  Like when you have an
allergic reaction to pollen.

In the case of dogs and chicken, it is a reaction to the chicken
protein.  The reason many holistic vets think this is related to
vaccinations is that vaccines are typically grown in chicken eggs
or kidneys or some such medium.

Anyway, whenever I feed Archie anything chicken (even an egg),
he gets diarrhea.

The meats I feed are lamb, venison, rabbit, and other less popular
and over-industrialized foods, sometimes beef (if I cook it myself),
especially if they come from New Zealand or Australia because
the food source is less apt to have been compromised in the
name of efficiency and cost-saving measures.

I used to be in the food industry - I was a food photographer working
for large food companies - and that’s when I learned a lot about
what is done to the foods we eat - and it isn’t pretty.  And all the parts
of the animals that can’t be turned into human food are turned into
dog food.

Purebred dogs and bulldogs in particular are more susceptible to
these things because they are so inbred.  A specialty breed like
the bulldog has been inbred for over a hundred years, and in the
last twenty or so years the AKC encourages this inbreeding by
awarding prizes to certain breed attributes.

This inbreeding is such an issue in terms of general health of any
purebred dog that is bred for looks rather than health.  It really makes
me wonder whether so called championship lines are all they’re
cracked up to be!

your bulldog pal,
Jan

——follow up question——

Based on what you are telling me, I will need to watch her “reaction” to it.  What should I be looking for for (itching, hot spots, etc). and how soon should I see these reactions?
–John

——-

The signs of food allergy are either intestinal (diarrhea or soft stools)
which you would see within a day, and skin reactions, usually the hair
starts to fall out in patches which could take a month or more to show
up.
your bulldog pal,
Jan

Comments(0)

I’ve always thought bulldogs were pricey at $2000 - $3000,
but now I have a whole new perspective.

There’s a company that produces “designer pets” to suit your
lifestyle. Forget the labradoodle, we now have a truly
hypoallergenic dog.

It’s called the Jabari GD is an adorable little white fluffy
thing, priced at a mere $15,000. You can read more about this
little fella here:
http://www.lifestylepets.com/hypodog.html

The company also offers the Titan, the perfect protection dog.
Fierce when it counts yet loving and gentle with the family.
You can pick up one of these guys starting at a cool $85,000
see them here:
http://www.lifestylepets.com/titannew.html

They also offer cats hypoallergenic or exotic, ranging in
price from $5900 to $125,000

Is this taking hype and exclusivity to the extreme? I’ll
leave that up to you to decide.

For now, I’m just happy with my snorting, shedding, and probably
making me sneeze bulldog!

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

Comments(1)

Jan, I have a question.
I have a big strapping (until this morning) bulldog pup.
He suddenly has a runny snotty
nose. Can I give him some antibiotics?

——–answer———

Hi Tammy,

It depends on why his nose is running.

If he’s having a seasonal allergic reaction to pollens, an antibiotic would
not help. Instead you could give him a dye free children’s dose of Benadryl
(red pack) and see if it helps alleviate his symptoms.

If he has a cold an antibiotic would do no good and it will resolve on it’s own.
The snotty-ness could indicate a cold, but it could also indicate infection.
Dogs do get colds just like humans and usually get better in a few days.

If he has an upper respiratory infection then he would need an antibiotic but
I think you should consult a vet to get a proper diagnosis so he can get
the correct antibiotic for his infection.

You should keep an eye on him. If he gets worse or has any trouble breathing
or gets lethargic or can’t seem to get comfortable, those are all signs that he
may need medical attention.

If he gets better then he probably had an allergy or a cold.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

Comments(0)

Hi Jan,

I am wondering what to do for my grand puppy Lucy. I have written to you about her before and since she is having yeast issues on her feet and face I thought I would revisit your articles, and I noticed that you wrote that your Bulldog had some of the same issues for a while. My problem is compounded by the fact that she is not my dog. I do dog sit for her during the day, so I share in the care of her! I can’t take her to a vet that knows Bulldogs better than the one that the owners take her to. Their vet said that she has yeast , but he attributed it to “getting her feet wet outside”!

Please review for me what I can do to help her! Their breeder told them to use baby wipes on her face, but that does not seem to be enough. I have tried the eyewash and even Lotrimin and Gold Bond on her and nothing seems to help.Lucy is now one year old. She is on the Royal Canine Bulldog food. She now has chewed a hole in the fur on one foot!

