Helping your French Bulldog allergy problem

Does your Frenchie suffer from allergy?

Itchy Frenchie- discovering allergy issue

Preventing your Frenchie’s allergy

Allergies are definitely one of the most common health issues in the World not only for pets but also for people. Experts estimate that about 15% of all dog breeds suffer from certain allergy problems. Allergies mostly affect smaller dog breeds and those with short hair since their bellies are closer to the ground and more often get in touch with allergens such as pollen and grass. Different kind of allergens can be found in food as well as in our environment, so if you are owner of French Bulldog with allergy, it’s extremely important to help him with the first showed symptom.

One of the most frequent questions for every French bulldog owner is definitely: “How should I recognize whether my Frenchie suffers from allergy?” Well, that’s why we decided to help you by writing about 10 most common allergy symptoms.

These are 10 signs you should pay attention to:

• constant chewing paws
• acute ear infection
• skin rash
• constant body licking and scratching
• red or pink skin spots
• constant tummy rubbing (on the ground or furniture)
• hair loss
• face rash
• face swelling
• wounds and lesions on the skin

Do some of these signs sound familiar? Now we will see what type of allergy could have your Frenchie.

Allergy types:

Allergies are divided into 4 main types – each type can show different symptoms, but some kinds of symptoms may show the same signs that can lead to problems in determination.

1. Fleas may be one of the reasons why your dog may have an allergy since he may be allergic to the bites that cause redness and itching around the tail (they always try to reach the lower part of the back), while some can even bite the skin around the tail. Fleas can only cause itching if your Frenchie is allergic to them because it’s something like people’s allergy to mosquitoes.
2. The second type of allergy is intolerance to a different kind of food. Dogs may be allergic to anything in their food. It can be a source of protein, lactose, gluten and other additives in commercial foods.
3. It’s a fact that seasonal allergy/environmental allergy affect almost every human being. While allergy in humans affects mostly the respiratory tract, in dogs it often takes the form of skin inflammation which is otherwise called atopic dermatitis.
4. Contact allergies (it’s also the type of environmental allergy) are everywhere! That means your French bulldog has an allergy on specific items. The main reasons for your Frenchie’s suffering from contact allergies may be floor or laundry detergent, laundry softener or perfume you like to put on your clothes. In order to eliminate contact allergies, you need to use stainless steel bowl for eating and drinking and to use detergents free of perfumes and dyes to wash bedding.

If you determined your French bulldog allergy, the only thing you should always keep in mind is not to let seasonal allergy become a year-round problem. Allergies are not only produced by the weak immune system, but they’re also a result of both the environment and genetics. Allergy responses should usually be noticed in the early age when a dog is 6-9 months old.

So, how to treat an allergy in French Bulldogs?

The first thing you need to do is to ask your vet for advice, but for easing your dog’s allergy symptoms you can put a wet wipe or a towel on irritated skin places. The best prevention is removing environment allergens by using a simple wet wipe for cleaning his paws and coat every time you return home from outside. This will help in removing some allergens from his skin and to provide him a cooling effect. Beside steroid injections that give great results in a short time because of their corticosteroid ingredient, there are also oral medicaments (antibiotics, daily antihistamine) that can help your suffering four-legged friend. However, you should be especially careful by giving your dog corticosteroids, since a long-term use wouldn’t be healthy at all. There are also many medicated shampoos, powders and wet wipes that may also help your French Bulldog allergy with.

When we talk about home remedies, cones may prevent your dog from further licking and biting his body parts, while dog shirts can also help him in reducing irritation of the skin. You can find a great selection of our fashionable dog shirts in our online store – https://frenchie.world/

Giving your French bulldog different kind of supplements rich in Omega 3 oils and vitamin E which is good for skin, you will also ease his struggle with allergy. Raising your Frenchie’s immune system by changing his diet could also be of great help. No matter if your dog has only an environmental allergy, it’s extremely important to be given a diet that will reduce his body inflammation. Commercial foods are rich in carbohydrates and grains which actually are in most cases the cause of body inflammations such as arthritis, ear infections, pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and colitis.

Here are some useful allergy supplements that may help your suffering pooch:

1. Nettles– it has been proven that it helps in treating seasonal allergy by reducing the amount of histamine that body produces.
2. Coconut oil– Since it’s rich in lauric acid, it decreases the production of yeast and in combination with fish oil it can help moderate or even suppress the inflammatory response.
3. Quercetin- This powerful antioxidant suppresses histamine release from basophiles and mast cells.

Yeast is certainly one of Frenchie’s biggest enemies since it is commonly caused by an allergy. It ‘lives’ in Frenchie’s ears, under paws, wrinkles, tail pocket, or any other warm body place, and it can spread very fast! For yeast treating, you can find many products on the market, and the best ‘home use’ product for killing this smelly critter is definitely the Apple Cider Vinegar. By adding a small amount of ‘’from the Mother’’ Apple Cider Vinegar in your Frenchie’s food or water, you’ll help your Bestie kill the yeast! Your Frenchie’s coat may be also cleaned by a mix of water and vinegar after bathing (at the end of the treatment you must wash his coat by water again).

Always pay attention to your Frenchie’s skin since it can be very dry and it’s often the trigger for a dog’s ‘itching problem’. For nourishing your dog’s skin you can use special lotions and oils that will provide him a shiny and healthy coat. No matter what type of your French Bulldog allergy is having, keep your head up and provide him the best care and nutrition.