English Bulldog folds... PLEASE HELP!!

theshamu

Hi Guys,

I have a 13 month old male English Bulldog. As with most dogs that have folds in their skin are prone to infections if not cleaned on a regular basis. Now I do clean these folds quite regularly and Seamus has never had any problems with infections until recently. The fold that runs just over his nose and down his cheek has become infected, now I have some cream I got off the vet but doesnt seem to be doing much as each morning it doesn't seem to improve much.

Anybody any experience with this issue as I dont want the little fella to be like this as its having an affect with his behavior, not really that active and scratching..

Cheers.

Toulouse

How long has he been on the cream and what is it?

If it's not improving then I'd be going back to the vet before it gets worse. The cream he's given you either isn't suitable for the infection that's there or it's not strong enough.

theshamu

He's only been on it 2 days now as thats how long he's been like that. It's called fuciderm and I've applied it twice daily.

Problem is with my vet, there are two vet's working there and one of them I don't want looking at him anymore as he doesn't seem to be listening what Im telling him, the other one is great and takes everything on board, thing is she's not in till Tuesday and theres a locum in 2moro.

convert

Infections can really drag animals down as their body will be fighting the infection, so that could partly account for your dog's seemingly sluggish behaviour.

However, if you're not happy and are concerned, you should bring him to the vet to have him checked out again. If you're not happy with the vet in your usual practice, then bring him to another vet. Or you could try the locum? They might be ok.

morganafay

Since it's only been two days, maybe it'll start working soon. Do you have a number for the vet you like, or could you call the vet there now? And just ask them about it, see if they say to bring him in or wait?

Toulouse

You should see improvement after 3 days on that cream so if you don't see an improvement by tomorrow then I'd be inclined to give them a call and see what they say as if not then you'll have to wait until Monday.

theshamu

Thanks for the advice guys,

Hate seeing him like this but unfortunately with this breed its quite common, although this is the first time it has got this bad. Think I'll keep cleansing it 2-3 times a day along with applying the cream twice a day and see how he gets on. If its still the same 2moro then I'll just bring him in.

I wouldn't mind but he's been treated for an eye ulcer at the moment aswell

Toulouse

It all comes at once doesn't it! Try not to over clean the area, once a day with a mild antiseptic or saline solution would be enough along with the cream application. Poor little fella, no wonder he's feeling under the weather.

theshamu

It all comes at once doesn't it! Try not to over clean the area, once a day with a mild antiseptic or saline solution would be enough along with the cream application. Poor little fella, no wonder he's feeling under the weather.

Tell me about it, just feel helpless, hopefully things will pick up for him in the coming days..

Again, thanks for the comments..

kildara

I'd agree with toulouse above - clean it with salted water.
We've a Shar Pei so well used to the wrinkles. The Fuciderm is like an all-purpose skin blotch cream, its got antibiotics in it to fight any infection and also has something to take down swelling. We've put it on everything from a skin rash, to a yeast infection between his toes to a bite wound. Use it sparingly though, as its got something in it (cortisoid?) that thins the skin.
We will also put Sudocrem on his skin if it looks a bit inflammed, rather than reaching straight for the Fuciderm.

If he is getting infections/rashes/other skin issues regularly, it might be a diet issue. I know yeast can have a detrimental effect on some dogs.
Also, you said that you have to clean the folds regularly - what shampoo do you use? As this could be a cause.
With regard to washing him, I would say less is more (in our case anyway). Keep the folds dry and that should be enough.

Also, as mentioned above - ring the vets and ask for advice. They will at least put your mind at ease one way or another over whether it should be cleared up yet. Two days is not very long though.

Hope it clears up.

lorebringer

Toulouse has said exactly what I was about to - bit I would give it about 4-5 days and if there is no difference (or it's gotten worse) bring him back to see the vet. He may need something stronger or a different cream. Just to add, keeping the fold dry is the best thing you can do for the healing process - it can be a terrible pain esp when it's on his face (drinking and licking etc.), just be sure to dry it really well after bathing it so that there is no moisture in there that could spur on the infection. Good luck!

CreedonsDogDayc

Hi.

I dont really have anything to ad except to say I hope he gets better soon, and Seamus, what a BRILLIANT name for him! I real little man name, and suits the eng. bulldogs personality brilliantly!!

looserock

Did the vet say he knew what the cause was? or did he just give you the cream to see if it worked, they do that sometimes.

If its not known what the cause is, it wouldn't be any harm to ask the vet to take a skin scraping so you can rule out mites, they love to hang out in the folds and if you catch them early they are easily dealt with.

If its a suspected bacterial skin infection, I would ask the vet about putting him on ANTIROBE straight away instead of messing around with creams and other ineffective treatments. IT will cost approx €100 for the capsules but it really works.

If its fungal? I don't have any experience with this so I cant say.

good luck.

cucoigcrice

Hi theshamu,
is the dog on antibiotics as well. There is a cream newish on the market it is used to treat scalds, cuts etc it is called botanic!!! is available in a cream, wash and other forms. it might be an idea to try!!:D it is all natural but there is no antibiotic in it!!

theshamu

Hi guys,

Just to give an update...

Seamus is doing fine, the cream worked a treat, took about 2 days to clear up. He's back to his old self again so thanks for all the helpfull comments!!