Most French Bulldogs love running and playing in the backyard, but this could probably wind up becoming a disturbing experience for others.
Frenchies with grass allergies have a variety of unpleasant side effects that can be challenging to alleviate. If you don’t address your French Bulldog’s allergies, their allergic reaction will only get worse.
Grass allergies are triggered by pollen that is air born or disturbed by your Frenchie. These tiny spores are absorbed by your French Bulldogs’ skin and can trigger an allergic response.
In fact, your Frenchies fur will pick up pollen from grass and other places that have grass pollen on them, such as the floor.
Even though you have your Frenchie indoors during the spring and summer months, you can still bring in pollen on your clothing, shoes, and body.
Symptoms of Grass Allergies In Your French Bulldog
If your French Bulldog has an allergy to grass, they will have several different signs that can be hard to diagnose.
The scratching and itching may be confused for fleas, dry patches, or persistent dermatitis when it is simply grass pollen that your Frenchie is sensitive to.
It’s why your French Bulldog seems rather fine during the winter months, and it’s only impacted whenever the pollen is produced from the grass.
Pollen is a powdery yellow substance that you can see all over the place in spring and early summer. This coating is the material that flowers and grasses put out so birds, bees, or wind can transport it from plant to plant.
Even if you remove all of the grass and have a rockery instead of just a lawn, your Frenchie can still have signs of airborne grass pollen.
Some of the symptoms you may notice are:
| Diarrhea | Moist or crusty skin |
| Bald spots from scratching | Excessive licking |
| Runny nose | Red and watery eyes |
| Sneezing | Scratching |
| Snoring | Hives |
Testing for Grass Allergies On Your French Bulldog
Diagnosis of your Frenchie could be difficult to do as it can seem to be only an overall, itchy condition, and your vet may assume it’s just dry skin or persistent dermatitis.
You must tell the veterinarian about the seasonal variation so that they can check for grass allergy. Your vet will perform a systematic and detailed medical examination, such as vital signs, overall health, skin and coat conditions, and request lab tests.
A few of the tests that your veterinarian could recommend are blood test, blood chemistry profile, electrolyte level, viral and bacterial swab, urine test, and fecal assessment.
Serum Allergy Test
If you believe grass pollen is the source of your Frenchies itchiness, be sure to tell your veterinarian about this and request a serum allergy test.
This procedure is conducted using a blood test examined underneath a magnification for symptoms of an allergic reaction.
If the result is positive, the veterinarian will send your Frenchies a Serum allergy test to a pet dermatologist.
Intradermal Allergy Testing
A pet dermatologist performs this test. It is known to be the most reliable test for topical allergens.
In this process, your French Bulldog will be put to sleep, and the region to be checked will be shaved.
The dermatologist would use a fine needle to administer various allergens to your Frenchie and watch to see whether they display signs of inflammation or skin irritation. Typically this only needs about 5 min.
Treatment of Grass Allergies In Your French Bulldog
Corticosteroids, antihistamines, and a topical ointment, like cortisone cream or spray, are the safest therapies for any allergy in your Frenchie.
Also, a special shampoo can be recommended to minimize itching and antibiotics to avoid infection.
Skin Treatment
Your Frenchies’ skin is the easiest way to find allergies, so it’s essential to get your Frenchies’ skin back to its normal state as quickly as possible.
Hypoallergenic shampoo and cortisone cream for rash and inflammation will help to alleviate itchiness inside of a few days.
Immunotherapy Shots Treatment
These injections are much like allergy shots that we receive, and they are effective, but they can take a lot of time to take effect.
Your vet will demonstrate to you how to give your Frenchie a needle with a tiny portion of the allergen (grass pollen) every day, adding a little more each day to progressively desensitize your French Bulldog to grass pollen.
These shots can also induce a serious reaction called anaphylaxis. The disadvantage of this approach is that it can take many months of shots before your dog is completely desensitized. It may never work in rare cases.
If a complication occurs, your vet may give you an epinephrine pen (epee-pen) to inject epinephrine into your French Bulldog.
Preventative Measures For Grass Allergies
Mow the grass short so that the seed heads cannot form. Vacuum your French Bulldogs living spaces and clean their bed regularly.
Wash at least once a week to eliminate pollen and alleviate itching; ask your vet for shampoos that won’t aggravate or dry your French Bulldogs’ skin.
Don’t arrange vaccines while your Frenchies’ allergies are at their worst, as they exacerbate your already overly active immune response.
Home Remedies That May Work
There are a few natural ways to alleviate the allergies in Frenchie:
| Start using fish oils and linseed oil, then see how your Frenchie is reacting. Using omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease inflammation and relieve irritated and flaky skin. You may give it to your French Bulldog orally topically on their skin. |
| Feed them fish and sweet potato: Another choice is to feed your Frenchie on a fish and sweet potato diet. Follow this plan for six weeks and see if there’s any change. Fish is a better protein for French Bulldogs because it has no allergy-producing effects such as chicken, turkey, or meat. Sweet potatoes are carbohydrates yet clear of gluten and a healthy alternative to wheat. |
| Use floral oils on them: Floral oils can also be quite calming to the skin of your Frenchie. Consider using lavender, tea tree, and calendula flowers. Floral oils contain anti-inflammatory properties that will allow your Frenchie to feel much better. Floral oils, nevertheless, can be used only topically and must never be consumed since they are poisonous. Tea tree oil, in fact, can be very poisonous to dogs, so always water down it with a lot of water and watch your Frenchie make sure they don’t lick. |
| Try aloe vera: If you’ve used aloe vera on sunburnt skin or a burn, you know how soothing and therapeutic it can feel. You can buy this at a drugstore or use it straight from a plant if you produce it at home. If you purchase it at a drug store, take a close look at the additives. Its recommended that alcohol-free aloe vera lotion is best as alcohol will burn the skin of your Frenchie. It is to be used topically. |