Why Does My French Bulldog Have Bumps And Lumps

Why Does My French Bulldog Have Bumps And Lumps

You may notice that your French Bulldog has a lump or bumps on or under its skin one day. Although lumps and bumps are more prevalent in elderly Frenchies, young French Bulldogs may also have them.

Many times lumps and bumps are harmless (non-cancer), but a few of them may be cancerous. The more maturer your Frenchie is, the more likely it is to have cancerous lumps.

The excellent thing is that early recognition and diagnosis of cancerous lumps can increase the likelihood of recovery.

Examples of Bumps and Lumps include:

HivesFatty tumours
AbscessWarts
Sebaceous cystMast cell tumours

Hives And Rashes on Skin

Hives are typically a result of an allergic response in your Frenchie. Since most effects of hives aren’t life-threatening, hives may also be a symptom of more serious adverse reactions or toxicity.

Learning to recognize signs of allergic reactions, such as hives, can enable you to get the medical treatment your French Bulldog needs in a timely way.

Symptoms of Hives in French Bulldogs

The symptoms of hives in your French Bulldog are comparable to those of hives in people:

A bumpy or lumping-looking coatRaised wheals
RednessSwelling

Like yourself, dog hives are small, roughly 1 to 20 cm in diameter. They may occur in a single place or spread across your French Bulldogs body. Numerous hives in a grouped area could also give the appearance of a single significantly bigger swelling that may be distressing for you.

Hives will get quite itchy. If you find that your Frenchie is scratching, examine their skin for signs of irritation, such as hives, or other irritants, such as lice, and contact your vet if the condition worsens.

What Causes Hives in Your Frenchie

Hives are a normal immune response. They are triggered by allergic reactions, which will have many causes. Common causes of hives in your Frenchie:

Insect bite or stingAdverse drug reaction
Plant irritantsEnvironmental allergens
Exposure to chemicalsSunlight

Your Frenchies’ environment is full of possible allergens and irritants. Food, spores, debris, fleas, and several other allergens may contribute to hives. Highly acute allergic reactions, such as insect bites can also trigger hives.

Treatment for Hives

Hives frequently resolve on their own in a couple of hours. However, in severe or chronic cases where the source of the allergic reaction can not be removed immediately or the swelling causes extreme discomfort to your Frenchie, it may require medication. Your vet can recommend a corticosteroid or an antihistamine to help manage their hives.


Fatty tumors/Lipoma on Your French Bulldog

Like most dogs, French Bulldogs can grow fatty tumours, such as lipomas, which are mostly harmless. This implies that the lump won’t spread like a cancerous growth to other parts of their body.

Lipomas are by far the most typical non-cancer growth but not the only form of lump that your Frenchie may acquire as it grows older. Your Frenchie may have one or more lipomas as they get older. They may range in size and may appear almost anywhere on their body, though they are mostly seen on the chest, abdomen, legs, and under the arms pits (hmmm, legs pits) of your French Bulldog.

So What Is A Lipoma?

A lipoma is a harmless production of fat cells. Lipomas are soft and commonly circular or oval-shaped. They are most commonly located in the subcutaneous layer of tissue, which is the inner part of your Frenchies skin.

Usually, the lipoma can travel somewhat under the skin if you push it lightly. Often lipomas are not necessarily painful to your French Bulldog, but some, called infiltrative lipomas, expand into muscles or soft tissues and may become quite unpleasant.

Fatty Lump Lipoma treatment

Lipomas typically do not pose any complications for your French Bulldog other than being ugly. Many vets recommend leaving them be unless they are causing distress to your Frenchie.

Infiltrative lipomas can be painful or unpleasant, as they can get very large or those developing in tricky spots, such as under the armpit or leg section. Surgical removal is generally advised when lipomas distress your Frenchie or impede motion.

There is no definitive research into what stops lipomas. They exist in all types of dogs. But keeping your Frenchie lean and feeding your French Bulldog fresh, non-processed food is often suggested for general health.

Bumpy Frenchie
bumps allergic reaction french bulldog hives

Bumps and Lumps On Your French Bulldog From Abscess

Abscesses in your Frenchie are pus-filled pockets in their body, usually involving the skin gums, between the feet, and within the body’s cavity.

There are several forms of abscesses in dogs that can range from minor and insignificant to large and serious. Typically they occur in dogs as patches of rapid, painful swelling that can be solid to the touch or soft and squishy.