Thank you for being such a Bulldog enthusiast.

Marie

—–answer—–

Hi Marie,

Paw licking is a primary sign of allergies. In my opinion
that vet doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Her feet
are wet because she’s licking them all the time and she’s
licking them because she has allergies. Allergies are
caused primarily by a depressed immune system.

The best thing you can do for Lucy is to change her food -
get her off that Royal Canin, she’s probably allergic to something
in it.

Switch her to something like Prairie lamb and oatmeal or California
Naturals lamb and rice or Canidae lamb and rice. You should see
significant changes within a month.

You could also add probiotics and Omega 3s to her diet. They will
help boost her immune system. I give Archie Nordic Naturals Omega
3s and Optagest Digestive Aids - both purchased at a natural foods
store.

While you make the switch, you can bathe her in a medicated
shampoo like Chlorhexiderm 3x a week and/or a rinse of
apple cider vinegar mixed 1 to 1 with water. Or you can just
put dilute apple cider vinegar on the most yeasty areas - it is a
natural anti-fungal. Avoid getting any of these in her eyes.
This should make her feel better.

Gold Bond is probably irritating her face. Just keep her dry and
maybe put a little Monistat in her nose folds. The change of food
should help immensely.

Explain to the owners that spending more on better food will save
on future huge vet bills and keep Lucy from suffering needlessly.

I hope this helps. Please keep me posted on her progress.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

Comments(1)

Hi,
Our English Bulldog is named Rusty and tonight he (all of a sudden) seemed to be swelling with welts. On top of his head, legs, mouth. He was perfectly fine and we noticed his mouth was turning a little red then the welts. He’s acting pretty fine, panting quite a lot. This happened two weeks ago, too. We took him to the vet and they didn’t have a clue. Gave him something for the swelling and an antibiotic. We stopped giving him the meds a few days later b/c he seemed fine. Weird.
Thanks.
Paula

——answer———

Hi Paula,

This sounds to me like your English Bulldog is having a sudden
allergic reaction. The red mouth and then the welts sounds like
he got stung by a bee, or got into something - dogs always
explore with their mouths - and then developed hives. The panting is also
consistent with an allergic reaction which can cause breathing difficulties.

If not an insect bite, is there something else in his environment that he
could be allergic to? Even carpet cleaner can cause allergic reactions
in bulldogs.

He could even be alergic to something in his food. Did the welts appear
after he ate? A dog can be fine with food for a while and then develop
the allergic reaction.

If Rusty is getting into something (whether an insect or an allergen) and
he has this reaction, be aware that the more exposure to the toxin, the
more severe his symptoms will become. The classic example of this
is a human who develops an allergic reaction to bee stings until they
become life threatening.

Do you have any idea what he could be exposed to?

You can give him a childrens dose of Benedryl dye free (pink box) to
help mild symptoms. If breathing becomes very difficult or symptoms
worsen you need to get him to a vet immediately.

Does he chew his paws? This is another sign of allergies.

Here’s a link to a good article on dog allergies:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=75

I hope this helps. Please keep me posted on his progress.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

——-response——-

Hi Jan,
Thanks for your email.  We’ve taken Rusty to the Vet twice now.  We took him this morning.  Two weeks ago to the day we took him, too.  The vet said what you did only she thought it was a spider bite.  We live in Michigan and right now there are no bugs anywhere b/c it’s freezing up here.  There is snow everywhere which he eats alot of.  This morning she thought maybe an allergy to something.  We got benedryl the first time this happened and the vet also gave Rusty and antibiotic and prednisone in case he needed it.
Actually, the carpet and furniture in our home are new.  We got them about 3 weeks ago and this has been going on with Rusty for 2 weeks now.  We have leather furniture and new carpeting.  Of course Rusty thinks he’s a lap dog so he’s on the furniture, too.  I’m wondering if what they treat leather furniture with might be the issue?  We haven’t treated anything so it would have to be what is already on it.  My other thought is maybe dairy?  What do you think?
Thanks so much.
Paula

———-answer——–

ah ha,

I bet it’s the new things, possibly the carpet because they treat it with anti-stain coatings,
and I’m sure they treat leather with something potentially allergenic as well.

