# French Bulldog Redness, Possible Allergy? (photos)



## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Hi All,

This is our first post for our little boy Tank, he is only 8months old and aside from an ear infection he has been fine. Though lately he has starting showing very mild signs of hair loss up his front legs and had a red mouth that now has these sore looking spots.










Our vet has suggested that it could be an allergy and has given us some hypoallergenic food that he is to have for 8 weeks, however we have been reading online and a lot of sites suggest he should have had a skin and/or blood test also? this has not been mentioned at our vets...could this help find out what the problem is sooner? as waiting 8 weeks where he can't even cheer himself up with certain toys etc is a bit miserable and might not even show results.

Is there a more definite way to test your puppies allergies? also, has anyone else had this problem? if so, did you find out exactly what they were allergic to or did you just rule out a number of things?

Thanks in advance for your time.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

We also read somewhere that previous ear infection could have been rated to his allergy. And not long ago he finally got used to his routine and would sleep around 11.30pm till 7.30-8am, but lately has been waking up at 6.30am again and barking...could be related to pain from allergy?


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## Strawberryearth (Apr 5, 2012)

I didn't want to read and run, I don't have much advice I'm afraid but I do remember some users discussing sore mouths before. Especially in wrinkly mouthed dogs, where it was just where the old food, dribble etc gathered and caused little spots and was a tad wiffy. They cleaned the area regularly using Hibiscrub and it cleared up.

I am surprised your vet suggested it might be an allergy, did they do any other tests? I would think that they need to run a few tests before they could make a diagnosis like that...even if the other tests were inconclusive and thus ruling out all other possibilities left them with the allergy diagnosis. 

I by no means want to tarnish your view of your vet, or make a sweeping generalisation, but it is my understanding that vets (and human doctors, for that matter) get a certain amount of money from the food company by "prescribing" you a certain food. Allergies, "neutered", overweight, senior, sensitive....the list of specialist foods is endless. Did they say what it might be an allergy to? If they suggested an "allergy" but weren't very specific about what they thought it could be a reaction to I would be a little curious about the food- usually an elimination diet is suggested in an attempt to target the trigger allergen. 

As for the mild hair loss on the front legs, it could be completely unrelated. Has pooch been overgrooming? Maybe something is rubbing when he walks?

Ear problems can result from an allergy, but can also result from many folds, dirt build up, mites, the season...many things. 

I hope someone is able to come along soon and give you some more ideas.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Thank you for your reply, and the thought had crossed my mind and I did mention to my misses that I thought it was odd them just giving us the food..and thinking back now he did once go to the vet over having a tiny bit of blood in his poo once and again they just gave us an allergy based food which was not as sensitive as the one he is on now...so your theory holds some weight. I think the skin test would have made total sense for them to do...I've mentioned to my misses about taking him to another vet for a second opinion.

As for the front legs, i've caught him scratching them a couple times, not majorly though...could be mites yes (the skin test would have helped here also right?) or again, maybe it is all combined, i don't know?

I would like to hear from someone else tho who has an allergy prone dog on their experience.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Just wanted to add that the vet said that his chin was brought on by an allergy but that it now had an infection in his hair folicules. We got some antibiotics for this at the time but soon as we finished them it came back. we have another vet apt on Thursday however does anyone have any ideas for somethign that might relieve it a little? It's very red and sore.

The allergy seems to be the reason for his red/dry and slightly thining leg hair at the moment.


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## leicesterlad (Feb 9, 2012)

Our dog had very similar looking lumps on his ears and knees. This was coupled with pink skin all over his body. He scratched to the point of bleeding and we could hear him whining in the night presumably from the frustration of it all.

The vet initially suggested feeding a hypoallergenic kibble (JWB) and a medicated shampoo and gave a course of steriods.

After a few weeks things were getting worse so we insisted on more tests. He had a skin biopsy and blood was sent for testing.

The skin biopsy didn't reveal anything conclusive, but the blood tests tested against 50-ish allergens and revealed an allergy to Beef and Cows milk. Apparently this is fairly common. He is now on a strict chicken and rice diet and has improved dramatically in just a week. 

I would recommend getting the blood tests done, but also switching your dog's diet to something plain like chicken and rice so you know what he's eating.

