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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When I was a child we had lots of pets.  My mom loved cats and I even go to see kittens born!  We also had a couple dogs.  Alas, none were bulldogs - my love affair with English Bulldogs started when I was an adult! None of us suffered from allergies and now science may have discovered why!

I read this post from Dr Marty Becker, from his new book The Healing Power of Pets

New evidence suggests that exposure to pets early in life might actually help the body build defenses against allergies and asthma, thereby protecting children from developing reactions, rather than triggering them.

“Kids exposed to animals seemed to be better off,” said Christine Johnson, Ph.D., a senior research epidemiologist with the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. Christine Johnson’s study… tracked 833 children over seven years and found that exposure to two or more cats and dogs at one year of age made children less susceptible to other allergy-inducing substances by the time they turned seven, and that the exposure even improved some boys’ lung functions.

Other research since then has supported these findings, but it’s not just allergens; it’s germs, too. It’s part of what’s known as the “hygeine hypothesis,” the idea that as standards of household cleanliness have been raised, children are being exposed to fewer and fewer germs and allergens, and their immune systems are not as robust as they would be if raised with dust, dirt, farm animals and, of course, “snakes and snails and puppy dog tails.”

One important note: It’s very important that you start early. If you have pets from birth or as toddlers, great. If you wait until you’re a teenager to get a pet to reduce allergies or asthma, not only does it not work, it may make these conditions worse.

Find out about Marty’s book at this link The Healing Power of Pets

And be sure to let your small children cuddle with your bulldog - it’s good for both of them!

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Hello Jan,

Do you know how any natural ways to cure Giardia?
I have heard Oil of Oregano or Grapefruit Seed extract?

Thank you

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Hi Giancarlo,

Giardia is a parasite that is fairly common in dogs in certain areas.  It usually goes away on it’s own.  If it’s chronic or persists over two weeks or there’s a lot of blood in the stools or if your dog gets listless, then you should seek vet treatment.

The danger of giardia is dehydration from too much diarrhea so be sure he gets enough water. To encourage him to drink you can add some broth to his water - he should then lap it up!

You vet will most likely treat the infections with Metronidazole (Flagyl), an anti-fungal medication which is effective but not a good long term solution.

Oil of oregano is pretty hard on the stomach so I wouldn’t recommend using it. One I do use is a herbal remedy with black walnut, clove, and wormwood variations which you can get at a natural or health food store.  Get the liquid form so you can control the dosage. I haven’t tried the grapeseed oil but have heard of people using it.

Personally I’d do the black walnut treatment and wait to see if it resolves itself.  I would also work on boosting his beneficial bacteria to and boosting his immune system by adding probiotics (beneficial bacteria) and L-Glutamine (an amino acid to aid digestion) to his food.

Both are available at natural foods stores.  Bear in mind the normal dose is for a 150lb human so change for his weight.  You should  also add omega 3s in the form of fish oil or flaxseed oil.  These should help boost his immune system and prevent more infection.

your bulldog pal,

Jan

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Hi Jan,

regarding the bully nose, I noticed that it gets very dry
so i started to put vaseline on it and now it seems as
though his nose is shedding itself and black parts of
his nose are peeling, do you have any suggestions??

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Hi Jan,

I was just wondering if well water can hurt or give dogs bladder infections? We just moved here the end of November and we give Lucy water from the faucet that does not have a purifier on it. Should we give her bottled water?? We didn’t know if she is urinating more because of the water or her tail problem. I know you’re not a vet but I trust all of your input. We have just bought her Precise weight management dry dog food. She seems to like it.

Talk to you soon,

Cathy

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Hi Cathy,

I think if the well water is ok for you to drink it’s fine for her.  If you filter it, then give her filtered as well.  Bladder infections don’t usually come from water.  Bad water may have parasites and bacteria which would cause problems for you as well as her.  And bacteria is what usually causes a urinary tract infection.

It’s possible that her tail infection has caused a urinary infection.  A UTI starts with bacteria on the outside of the urethra that proliferates and then moves up the urethra to the bladder.  And it could be the same type of bacteria in the tail infection.

You might want to try adding a tablespoon of natural apple cider vinegar to her water bowl (Braggs makes one).  This will help change the ph balance of acid in her system and can help suppress some of these bacteria.  Give her fresh water daily in a ceramic, glass or stainless bowl (no plastic).

Did your vet check her for a urinary tract infection?

Signs of urinary tract infection are not always obvious but include increased drinking of water, and frequent urination often with little urine produced.  It’s best to test with a urine sample - you might want to have it checked just for peace of mind.  Since he’s seen her recently your vet may let you bring in a sample.

When our bulldogs get one infection, it takes a toll on the immune system and a suppressed immune system can lead to other opportunistic infections.  Keep her calm and safe.  It may sound strange but dogs can pick up our energy and she can tell if you are upset so try to treat her as if everything is normal.

Keep me posted.

your bulldog pal,

Jan

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Hi Jan.

Would like to ask a couple of questions please..:

Q1; Just like to enquire if you have any recommendations for best breeders?

Q2; Also which age is best for a female pure breed English Bull Dog to get pregnant?

Thank-You.

Sincerely

Bailey

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Hi Bailey,

I think the best way is to go to the shows and meet the dogs and breeders,
you can see upcoming shows here:
http://thebca.org/Bulldog%20Specialty%20Info.html

The Bulldog Club of America has a reference list for breeders on their site:

http://thebca.org/Breeder%20Referral.html

As for breeding your bulldog, in my opinion she should not be bred before
the age of two and she should have a complete physical to check for any
health or bulldog genetic abnormalities to be sure you are not passing on
heartbreaking bulldog defects.

your bulldog pal,

Jan

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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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Good Afternoon,

I have a question to see if you have experienced this or heard of this with other English Bulldogs.

Our 5 year old threw up her food (several X’s same day). Next day did same so we took her to vet. They did blood work, x-ray of stomach. There was a mass noticed. To make a long story shorter she ended up and had to have surgery. It ended up she had a stool blocking part of large intestine.  She couldn’t keep down even small amount food. They carefully massaged intestine, put anti-inflammatory and antibiotic to help prevent infection.

She’ll be at vet’s for several days so they can watch her, be available for any added medications and watch stool. Said she would have to push so to speak to get it out and they wanted to be able to do what might be needed for her to pass stool hopefully without problem.

Have you ever heard of one having this. I’ve heard of them not wanting to grunt a you might say and she is one we have to watch as she seems to get tight stools once in awhile and we have to give pumpkin to keep soft enough. If not, she’ll not complete job.

They did not open intestine and remove as they felt danger of infection etc was to great etc to great. Rest of everything looked good. No other blockage or foreign object.

Needless to say I have been a basket case, but now we’ll need to be even more checkful of this area.

Any suggestion to help prevent this from happening again. And how do you know if they’ve gotten cleaned out.

Thanks
Mary

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