Skin and Coat Prevention Care for Bulldogs and French Bulldogs

Skin and coat diseases are common medical complaints I help with in my bulldog practice; some are seasonal, and others are year-round.

Bulldog Skin and Coat PRESENTATION:

Common bulldog owners’ complaints include:

• Bad skin odor
• Greasy or overly dry coat
• Scaly, flaky dander
• “Yeasty” smelly Bulldog
• Baldness, hair loss and  alopecia 

ITCHY BULLDOG

Frequently, the main issue reported is varying levels of itching, ranging from mild to severe scratching and self-mutilation.

Itching can be due to a wide range of conditions

1. BULLDOG ALLERGIES

• atopic environmental
• food allergy
• contact allergy
• flea allergy

2. BULLDOG INFECTION

• bacteria
• yeast

3. BULLDOG SKIN PARASITE

• sarcoptic mange mite
• Demodex mite
• flea

BALDNESS, HAIR-LOSS, ALOPECIA

Many bulldogs with dermatitis have some degree of hair loss.

• extensive, diffuse baldness
• patchy, focal hair loss
• multi-focal baldness
• regional alopecia

Skin and Coat in Bulldogs and French Bulldogs: COMMON DERMATITIS

• ALLERGIES:
  • food allergy
  • atopic allergic dermatitis
  • flea allergy
  • contact allergy
• PARASITES:
  • Demodex mites
  • sarcoptic mites
  • fleas
• KERETENIZATION DISEASE
• INFECTIOUS:
  • bacteria
  • yeast
  • dermatopytes (ringworm)
• ENDOCRINE:
  • hypothyroidism
  • Cushing’s syndrome
• CANCER:
  • mast cell tumor
  • lymphoma
• IMMUNE-MEDIATED:
  • pemphigus

 Infections are usually secondary to a poorly manged primary problem like immune suppression or allergies.

Bulldog Skin and Coat Disease DIAGNOSIS:

Addressing skin and coat issues in bulldogs and French bulldogs typically involves a systematic diagnostic process, breed-specific susceptibilities, and heightened sensitivities.

It’s crucial to gather a comprehensive medical history, conduct a physical examination, and carry out relevant diagnostic procedures.

Common diagnosis tests include:

• Cytology: abnormal inflammatory cells, bacteria, yeast, cancer cell
• Skin Scrape: skin mites
• Flea Comb: fleas, flea eggs, flea dirt/stoll
• Allergy Test: blood or skin
• Food Trial: strict hypoallergenic prescription for 8–10 weeks
• Fungal Culture: DTM
• Bacterial Culture: culture and antibiotic sensitivity
• Biopsy: histopathology
• Other

Skin Coat in Bulldogs and French Bulldogs PREVENT & TREAT:

1. Lifelong: It is important to understand that many skin and coat issues in bulldogs and French bulldogs are persistent and may never fully disappear, which underscores the necessity for lifelong management.
2. Owner commitment: Effective care and management often demand ongoing commitment and cooperation from the owner.
3. Prevention: Preventive measures are the most reliable and economical means of ensuring your bulldog remains comfortable, free from itching, and in good health.

A lifelong commitment to prevention and management is critical

BULLDOG SKIN & COAT THERAPEUTIC SUPPLEMENTS:

Regardless of your bulldog or French bulldog’s skin and coat condition, there are a few effective nonprescription bully therapies you can administer

Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Bully Therapeutics are:

• Inexpensive
• Easy-to-administer
• Safe
• Effective against MRSP
• No side effects
• At home
• Nonprescription
• Offered as low-cost bundles

Bulldog and French bulldog BATHING & WASHING

Water is soothing and helps remove

• allergens
• bacteria
• flakes, and dead skin

 

Bully Therapeutic MEDICATED SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER:

Medicated shampoos can help:

• ANTISEPTIC: Fight yeast, fungus, and bacterial dermatitis
• FOLLICULAR FLUSHING: Flush-plugged hair follicles
• ITCH CONTROL: Reduce itch and scratch
• HYDRATE: Hydrate the skin and coat
• SOOTHING & HYPOALLERGENIC: remove allergens
• DEGREASING: for oily seborrhea greasy bulldogs

Bulldog Therapeutic RINSE, SPRAY, GELS, and LOTION :

The hot spot spray, antiseptic spray, and waterless lotion complement Dr. Kraemer’s medicated shampoos.

• WATERLESS
• NO, RINSE
• EASY
• QUICK
• INEXPENSIVE
• COMPLEMENT THE MEDICATED SHAMPOOS
• ANTISEPTIC
• ITCH RELIEF

Bulldog and French bulldogs MEDICATED WIPES: 

• XL BULLY ANTISEPTIC WIPES
• SM-BULLY ANTISEPTIC WIPES
• XL BULLY TEAR STAINLESS WIPES
• EARS CLEANSING WIPES

Bulldog Therapeutic SKIN & COAT SUPPLEMENTS:

When adopting a holistic and thorough preventive strategy for your bulldog’s skin, coat, and overall health, it’s wise to include anti-inflammatories, stress relievers, ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier, immune enhancers, prebiotics, and probiotics.