Dust Mites are also a common cause, so give the carpets a good vacuum, wash his bedding on a high temperature wash and anything that can't be washed try to get it in the freezer to kill any mites. His mattress was too big for the freezer, but I put it in the boot of my car when there was a frosty night forecast - The dog of course stayed indoors with an alternative bed 

Good luck - I know how heartbreaking it can be to watch them scratch and itch.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

leicesterlad said:


> The vet initially suggested feeding a hypoallergenic kibble (JWB) and a medicated shampoo and gave a course of steriods


Thank you for your reply, this is EXACTLY what our vet has given us for him (sorry i didn't mention the shampoo and steroids before) and what you've said makes us feel a bit better knowing you sorted it in the end.

I am starting to think they fob us off with this special food for a while, wait to see if that works, THEN do the skin tests and order us MORE of the food just to run up their fee's more.

Its just common sense to do skin and blood tests I would have thought?

We're going to keep him on the food they suggested, have taken away any food related treats and toys (which is a pain as we were teaching him to come when called at the park) and like you said just hoover every other day if not daily.

Its cost us a ton already in vet bills sorting what could all have been just the one allergy issue, they should have done better tests when he first went in with the ear infection etc. I won't even go into detail on what happened with that whole nightmare, but lets just say it involved a trainee at the vet who probably thinks a shark is some form of cat.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

mrtank said:


> Hi All,
> 
> This is our first post for our little boy Tank, he is only 8months old and aside from an ear infection he has been fine. Though lately he has starting showing very mild signs of hair loss up his front legs and had a red mouth that now has these sore looking spots.
> 
> ...


His face anyway looks like puppy acne, common place is on the chin, the follicles get blocked and bacteria can get in and the spots can then be pus filled and infected. Its common in some breeds and Frenchies and other short coated dogs seem to be prone to it. Like teenage acne in humans it can start between 6/8 months with puberty.

Sometimes it can come along with demodex mites too, which would perhaps account also for the hair loss on his legs. Demodex mites live in the hair follicles and can cause hair loss but unlike the sarcoptic mange mites that live and burrow in the skin and are always intensely itchy as they progress demodex isnt always itchy.

You usually have a good chance of seeing demodex mites on a skin scrape unlike sarcoptic that gets missed a lot of the time. Advocate spot on treats demodex and sarcoptic mites if it does prove to be that.

Just looked up on a Frenchie Care website and seems the Acne isnt uncommon in Frenchies as its got a special mention.



> What is the treatment for acne?
> 
> Acne is most often treated topically unless the case is severe.
> 
> ...


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Sled dog hotel said:


> seems the Acne isnt uncommon in Frenchies as its got a special mention.


Amazing, i've been looking for a French Bulldog website but had no joy, thanks for that.

Hopefully it is just that, and the mites...at least they can be treated and then be gone. An allergy would be a permanent thing to look after, not that its a massive problem but I'd rather him be able to eat and play with new things without us worrying.

Would still love to hear from anyone who has a dog with allergies.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Also, he does have Advocate, so maybe that could push it more towards the allergy? 

We're going to the vet on thursday and going to TRY and press for both skin and blood tests, until then I guess its in the hopes of this special food (which he seems to like thankfully, he wasn't too keen on his last one)


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Have you seen these although not all Uk they are still specific frenchie sites

French Bulldog Health - Health Concerns for French Bulldogs

Keeping your Frenchie healthy and happy | French Bull Dog Club of America

French Bulldog Health


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

mrtank said:


> Also, he does have Advocate, so maybe that could push it more towards the allergy?
> 
> We're going to the vet on thursday and going to TRY and press for both skin and blood tests, until then I guess its in the hopes of this special food (which he seems to like thankfully, he wasn't too keen on his last one)


Even though Advocate supposed to do sarcoptic and demodex mange to be honest I have heard varying reports as to its success for these.

The old treatment that is still going but gets pushed more on the back burner is Aldudex wash which is vet only treatment. You have to bath them in it and let it dry natually on the skin. That does sarcoptic and demodex.

For mites legs, ears, muzzle are often the first places you see if because in most dogs the hair is thinner there allowing the mites better access. The trouble is with sarcoptic especially it often gets missed on skin scrapes.

Allergies dont necessarilly have to be just food related you can get allergies to environmental things too. grasses pollens, dust mites storage mites and a host of other things. You can have tests they can either do patch tests or blood tests, once you get into alleregy testing and treatments though it can be expensive territory. Unless of course he is insured that isnt so bad.

His chin to me looks like puppy acne may be suspect.


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## cava14 una (Oct 21, 2008)

Sled dog hotel said:


> His face anyway looks like puppy acne, common place is on the chin, the follicles get blocked and bacteria can get in and the spots can then be pus filled and infected. Its common in some breeds and Frenchies and other short coated dogs seem to be prone to it. Like teenage acne in humans it can start between 6/8 months with puberty.


