I have seen this question repeated often, “Why is my French Bulldog itchy?” This is a question that can take several articles to explain. Let’s keep it as simple as possible and I’ll show you my opinion and where you can start relieving or preventing itchiness in your Frenchie.
1. Be mindful of chemicals your Frenchie is exposed to.
Your Frenchie spends the majority of his time in close contact to the ground. Chemicals you place on your floor and lawn will be breathed in and have direct contact with the skin potentially causing skin irritation and being absorbed into their system. If absorbed their bodies have to process and eliminate it. Your Frenchie could have skin irritation due to these chemicals. Just like humans every Frenchie is different. I highly recommend starting with your floor cleaner, laundry soap (doggie beds and clothes), and chemicals sprayed on lawns in direct contact with your Frenchie.
A great place to search for safer, cleaner products is the EPA safer choice website. https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/products
Products I like. (These are affiliate links on Amazon.)
Flooring and multipurpose cleaner: Odoban
Laundry detergent: Biokleen
I’m not going to pretend like I know the best lawn products because I have just chosen to ignore lawn care that involves spraying chemicals in my backyard where the Frenchies & kiddos play. I really don’t care about having the perfectly manicured lawn but I realize some of you do. If I were looking for lawn care, I’d google pet safe lawn care or for those who enjoy DIY pet safe lawn care products.
Add a UV light and air filtration system to your HVAC system.
We often feel safe within our homes that are well insulated keeping us comfortable all year long. But often our homes are also a site for trapping allergens making both us and our Frenchies feel sick with allergies. In my networking, I met Annette who started Perairapy after relieving her pets allergies and hotspots with the addition of a UV light system and air filtration system in her home. You must read more about adding one to your home here (this states it’s for fostering but it can be used in your home). https://petairapy.com/animal-industry-solutions/pet-foster-homes/ You can also watch her story below. Again she targets professionals dog facilities but also has one just for your home.
Do no overbathe your Frenchie.
Dogs evolved with the dirt and there are microorganisms, minerals, etc… in the dirt that are beneficial for your Frenchies skin health. Think about the benefits of mud baths and clay masks for humans. Allowing dirt on your Frenchie is ok. When you overbathe them you strip them of the benefits of the soil. We recommend bathing your Frenchie no more than once a month. You can read more about how often to bathe your Frenchie here. https://thefrenchbulldog.com/how-often-should-i-bathe-my-french-bulldog/
Frenchies skin is three times thinner than yours. This means he is more likely to absorb what is placed on his skin. Because of this we also recommend using clean non-toxic shampoos when bathing. https://thefrenchbulldog.com/what-should-i-bathe-my-french-bulldog-with/
Why is my Frenchie itchy? Other reasons to consider.
These are just three things you can do to for your Frenchie to help relieve or prevent itchiness. Obviously, there are other things that can cause your Frenchie to be itchy as well such as:
- Overgrowth of candida yeast
- Food allergies
- Parasites
- Infections such as ear infections
- Fleas
- Hot spots
- Dry skin
- Weather changes
- Environmental allergies such as pollen
- Hormonal imbalance
- Anxiety
- Boredom
- Diet
- And others
We will slowly go through some of the other reasons why your Frenchie could be itchy. Not all Frenchies will have issues with being itchy. Please do not worry if you’re waiting on your very own Frenchie pup. This article is for those who want to prevent itchiness and help those out whose Frenchies might be itchy. I have found what is usually good for the earth is good for our us and our Frenchies. It’s a fun, interesting journey of discovering the best health and wellness pieces to add for optimizing our two and four legged family members health.