• V4B BULLY IMMUNE BOOSTER & ANTIOXIDANT
• V4B BULLY FISH OIL EFA
• V4B BULLY PRE & PROBIOTICS
• V4B BULLY DERMAL CARE TAB
• V4B BULLY MULTIVITAMIN
• V4B BULLY CRUSTY HYPERKERATOSIS NOSE AND FOOD BALM
• V4B BULLY STRESSLESS & CALM
• V4B ITCH & ALLERGY CHEWS

Common Skin Disease in Bulldogs and French Bulldogs

Bulldog Skin Fold Moist Dermatitis

Due to your bulldog’s facial bone compression, they will likely have some excess skin folds over the nose, to the sides, and under both eyes that can lead to chronic skin disease.

• Facial
• Nose
• Chin
• Vaginal
• Paw
• Tail

For bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs skinfold moist dermatitis prevention and care, click CLICK HERE

Bulldog Demodicosis Mites (Red Mange Mites)

Demodicosis, known as “red mange,” involves microscopic skin mites often present in bulldogs and other pets without causing clinical issues.

However, in certain bulldogs, particularly those with weakened immune systems, such as young puppies, as well as in immune-compromised and stressed pets, Demodex mites can lead to skin diseases that may be severe.

For bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs demodex prevention and care, click CLICK HERE

Food Allergy in Bulldogs

In most cases, gastrointestinal issues in bulldogs are more commonly linked to factors such as parasites, viral infections, bacteria, or dietary indiscretions than food allergies.

As for your bulldog’s skin condition, food allergies are less common than you might think, Skin allergies and itching more commonly stem from atopy (environmental allergens), fleas, and secondary yeast infections or bacterial infections.

For bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs food allergy prevention and care, click CLICK HERE

Environmental Atopic Allergic Itch Dermatitis in Bulldogs

Bulldog allergic atopic dermatitis is primarily caused by environmental allergens and represents the most common type of allergy I encounter in my practice.

For Bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs atopic dermatitis prevention and care, click HERE

Grain-Free Diet and Allergies in Bulldogs and French Bulldogs

Contrary to popular belief and what is often advertised on social media, most cases of food allergies in bulldogs are linked to the dietary protein source—specifically the meat portion of their diet—rather than carbohydrates or grains. The animal-derived ingredients are typically responsible for food allergies in bulldogs, not the grains.

For Bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs grain free allergies prevention and care, click HERE

MRSA (Multi Drug Resistance in Bulldogs) in Bulldogs

MRSA stands for “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus,” while MRSP stands for “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius.”

To simplify the terminology, I will use “multi-drug resistance in bulldogs” interchangeably with “methicillin resistance.”

For Bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs multi-drug resistant MRSP prevention and care, click HERE

 

Allergy of the Paw (Pododermatitis) in Bulldogs

Pododermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease affecting the paws of bulldogs. It’s a frequent dermatological issue in this breed, often linked to underlying conditions such as skin-fold moist dermatitis and allergies

For Bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs  pododermatitis prevention and care, click HERE

Bulldog Flank Alopecia Seasonal Baldness 

Bulldog Flank Alopecia, also known as Bulldog Seasonal Flank Baldness, is associated with reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter days of the year, leading to lower levels of melatonin. This condition often corresponds with seasonal changes.

For Bulldogs and Fr. bulldogs flank alopecia prevention and care, click… HERE

Bulldog Interdigital Cysts

Interdigital Cysts in bulldogs and French bulldogs are typically associated with a bright red, puffy, sometimes erupting lesion located in your bulldog’s web space. .Read More

Bulldog Yeast Infection (Malassezia)

Yeast infections in bulldogs and French bulldogs are common to bulldog’s skin, bulldog’s ears, and bulldog’s skin-folds

• facial
• nasal
• tail
• toe and paws
• vaginal folds
• Read More

Bulldog Bacterial Infection PYODERMA

Staphylococcus intermedius is the most common bacteria found; it is part of the normal bully skin microflora but can become an opportunist in the event of a damaged skin barrier due to allergy.

Another trigger can be a suppressed and compromised immune system    ..Read More

*Coming Soon: 

All the “Skin-Coat in Bulldogs and French Bulldogs TOPICS” below will be published in the coming weeks. I will be happy to alert you of each new publication via email. Just add your email to our “Join Our V4B Community”  membership listing, or to our “ALERT”  email box in the top left corner. Also, I will alert you of the new release of my upcoming   ”Do It Yourself V4B Bully Maintenance Videos”.

*NEW  Hypothyroidism and Bulldogs…. (coming soon, sign up for our email alert) 

*NEW Ringworm and Bulldogs….(coming soon, sign up for our email alert) 

*NEW Cushings and Bulldogs….(coming soon, sign up for our email alert)