Why Is My French Bulldog Puppy So Itchy and Red? (Vet Answered)

Hi Matthew, Itchy skin is one of the most common health complaints in dogs, and French Bulldogs are particularly predisposed. I’m not going to sugar coat it – there is a pretty good chance that you’ll be managing Choe’s skin for the rest of her life, BUT, if we can get a good basis now, the future will look much brighter for you and for her. The first thing you’re going to need to do is rule out parasites (eg. fleas, mites) and infection. Dogs with skin allergies can also develop secondary infections, so we need to know exactly what we are and aren’t dealing with. One of the biggest mistakes I see made (and have made myself) is to try to cut costs when it comes to skin conditions – all it does is delay the diagnosis and I can guarantee you that you’ll end up spending more money in the long run than if you bite the bullet and accept that you’ll need to drop several hundred dollars up front – think of it as an investment. If your vet has ruled out parasites and infection, we’re basically left with allergies, and they can be environmental, seasonal, or food (or for some dogs, all three). When your dog is really itchy, the temptation is strong to just give them a drug that will stop the itch, but this often prevents us from working out what the cause is. There are some different ways to go about this, and I’ve popped some links at the bottom for you to have a read up on. Allergy testing can be useful, but not always completely reliable. Seasonal allergies tend to be at their worst at the same time as people suffer with hayfever, but dogs with dust mite allergies can actually get worse in cold weather when the heating systems are turned on. Dogs that are allergic to pollens and grass will tend to be allergic much of the time, but worse if they play in fields or are exposed to different flowers and plants. They are usually most itchy on their paws, belly, groin, and armpits. Dogs with food allergies will be itchy all year round, and this one is probably the easiest to diagnose, by using a novel protein diet (see below for more information). This involves putting your dog on a single protein diet using a meat (or insect or plant) protein that they have never eaten before. They need to eat absolutely nothing else for a period of at least six weeks. If the skin improves, we know that food is the issue, and then it’s a matter of working out which proteins they can and can’t have. Dogs with allergies can really benefit from being on probiotics, as they help to regulate the immune system, allowing it to cope with allergens better. Just make sure that the probiotic you use is dog specific, and not produced at high temperatures, as this will kill the bacteria. Also, adding an omega-3 supplement can really help improve skin health, making them less susceptible to infection. Look, you might be lucky and this may just be a temporary issue, but I think it’s always best to prepare for the worst, because in this case, if you are prepared for Chloe’s itchy skin to be a big problem, you’ve already won half the battle. Book an appointment with your vet so they can get you started on the right path, and if you’d like to speak to a vet online about Chloe’s skin – or anything else – pop over to Pangovet.com to make an appointment. All the best, Dr Karyn https://www.dogster.com/ask-the-vet/why-does-a-french-bulldog-get-skin-lumps https://www.dogster.com/ask-the-vet/how-does-allergy-testing-in-dogs-work-vet-answer https://www.dogster.com/ask-the-vet/seasonal-allergies-in-dogs