French Bulldog constantly trying to "clean" or itch himself.

[andygwood]

Hey Everyone, looking for some help from anyone that has dealt with an issue similar to this before.

Here's a video to go along with the information below:



Also note in the video when I get closer to him with the camera I'm literally just leaning in and scratching the side of his leg so he continues the action for the video / demo purposes. I typically tell him to stop or lay down at which point he does break the action and listens for the most part.

My Frenchie (Bowser) is just over 1yr and has been dealing with these chronic attempts to clean or itch himself. Because of his body type he is unable to reach himself the traditional way most dogs would.

I've tried a bunch of different things over the past 6-8 months or so from changing his food to wiping him down every time he comes in from outside, the list goes on. He is currently on Royal Canin Special (For senstative stomachs) but he's been on Purina GI and Royal Canin HA before as well, with no change in this behaviour. This activity started maybe 3-4 months after we got him and has persisted through that time and up until now (before and after he was fixed as well). He does it anywhere from I would say 6-12 times a day and starts to "cry out" if he keeps at it for an extended time. He also gets frustrated about it.

While I was shampooing him and wiping him down weekly I noticed if I flip him over and wipe down his genitals, his legs start to go into over drive (similar to when you scruff them under their chin or ears, like you're scratching an itch for them) so that is how we pin pointed the exact spot that he is trying to get to. The exact area seems to be maybe 1/4 of an inch below the tip of his prepuce.

I've had him to the vet more times than I can count and they haven't found anything wrong with him or that area specifically.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Willowrun]

Nice video and nice pup! Stop the Royal Canin---it now has WHEAT and CORN GLUTEN in it as binders----he needs something neutral- no wheat, no corn and no soy---no beef is best, lamb is good chicken would be second. NO treats of ANY kind- give him a couple of kibbles or green beans- that licking and itchy skin is the start of his immune system trying to cope with the fillers from his food- and dyes like red, green and orange will do it too! I feed my girl Dave's Bland diet with no beef , no corn, no whet- it is chicken based though. Dave's natural also has added oligofructose for the digestive tract- she has had no issues to date, no gas and I do not give her anything but her food, with some wet dog food and hot water 2 times a day. No human food either! She is 14mos old.....good luck- it will take about 60 to 90 days to 'sluff" off all the irritants and contaminates in his system- changing food does not work in a matter of days- it just takes the right/good food and time....and the human cannot give treats of any kind bought from the store!! LOL THAT seems to be the hard part for many owners! Good luck!

 

[Alice Kable]

I agree that it could be food related. I feed my boys Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Turkey, and the other one gets the same food only Lamb.

 

[davidh]

I agree, change his food to a grain free food. If a food has corn in it, put it back on the shelf. We feed FROMM Pork and Peas. I had one girl that itched in it and we put her on FROMM Game Bird and she did great on it. So change his food and it may take several until you find one that works.

 

[Wilsondog]

Ugh!!!
Wilson, our 4 year old baby boy does the same and we have been trying to pinpoint his allergy for over a year now! We have tried all single protein foods...Venison, beef, bison, chicken, none have proven to be tolerable for him. I am so fed up with the vet! Some days he can need 2, or even 3 Zyrtek. This is no life for a Frenchie! I have been considering raw diet, but need more info...???

 

[2bullymama]

agree witht he others, seems to be a food issue. We feed Fromm grain free Pork and Peas and Cheli does really well on it

 

[uldisk]

disagree with others, we are trying allready third grain-free food and absolutely no changes at all!!

 

[bullmama]

Hi [MENTION=488]andygwood[/MENTION] and welcome to FBN!

This is classic allergy behavior, please check out the link I will post below article on allergies.

I would change from Royal Canin - regardless, if it is or is not a food issue, it certainly could be (process of elimination), and royal canine is not worth the $$$ paid for it regardless.

You can try putting a shirt on him, and some socks. Secure the socks with a mattress strap or mitten clips to the shirt or over the body. This will help him from wanting to itch himself. The more he itches, he spreads saliva which can cause yeast and bacteria to spread all over, which makes him itchier.

http://frenchbulldognews.com/content.php/32-French-Bulldog-Allergy-Treatments-and-Prevention

Also I highly recommend washing with an anitbacterial and antifungal shampoo. Pharmaseb is wonderful, and really helps curb the itchies because it kills the yeast (and yeast itches like crazy, and is most times invisible).

[MENTION=517]uldisk[/MENTION], which foods have you tried so far and for how long?

 

[Frenchie Mommy]

I am new to this site and we own a two year old Male Frenchie. I haven't had any itch issues and I wipe his face daily with the un-scented baby wipes. We shampoo him with Dreft laundry detergent. I know that sounds strange, but our breeder told us about it. Dreft is a baby laundry detergent and you mix it with water and bathe and rinse real well. He gets bathed about every 3 months and wiped down in between baths with the wipes. We feed him Fromm kibble and he loves it (beef flavored). So maybe we are just lucky or maybe it's because of the Dreft.....just not sure. Have owned other dogs in the past that have had major allergy issues and wished I had known about the Dreft then as I used different dog shampoos, vet shampoos, different medications, allergy tests done and nothing worked.


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