That was my first thought too my Boxer had it as a youngster and they have very similar coats to Frenchies


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

He has just turned eight months, so could be acne, though his mouth is pretty pink, and was before the spots showed up (which happened overnight)

Lucky for us we got him insured pretty quick as he was not cheap so wanted to make sure we were covered.

He's fine when he's with us really, playing as normal or sleeping...the odd time we see him scratching he gets stopped asap, so if it is him scratching it would be happening at night when he's alone.


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## bluee (Mar 5, 2013)

I think the skin and complete blood test is the best option to go with.I simply suggest you that you need to change his mattress and replace it with the new best one.In your current scenario the pressure mattress will simply the best.


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## cinnamontoast (Oct 24, 2010)

Tell your vet you want a skin scrape and/or blood test if you want them. Don't be backwards at coming forwards! You need to be straight with your vet. They will often go for conservative management ie longer treatment then cut to the chase of tests. 

Try evening primrose oil (human tablets) to improve/help the acne. It's great for human skin too!


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Hey guys, I just wanted to come on here and say a massive
*THANK YOU*
for your advice on this issue.

Today we took the little man to the vet again and said we wanted a skin scrape and blood tests...they said they would do the skin scrape but the blood test at the same time would cost too much.

Anyway, guess what? YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT! The poor little man has Demodex 

Its annoying as they have given us 12 weeks of medication he now needs, tabels, scrubs, shampoo's etc so its going to be a long road to recovery for him BUT, if it wasn't for you guys he would have been suffering a lot longer.

Seriously, thank you guys. We now love this Forum 

We will continue to report his progress on this post and hopefully soon post a photo of his chin and fur all better.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

mrtank said:


> Hey guys, I just wanted to come on here and say a massive
> *THANK YOU*
> for your advice on this issue.
> 
> ...


So glad you have found out whats wrong with the poor little chap. Its something basic but it so often gets overlooked. Hope now he has the right treatments and he is feeling better soon. Let us know hows he is getting on.


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## penguin (Jan 2, 2013)

My dog Dexter has food allergies which has caused hair loss and he also ended up with a swollen chin several weeks ago. 
£800 of vets bills led to a diagnosis of wheat, rice and soya allergy.

His hair loss started behind his ears and gradually spread to most of his body. managed to change his diet quick enough that he has started to recover and his hair is growing back in. 
I'd suggest changing his diet asap but worth worth getting tests done to find out exactly what he is possibly allergic too.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

penguin said:


> My dog Dexter has food allergies which has caused hair loss and he also ended up with a swollen chin several weeks ago.
> £800 of vets bills led to a diagnosis of wheat, rice and soya allergy.


Thanks for this info, we're weirdly hoping now that it is just down to the fact he's been diagnosed with demodex, at least this can be treated and go away, unlike an allergy that we would have to keep an eye on.

However, there are still chances of there being an allergy with the demodex.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

mrtank said:


> Thanks for this info, we're weirdly hoping now that it is just down to the fact he's been diagnosed with demodex, at least this can be treated and go away, unlike an allergy that we would have to keep an eye on.
> 
> However, there are still chances of there being an allergy with the demodex.


One thing I forgot to mention about demodex earlier, is that a few demodex mites are often present on most dogs but a healthy immune system usually keeps them down in small numbers so you dont get any symptoms or problems. Pups can often pick them up from Mum and because of their immature immune systems and stress of rehoming vaccinations etc which can lower the immune system further they can multiply and run riot. You can get localised demodex classed as 5 or less small areas, or generalised more and wider areas. It sounds like he has a localised version hopefully.

The good news that often when its seen in pups and dogs usually before a year or so old as they grow and mature and their immune systems get mature and better they often dissapear. Its often seen more in young dogs less then two years old.
Its usually more if a worry when it suddenly appears in older dogs. Older dogs with it shouldnt usually be bred from.

It may be worth you speaking to the vet about giving him a veterinary strength skin supplement, you can buy them on line at vet pharmacies but if he is insured and you get them from the vets as part of his treatment then you may be able to claim on the insurance.

Viacutan Plus Capsules 550mg EFA - From £10.18

Efavet 330 Efavet 660 EFA Capsules - From £24.60

There is some more immune system supplements and skin supplements on the link below too that maybe you could talk to the vet about.

http://www.naturalmedicinecentre.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=31

http://www.naturalmedicinecentre.co.uk/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1


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## leicesterlad (Feb 9, 2012)

As an update to my earlier post, the vet is now of the opinion that our dog's itchiness is not caused by a food allergy as he's been on a strict chicken and rice diet and the symptoms are now reappearing. Instead the signs point towards the Scarcoptic mite, which is similar to Demodex mite. According to our vet, there was no evidence of these mites on the skin biopsy as the scarcoptic mite only needs to be present in small numbers to cause the same reaction and we would have been reliant on the mite being present on the skin sample.