Others develop deep inside your Frenchie tissue and therefore do not surface on the outside of the skin. Abscesses can also burst and discharge a horrible-smelling, pus-filled substance.

What Causes Abscesses In Your French Bulldog

Abscesses have several possible causes but commonly occur when an injury is contaminated with bacteria. Abscesses are formed in response to these bacteria when the injury goes unchecked.

Some breeds are inclined to form abscesses. Which include Chinese Shar-Pei, French Bulldog, and English bulldogs, all of which have short, rigid hair that could push down into the hair follicles and then become irritated, culminating in an abscess.

Signs Of Abscesses On Your French Bulldog

Several possible signs may arise when an abscess is present on your French Bulldog.

Your veterinarian will be able to take a swab and a blood sample to assess which form of bacterial infection is behind it and if the infection has spread to the bloodstream.

Here are some symptoms of an abscess that you can look for:

Bumps, Lumps, inflammation, swelling, and redness.Excessive licking or chewing of the site
Appetite lossLethargy
Hair loss at the siteBlack or putrid-smelling skin
Bleeding or oozing around the woundThe heat coming from the site
french bulldog bumps under fur

Internal abscesses are hard to diagnose without veterinary testing and equipment and can result in few external indications.

Treating Abscesses On Your French Bulldog

Your veterinarian can handle most exterior abscesses as simple outpatient treatment.

Typically, this procedure requires cutting open the abscess for proper drainage or surgical removal. Anesthesia may sometimes be required. Antibiotics are used to help combat and avoid more infections. Anti-inflammatory drugs can also be administered to minimize inflammation. Your Vet should check the abscess location to ensure proper healing and a follow-up veterinarian examination.


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Your French Bulldog Has Warts

The bumps on your French Bulldogs may be warts which are also called “canine papillomavirus.” These bumpy-textured lumps are a virus that appears to develop almost instantly and spread rapidly.

They are generally found on the lips and in the mouth. But they can also occur on the eyelids, stomach, and between the toes.

How Did My French Bulldog Get Warts?

The papillomavirus infection causes warts on your French Bulldog. Other dogs with warts are infectious to your Frenchie but not other species or humans.

Several canine papillomaviruses have been established, and each type appears to cause a specific type of disease.

When a dog has been diagnosed with one type of papillomavirus, it is resistant to that form but not to others.

Your French Bulldog can get papillomavirus due to weakness or breakage in the skin of other dogs that have the virus.

An infected dog can leave the virus in a specific area for up to a week, as the papillomavirus is capable of surviving for weeks in the atmosphere. Then another dog can then catch the virus from that area at a later stage.

It normally takes a few months or two for warts to grow once your French Bulldog has been infected with papillomavirus.

Treating Your French Bulldogs Warts

Warts usually vanish on their own after a few months as your Frenchie gains immunity from the infection. However, there are occasions when veterinary care is needed:

Often, dog warts are so frequent, large, or positioned that they cause secondary symptoms such as lameness, trouble eating or drinking, or eye irritation.
Warts can bleed or become contaminated with bacteria.
In rare instances, warts that can not be healed on their own will develop into cancerous tumours. Warts that have been present for further than 3-5 months should usually be managed.
If your French Bulldog takes immunosuppressive drugs or has other severe health problems may not be able to get rid of its warts without support.
french bulldog bumps on back

Medications are also required when a substantial percentage of warts create issues for your French Bulldog. Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine how successful these procedures are since most dog warts fade independently.

french bulldog bumps on the back

Bumps due to Sebaceous cysts

Sebaceous glands are small structures that naturally produce a fatty or waxy substance recognized as “keratin.”

You may not even be aware of your French Bulldogs’ sebaceous glands until they begin to get infected and develop into a cyst. Regular brushing activates the glands to produce oils that moisturize your Frenchies’ skin and make their coat nice and shiny.

In reality, brushing regularly keeps the glands healthy and happy and may prevent the growth of cysts.

Trouble starts whenever these glands’ pore or hair follicle is blocked, allowing oil build-up. Sooner or later, a cyst is produced if the gland stays blocked.

Why Does My Frenchies Glands Clog?

Blockages can be created by soil, bacteria, local trauma, or sebum that becomes so thick that it likely won’t get through the pore’s opening.

Sebum is also another word for the material that the sebaceous glands produce. When blocked up, the oily matter has to go elsewhere, forming a pocket, and producing a cyst.

