French Bulldog Health Issues- How to stop them?

We all love French Bulldog’s creased face and their huge round eyes. Despite being one of the most lovable dog breeds in the world, French Bulldogs are not considered for so healthy dog breed. Unfortunately, French Bulldog health issues take a high place in internet searching. They often suffer from skin issues, breathing issues, hip dysplasia, cherry eye, hair loss, and many other diseases. If you are a Frenchie’s owner then you pretty much know what we’re talking about.

They’re the healthiest breed

Besides previously mentioned facts, you probably don’t know the following. French Bulldogs are the healthiest of all Bull Breeds. Before buying a French Bulldog, it’s recommended to first check a dog’s health history. Every breeder should provide you with a certification of the puppy parents’ screening.

However, it’s also not a final guarantee that your dog will be healthy. As with people, dogs also develop certain health issues during their lifetime.  It’s a fact that owning a French Bulldog usually costs a lot, but there’s no better feeling than having a loyal friend. In order to help all Frenchies’ owners in dealing with certain health problems, we decided to give you some useful tips. So, let’s start with some of the most common French Bulldog issues.

French Bulldog skin problems

Itchy folds

French Bulldog skin problems definitely come to the first place. Many dog owners are usually not conscious that many health problems can be solved with food. Frenchies often show signs of allergy on different food so their skin quickly becomes itchy.  Since they have numerous folds, they’re more prone to develop different skin infections. First of all, French Bulldog owners need to pay attention to daily fold’s cleaning. They often get dirty after eating, so the left food inside them often leads to an infection. In order to prevent them from these issues, we recommend you to clean the folds by a wet towel or wipes.

Dermatitis

Dermatitis is another French Bulldog health issue. It occurs dog’s skin with redness, crusts, sores, itching, seborrhea, and hot spots. If you don’t treat dermatitis, your Frenchie may develop certain bacteria and bad smelly folds. If the dog comes to this stage, he’ll require an antibiotic treatment as well. Oatmeal bath is also highly recommended since it provides a soothing effect on the skin. It would be very helpful to bathe a dog at least 3 times a week in Oatmeal. Another solution is putting a topical spray to your dog’s hot spot that will ease the symptoms.

The main causes for your French Bulldog skin issues

There’re several causes for your dog’s itchy and crusty skin. Food intolerance may be only one of the reasons. Skin problems are mostly caused by allergic reactions to food, dust, pollen, and dirt. If your Frenchie has a seasonal allergy, then you need to know there’s no cure. However, we can successfully put it under control by using a certain medication

1.Food

When it comes to food allergens, Frenchies show intolerance to corn, soy, chicken, lamb, wheat, eggs, chicken and beef. In food type of allergy, Frenchie displays a skin inflammation on ears, stomach, paws, and head. Sensitive Frenchie’s stomach is also intolerant to certain proteins, so that’s why is desirable to feed him with lean meat. For example, you should avoid giving him oily meat, and chicken skin.

2. Environmental allergies

Environmental allergies often happen in spring and autumn. When a dog’s antibodies come into contact with allergens, it results in releasing of histamine. Using different corticosteroids and antihistamines can be one of the solutions. On the other hand, you shouldn’t let it become a year-round issue. By using corticosteroids you need to be very cautious since they shouldn’t be used for more than 7 days. Using allergy supplements will also ease your dog’s inflamed skin. Cleaning your Frenchie’s fur every time you get back from outside is also desirable. You can do it with wet wipes or a towel. If he suffers from a severe case of environmental allergy then you might consider buying him socks and vest.

What to do if your French Bulldog suffers from the dry and cracked nose?

By dealing with French Bulldog health issues you’ll probably meet with your Frenchie’s cracked nose. In fact, it often occurs Frenchies. Due to this, we recommend you to apply a Vaseline or Nose butter twice a day. You’ll notice the improvement in only a few days. However, if your dog’s nose doesn’t get any better, then it might be a skin infection, an allergy, or auto-immune disease.

French Bulldog eye problem

There’re several eye issues that mostly occur in French Bulldogs, and Corneal Ulcers is one of them.

French Bulldog health issues- Corneal Ulcers

Corneal Ulcers takes an important place in dealing with French Bulldog health issues. It’s described in losing a transparent layer over the iris of the eye. Literally, it means that the eye can leak out and collapse. Some of the first symptoms are Frenchie’s rubbing of the eye with the paw or dew claw. The main causes for Corneal Ulcers are chemical irritations of the eye. That’s why is extremely important to avoid shampoos and soaps enter the eye.

So, how to solve a problem?

People are usually not aware of this eye problem that can even lead to blindness. In order to prevent your Frenchie from dealing with Corneal Ulcers, we recommend you to clean his eyes with a Sterile Eye Wash.

This condition is extremely painful for dogs and takes a high place in French Bulldog health issues.

French Bulldog health issues- Cherry Eye

Cherry eye is one of the most common French Bulldog health issues. If your Frenchie has a red tissue protruding from the inside corner of the eye, you can be sure he deals with it. This condition is usually not painful, but if it’s not treated on time it leads to an eye surgery. While some dog owners treat their dog’s cherry eye with medication, other dogs show improvement without any therapy. Veterinarians also recommend a closed-eye massage that can release a swollen tissue. The last solution for fixing this type of French Bulldog health issue is surgical eyelid fixing or gland removal.

French Bulldog Health Issues- Dry eye

According to statistics, at least 5% of dogs will develop some level of dry eye during their lifetime. In dry eye condition, French Bulldog’s lacrimal gland stop working which is the main cause of tear reduction. The main causes for this issue are blocked tear duct, trauma to duct or tear gland, eye infection or a natural predisposition. The treatment of the cherry eye much depends on the level and cause. While some dogs need to use antibiotic drops, the other can get an improvement by using only teardrops.

French Bulldog hair loss

French Bulldog health issues- Alopecia

Alopecia or seasonal baldness is a cosmetic skin condition that affects dogs with a reduced level of melatonin. This type of skin condition becomes easy to solve by exposing a dog to a sunlight so it can ‘pick’ a natural melatonin. Another solution is buying an oral melatonin. In most cases, this condition much depends on a dog’s history and health predispositions. While some dogs show an improvement in a few months, the other stay with bald and dark spots forever.

 

French Bulldog health issues- Allergy hair loss

All dog owners need to know that itching is the first sign of all types of allergies. When we talk about allergy hair loss, food and environmental triggers are the main culprits. Mites, fleas, and ticks are also another cause of itchy problems. They result in hair loss around the eyes, ears, chest, and abdomen. If you don’t treat them on time, your dog will develop a number of infected crusts that will be left without hair forever.

In order to prevent your dog from an allergy hair loss, we recommend you to provide him with a more natural diet. It includes boiled vegetables, chicken breasts, and rice. Omega 3 fatty acids also leave a positive effect on your Frenchie’s fur and skin. Putting a Flaxseed oil in your Frenchie’s food will also decrease his hair loss. Aloe Vera is widely famous for its revealing effects, so using different cooling Aloe Vera gels may help a lot.