We were using Advocate which theoretically should keep both mites at bay, but the vet has suggested switching to Stronghold twice a month. 4 days on, we're again seeing an improvement.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

leicesterlad said:


> As an update to my earlier post, the vet is now of the opinion that our dog's itchiness is not caused by a food allergy as he's been on a strict chicken and rice diet and the symptoms are now reappearing. Instead the signs point towards the Scarcoptic mite, which is similar to Demodex mite. According to our vet, there was no evidence of these mites on the skin biopsy as the scarcoptic mite only needs to be present in small numbers to cause the same reaction and we would have been reliant on the mite being present on the skin sample.
> 
> We were using Advocate which theoretically should keep both mites at bay, but the vet has suggested switching to Stronghold twice a month. 4 days on, we're again seeing an improvement.


Only about 20/50% if you are lucky of sarcoptic mites show up on skin scrapes, they are often missed, probebly because they live and burrow in the skin, where as demodex live in the hair folicles and you therefore have a better chance of catching them and seeing them. There is a blood test that is more accurate a sarcoptic antibody blood test, but you cant really do that until about 8 weeks post suspicion of mites or symptoms to give time for the antibodies to build up and detectable.

Ive heard varying reports too about advocate actually doing its job as regards sarcoptic and demodex even though its maketed as a treatment. Stonghold does do sarcoptic but not I think demodex. Ive used Stronghold for sarcoptic and it did do the trick though. Other alternative that is the older treatment is Aludex baths, which does both and is effective, but it stinks and you have to soak the skin and leave it to dry naturally.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Thought I would update you on Tank's situation. Sadly it seems he is not YET winning this battle with the mites. It LOOKS like they may have spread to his back legs now also...and his chin looks a lot more sore/puss filled and irritable.

He's on tons of medication, we just think he's taking a while for it to kick in and help him. We hope that in a months time he should be showing signs of improvement, considering they said it would be 12 weeks so till he's better.

In other words, we're not expecting a quick recovery...

On the plus side, WHEN we do catch him scratching, licking or biting himself and we tell him no or to stop, he listens to us...so he knows its not good, and i'm sure from this he's starting to realise we're trying to help him.

Also I was making a drink and dropped an ice cube on the floor by mistake, he became fascinated with this so now (because he could still have allergy issues so his food is limited) he now gets an ice cube as a treat which he loves as we also think it helps sooth the pain on his chin.

We're taking him back to the vets next week for a catch up so should hopefully have more information then.

We will also list out all the medication he is on soon just so people know what to expect if they are in the same position.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

mrtank said:


> Thought I would update you on Tank's situation. Sadly it seems he is not YET winning this battle with the mites. It LOOKS like they may have spread to his back legs now also...and his chin looks a lot more sore/puss filled and irritable.
> 
> He's on tons of medication, we just think he's taking a while for it to kick in and help him. We hope that in a months time he should be showing signs of improvement, considering they said it would be 12 weeks so till he's better.
> 
> ...


It could well take a while sorry you have no response from the meds yet.
Hope he feels better soon.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Hi All,

Quick update, Tank's mouth seems to be slowly getting better, the redness is calming and its going black again 

Sadly it looks as if the Demodex may be spreading as its not on the back paws and under neck it seems though it is still early stages in his treatment for that so i'm not going to panic yet esp as his front paws seem to be looking a little better.

We have a vet checkup tomorrow so hopefully some news then.


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## mrtank (Mar 4, 2013)

Just a quick update for anything reading this having the same problems...

Tank's chin is 90% better now, almost all fine and back to its normal state/colour

The demodex seems to finally be loosing the battle and going away, the fur on his front paws seems to have grown back and look a lot better, still a big dark on the skin under but i'm hoping that will be sorted soon also.

The fur on his back by his bum seems to be the worst area at the moment but even that is showing signs of improvement. He's very happy within himself, seems unaware of any problems other than the odd itch but we can see he tries not to since we kept making him stop before.


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## cinnamontoast (Oct 24, 2010)

Don't know if anyone suggested this yet, but sulphur shampoo is meant to be very soothing for skin conditions. One of mine has very red skin and sulphur drops seems to have helped. Obviously don't go crazy with throwing everything at him! 

I don't seem to be seeing pictures of your dog on here yet......?


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