Signs of Sebaceous Cysts On Your French Bulldog

When a blocked sweat gland happens, they look like transparent, black, or bluish nodules, often located around the eyes or ears.
These are usually smooth, circular growths that range between 5 mm and 5 cm in diameter.
Usually, they are not problematic and do not have to be removed unless they grow large and begin to impede mobility or interfere with your Frenchies’ behavior.
bumps on french bulldog face

A cyst may break and open, causing an infection to occur, which may cause complications. Cysts that are increasing very rapidly are often abnormal.

Treating Your French Bulldogs Sebaceous Cysts

It’s not easy to treat a sebaceous cyst. If you consider doing it at home, you will not have a great deal of success, as the root issue always persists.

Cysts will not disappear until the whole area is extracted. It is something that a veterinarian can only achieve via surgery, which is only prescribed when cysts resurface, become vulnerable to infection, or impair the quality of life of your French Bulldog.

In particular, if it’s an alternative, and if the cyst seems not to bother your Frenchie, it’s best to leave it alone.


Bumps and Lumps From Mast Cell Tumor

Mast cell tumours are prevalent in dogs and responsible for roughly 20% of all skin tumours in dogs. They can be quite intrusive and sometimes recur after surgery; they also may expand (metastasize).

These tumours can occur from any skin site on your Frenchies body and may have a range of appearances. A vet should check any lump or bump on your French Bulldog.

Mast cell tumours can be effectively treated if detected early.

Lumpy Frenchie
bump on french bulldog lip

Symptoms of Mast Cell Tumors In Your French Bulldog

Have your French Bulldog checked by your veterinarian as soon as possible if you notice any of the signs or symptoms of a mast cell tumour? Have your pet checked by your vet as quickly as possible?

Lumps, Bumps, and Mass LesionEnlarged Lymph Nodes
Gastrointestinal SymptomsWeight loss, weight gain, a persistent cough

Treatment for Mast Cell Tumors

A French Bulldog evaluation may seem frightening, but the good news is that treatment options are available to you. These include:

Chemotherapy
Surgery
Palliative Therapy
Radiation Therapy
Stereotactic Radiation (SRS/SRT)

Is it normal for French bulldogs to have pimples?

There are many reasons why French bulldogs suffer from acne and pimples. The environment is one of the triggers. However, other triggers can be found in food, the use of inappropriate creams, and a lack of hygiene. Hormonal changes can also cause this condition, so Frenchie owners should be aware of it if it appears.

It is common for Frenchies to develop pimples and acne in their teenage years, especially during adolescence. This is due to a hormonal imbalance similar to what happens in humans.

How do you treat a French Bulldog Pimple?

Your Frenchie likely suffers from dandruff and seborrhea if you notice that their skin is oily and they have pimples. Cosmetic products are to blame for this problem. Changing your Frenchies’ cleaning products and selecting a shampoo appropriate for your French Bulldogs’ skin type is a must. The shampoo should not contain artificial ingredients to protect your French Bulldog’s skin.


Make sure that you choose a shampoo that effectively treats blackheads in dogs. Such shampoos contain antibacterial substances, preventing infected skin and antibacterial infections.


To prevent pimples from occurring on your French Bulldog’s skin, you need to improve their hygiene. It is important to consult your veterinarian if excessive sebum is present on your dog’s skin. A veterinarian may prescribe a special shampoo bath to relieve the pimples at some point in time.


If your vet recommends changing your dog’s protein source to chicken or something similar, or if they suggest that you feed your Frenchie raw food, you may also get a blood allergy test.

Can I pop my French Bulldogs pimples?

There is a difference between French Bulldog acne and human acne, so please do not pop the pimples of your French Bulldog. Popping your Frenchies pimples can damage and traumatize your dog’s skin, causing it to bleed and infected.

Why Does My French Bulldog Have Bumps And Lumps 1
french bulldog allergies

Marshall Newton

Marshall Newton stands as an authoritative figure in the world of dog care and training, enriched by over 40 years of hands-on experience. His lifelong journey with dogs has seen him own over 20 canines from a diverse range of breeds, making him a versatile expert in the field. Marshall's expertise doesn't stop at general dog care; he's also a specialist when it comes to French Bulldogs. As the founder of "Little French Dog," Marshall provides invaluable advice and resources for both new and seasoned Frenchie owners. Whether it's understanding breed-specific traits or discovering new care tips, Marshall is the go-to resource in the Frenchie community. Interested in learning more? Feel free to connect with Marshall on LinkedIn for a deeper dive into his professional background and a wealth of canine insights.

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