Hi Everyone! Just wondering if any other Frenchies are experiencing allergies right now and whether this is common with this breed? Lulu started exhibiting some skin allergies similar to hives and other various bumps on her back and our vet has ruled out fleas and ticks but we're still not sure what's going on. Right now Lulu is on a strict hypoallergenic diet so that we can see if it might be her food since the Benedryl our vet prescribed didn't seem to help very much. Lulu doesn't seem like she's uncomfortable (aside from the scratching) but our hearts break when we see the bumps on her back that also causes excess shedding in those areas which lead to little bald patches. If anyone has any suggestions we would greatly appreciate it!!
Thank you!!
Calvin & Lisa

ours little girl had some problems a few weeks ago. we already know about her food allergies and determined it was something she was coming into contact with. she was getting little welts/ bumps that completely covered her underside. we think it was from her laying on the grass. my guess is that it was something coming off the trees since she only reacted to the grass in our yard. they seemed to have cleared up once we turned the sprinklers on and had a few good showers. i haven't seen anything else pop up in a couple weeks so i'm keeping my fingers crossed. i'll let you know if they pop up again, watering down the lawn/ baths seemed to help a great deal. i checked the pollen counts for those days and it seemed to be unrelated. hope lulu feels better soon. i think it's common for these little guys to get both food/ skin allergies. unfortunately we've had to deal with both. and yes, we haven't had luck with benedryl either.

Hey there! Well-I think there are certainly some allergen-causing creatures lurking out there right now but it depends very much upon what your little one is allergic to. We've been taking our lil' cream boy to a dermatologist for the past few years. He has Atopic Dermatitis, which was determined from a series of allergy tests. If you go to a dermatologist they do a great work-up that will tell you all of the things your critter is allergic to, along with how allergic she is to each thing. For example, in my boy's case, he is really allergic to different types of mold-so in the winter his allergies heat up as the weather cools. But your girl could be more susceptible to pollen and blooming grasses, which are ripe this time of year.
The benedryl will help some but depending on the severity of her allergies, you may need something more heavy-duty. I know that in my case, my boy's allergies got worse as he matured (we started seeking specialty help around the age of 1 or 2). It was terrible to see him so uncomfortable and though it's been anything but cheap (can you say the $10,000 dog!?!) I can't tell you how happy I am that we visited a specialist who could make him more comfortable. He is like a whole different dog now!
Our clinic (who had an EXCELLENT attending-Dr. Amy Randall) is the Animal Allergy Clinic in Beaverton. I would highly recommend them!
Good luck with your sweet girl. :)

Hi Everyone! Just wondering if any other Frenchies are experiencing allergies right now and whether this is common with this breed?
YES, YES, YES! ALLERGIES ARE VERY COMMON WITH FRENCHIES. THERE IS A LOT OF REALLY GREAT INFORMATION ON THE FRENCH BULLDOG CLUB OF AMERICA WEB SITE: http://www.frenchbull...

WE HAVE USED BENEDRYL FOR BIJOU DURING THE SPRING AND FALL AND IT DOES HELP AFTER A WHILE. SHE IS ON ONE IN THE MORNING AND ONE IN THE EVENING TOO. WE HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT ANY FOOD CONTAINING ANY GRAIN (EVEN BROWN RICE) WILL GIVE HER LOOSE STOOLS [AND GAS!!] AND MAKES HER MORE ITCHY. WE CURRENTLY FEED NATURAL BALANCE LIMITED INGREDIENT, DUCK AND POTATO SMALL BITES (DRY) ALONG WITH THE CANNED FISH AND SWEET POTATO LIMITED INGREDIENT. THE FISH CANNED FORMULA REALLY HELPS WITH HER COAT DUE TO THE FISH OILS AND WE THEN DO NOT HAVE TO ADD ANY SUPPLEMENTS. BIJOU DOES NOT HAVE REALLY BAD ALLERGIES COMPARED TO OTHER FRENCHIES SO I GUESS WE ARE FORTUNATE. MOST FRENCHIES THAT I KNOW ARE SENSITIVE TO GRASS, ESPECIALLY WHEN JUST FRESHLY MOWED. BIJOU HATES! TO GO POTTY AFTER MY HUSBAND MOWS THE LAWN, LOL! SOME OF THE MEMBERS AT FBRN SUGGEST TO GIVE THE LAWN A GOOD WATERING AFTER MOWING AND IT WILL HELP WITH THE ALLERGY ISSUES.

MY DAUGHTERS FRENCHIE GETS THE SKIN RASH THAT YOU ARE DESCRIBING AND HE HAS A SPECIAL SHAMPOO THAT THE VET PERSCRIBED THAT THEY USE ONCE A WEEK AND IT SEEMS TO HELP. WE THINK HIS RASH IS DUE TO HEAT. THEY LIVE WHERE IT FREQUENTLY GETS OVER 100 DEGREES IN THE SUMMER AND WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS UP THE HEAT HE GETS A HEAT RASH

I HOPE SOME OF THE INFORMATION ON THE WEB SITE THAT I GAVE YOU WILL HELP A LITTLE BIT. IT MAY ALSO GIVE YOU MORE LIKS TO GO TO. OH YEA! SALMON FISH OIL IS SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT FOR SKIN ALLERGIES, ALSO A HINT FROM THE FRIENDS AT FBRN.

GOOD LUCK AND HANG IN THERE
BEST, GRACIAN

This is happening to my lil guy right now. His eyes and mouth are swollen and he has little bumps all over him. This happend one other time and freaked me out. Since its only happend twice I dont think its his food. The first time it happend it was a sunny day and I thought he may have been stung by a bee. Now that it has happend today and its cloudy outside and not a bee in sight Im thinking its something else. The question is what?

Hi, I just thought I would add a reply about my frenchie's allergies. I also took her to the vet after seeing some small raw patches, and they suggested I should put her on a lamb and rice diet, along with her kibble, that seems to have done the trick for her, thank goodness. I have noticed if she even gets a few treats that have something else in them she is back to the scratching again. So I try to be very strict about keeping her on her diet. Hope this helps and your little one can get some relief. Holly and Miss Bea :-)