One thing that occurs to me is that since Rusty walks on the carpet, if he then
licks his paws, he could be getting the offending carpet sealer in his mouth and
then have the allergic reaction.

You could get the carpet cleaned and when they do, don’t allow them to use
any strong chemicals to clean and don’t let them re-treat it for pet stains or
pet odors.

As for the leather couch, you could put a cover over the leather where he lays on it.

Some of those things like flame retardants and such do some ‘off gassing’ when they
are new and they will diminish in time.

I realize it’s cold, but you could try airing out your house on a warm day to let
the odors escape.

But I suspect it’s something that gets on his paws that he licks off and whamo!

I wouldn’t suspect dairy at this juncture although it can aggravate and cause allergies.

The fact that the allergic reaction happened when you got the new carpet really
leads me to believe it’s related to that.

Does this sound like a possibility?

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

Comments(0)

Thank you Jan -

I live in South Florida and have a 1 year old (birthday 2/15) male bulldog, Winston (70lbs) who on one previous occasion (July) had spotting (looked like someone sprinkled oil on his back and left spots) along the ridge of his back.   It lasted a few weeks and wasn’t anything drastic.

Dark spots (minimal hair loss) located about rump wrinkles….

Winston did not have any discomfort (no scratching) nor did he show any signs of knowing about what we saw.    Late January, his spotting (hair loss) re-occured in full force (I brush him and the driveway looks like a hair storm hit…)  along his shoulders, back, rump and hind quarters.

I have been reading up about the seasonal flank alopecia and think that he may have that (he is inside all day long while I am at work until darkfall).  I take him on regular (long) walks every night and several times a day on the weekends (morning, afternoon & night).

He is a HEALTHY eater… too fast, but never leaves a morsal….  Hahahaha

But I wonder about his diet and if that may have instigated a skin condition (or allergic reaction).

I have had him on Royal Canin - Large Breed Puppy formula since he was 4months old.   However, in January, I began to switch (mixing) him to Royal Canin - Bulldog formula. Coincidently, the hair loss began at this time. Now that we are in mid February he continues to lose major amounts of hair and I don’t know what to do.

I’ve been reading on your website and others about the possibility of diet being the cause of bulldog skin conditions….

But, I also see that you list Royal Canin as a preferred brand???  I’m confused…. we are still using the same brand, just moved to bulldog specific formula.  Can this be the problem?

Do you think that the hair loss was triggered by the change of foods…. or SFA?

Any suggestions? HELP

Thank you in advance for you help.

Michelle & Winston

——answer——–

Hi Michele & Winston,

Sorry for any confusion.  There are always conflicting opinions when it comes
to  english bulldogs and the connection between diet and skin.

On my site I list Royal Canin as the most popular brand according to a survey
of my bulldog owners.

That said, I don’t feed it to my Archie because he seems to be allergic to
chicken, the primary protein source in it.

And since your Winston’s hair loss started with your switch to RC B24, I
would definitely be suspicious of a food allergy.

What I currently feed my bulldog Archie is either Canidae or California Naturals
lamb meal and rice formulas.  I have found lamb to be much easier for bulldogs
with allergies.

This is not a set deal.  Some dogs are allergic to different things.  But the
most allergy producing proteins according to my vet skin specialist are
beef, soy, and chicken in that order.

Try switching him to one of these two foods, slowly, over a week or two, and
see what happens.  You should see results within two weeks, as I did with my
Archie.  It’s pretty basic food so he may not be crazy over eating it.  If he
won’t eat it add a little canned Wellness Lamb and Rice formula.

If it doesn’t work you may need to try Duck and Sweet Potato or Venison
and Sweet Potato formulas and see how he reacts to them.

It’s a matter of trial and error with food allergies.

About Seasonal Flank Alopecia, it doesn’t look like that’s what’s bothering
Winston because SFA shows up on the shoulders or sides of the bulldog,
whereas food allergies tend to show up on the top and along the back.

It is also more common in the northern states where there is less daylight
during the winters, like Minnesota.  But it can appear anywhere.

You can read about SFA and see some photos here:
http://www.vivyland.com/articles/sfa.html

It is always good to let your bulldog get some sun, it is a great natural (and
inexpensive!) anti-bacterial.  Just 20 minutes a day is good.

I hope this helps.  Please keep me posted on his progress.

Your Bulldog Pal,
Jan

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