A cool, wet nose is associated with a healthy dog so it’s easy to understand how a warm, dry nose causes owners to feel concerned. Dogs naturally alternate between wet and dry noses and certain breeds tend to have dryer noses than others, the French Bulldog being one of them.
Why is my French Bulldog’s Nose so dry?
The French Bulldog is a breed that often has a dry nose because it is prone to nasal hyperkeratosis, an excessive production of keratin that leads to flakiness. But this isn’t the reason behind every case of nose dryness. French Bulldogs can develop dry nose for several other reasons.
Is it normal for a French Bulldog to have a dry nose?
French Bulldogs are brachycephalic, which means they have short noses and flat faces. These features of their anatomy make it quite normal for them to regularly have dry noses.
Common causes of dry noses in French Bulldogs
There are several triggers of dry noses in French Bulldogs and not all are medical. You can often blame the weather, dehydration, allergies, strenuous activity, and even too much sleep. Of course, there can be medical reasons too.
The weather can cause French Bulldog dry nose
Cold weather, wind or a hot, sunny day can contribute to your French Bulldogs nose dryness. In the winter, heating your house can also dry out your Frenchies nose.
Keep a close watch for dryness in these conditions to ensure your Frecnchie’s nose does not dry out enough to crack.
Dry nose caused by dehydration
Most dogs drink all he water they need to remain hydrated but sometimes in extremely hot conditions they just don’t drink enough.
Encourage your French Bulldog to drink as much as you can to prevent its nose from drying out.
Allergies can cause a Frenchie’s nose to dry out
For some reason, the little Frenchie is prone to suffering from allergies. There are two main triggers: food, contact and seasonal.
A change of food can cause an allergic reaction because of different ingredients, so this is something to bear in mind if it coincides with your French Bulldog developing a dry nose.
Coming into contact with certain types of plastic toys or food dishes can be the cause of allergic reactions as can seasonal allergies such as hay fever. In this case, could a new toy or dish be responsible?
Why sleeping too much leads to a dry nose
Many Frenchies love their sleep, especially in their senior years. When a dog is asleep it doesn’t lick its nose meaning it might look quite dry after a long nap.
Once your dog awakes from its slumber, its nose should soon become moist, but keep an eye on the situation.
Medical reasons for French Bulldog’s a dry nose:
French Bulldogs are prone to nasal hyperkeratosis, an intense form of nasal dryness.
When anything has the prefix hyper, it means there’s a lot of it. In a nutshell, hyperkeratosis is the overproduction of keratin. Keratin is a protein that produces hair, claws, and nails amongst other things.
Put simply, sometimes the cause of a dry nose on a French Bulldog might be down to an overproduction of a certain type of protein.
When the volume of keratin reaches a certain level, it becomes flaky and crusty bits may start to shed. You should always seek advice from a vet on how to manage this condition.
How to moisturize a French Bulldogs dry nose
If your French Bulldog’s nose is starting to look a little dry, encourage him to lick it. Adding a small amount of dog-safe, edible oil is a great way to do this.
What can I put on my French Bulldog’s dry nose?
There are several oils that are safe to put on a Frenchie’s nose to alleviate dryness. These include olive oil, caster oil, coconut oil, and vaseline.
Remember, oils lock moisture in so if your dog has licked his nose, adding a small amount of oil over the top will help to keep the wetness from his lick from evaporating.
You can purchase balms designed specifically for dry noses if you prefer.
When not to apply a home remedy to a French Bulldog’s dry nose
If your French Bulldog’s nose is so dry it is starting to crack, and especially if it is bleeding, it is not advisable to attempt to treat this at home with an un-sterile oil, lotion, or balm.
In this case, always ask your vet for advice and the correct method of treatment to prevent the risk of infection.
What’s special about the French Bulldog’s nose?
I’m not sure if ‘special’ is the right word here as it seems to cause them no end of problems. The nose on a French Bulldog can be the cause of all kinds of issues for this little dog.
The French Bulldog is brachycephalic, a term applied to all dogs that have short noses and a somewhat flat face.
Because of this French Bulldogs are often not allowed on flights as sadly, several have died during the journey. Unfortunately, dogs with these little stubby noses have problems breathing when they are stressed and their temperatures are elevated.
With no efficient way to regulate their temperature, they can quickly succumb to this relatively hostile environment in the aircraft’s hold.
Also, because of the above problem, it is recommended that the French Bulldog lives in an environment that is properly temperature-controlled, ideally with air conditioning but this obviously depends on where you live.
Care must be taken when you take them out on a sunny day for instance and regular breaks in the shade are required due to this inability to control their temperature.
Can the problems with Frenchie’s noses be serious?
A dry nose can cause problems yes as if left untreated it can bleed and infection can set in. Although, this usually be averted.
This could be said for many conditions though and comes back to the importance of regular checkups at your vet’s.
When you spend a lot of time with your Frenchie, it can be easy to miss problems as they can sometimes develop so slowly. It’s like a growing child, you don’t actually see them grow but all of a sudden they’re taller than you – how did that happen?
Nasal hyperkeratosis is not life-threatening in itself – so first things first, if you’ve just noticed it, don’t worry – you will most likely be able to treat this at home with the help of your vet.
Cures for a French Bulldogs dry nose
If you want to treat a French Bulldog’s dry nose at home, it’s quite straightforward. These simple steps should make a positive difference:
- Firstly, we need to rehydrate the skin. So, with nice warm water (not too hot or cold as this will be unpleasant for your Frenchie) you should soak thoroughly their nose. How you choose to do this is up to you but as long as the water is warm that you don’t in any way scrub, your dog shouldn’t mind you doing this.
- After ensuring your hands are nice and clean, apply some petroleum jelly to the area. Again, this won’t irritate your French Bulldog and actually it may remove some of the unpleasantness for them in a short amount of time.
- Repeat this application of petroleum jelly, once a day for around a week and a half. However, if you’re finding the problem has worsened or not improved after this time – do give your vets a call to discuss other options.
In summary, most people treat a dry nose on a French Bulldog at home with very good results and in the vast majority of cases, it is nothing to worry about.
French Bulldog Dry Nose: Conclusion
Usually, you will find that with a bit of home-care the problem of a dry nose on your French Bulldog will quickly go. The key to this though and other problems is early detection and before any potential infection sets in.
Unfortunately, this is just one of those things with the French Bulldog that you may have to deal with during their little lives. They are more than worth it though!