French bulldogs are incredibly beautiful, unique, and friendly dogs, but all these wonderful attributes are frequently interrupted by an increased susceptibility to various health problems… and this can include illnesses carried by parasites, fleas, and ticks.
Fleas and ticks in particularly are not tolerated that well by Frenchies. French Bulldogs are prone to fleas just like any other dog, so it’s really important that you invest in a quality flea and tick collars and other effective products to ease this burden.
Are French Bulldogs prone to fleas? Just like any other breed of dog, French Bulldogs do get fleas and ticks. However, providing you follow a regular flea and tick treatment, including specialist collars, you can reduce the chance of your French Bulldog getting fleas.
In this guide I will explain how Frenchies can get fleas, what the bites look like, how you can use an effective flea treatment, and other ways to reduce the chances of flea and ticks on your beloved pooch.
If you want to know how to get rid of fleas on a French Bulldog read on!
Do French Bulldogs get fleas?
Frenchies have very sensitive fur lines, which can be aggravated by the constant scratching caused by fleas and ticks. These parasitic insects can cause potentially deadly health concerns for Frenchies, therefore, efforts should be applied and maintained to control and prevent such issues.
A Frenchie with fleas isn’t uncommon and won’t always be completely unavoidable; virtually any animal is susceptible to fleas and ticks.
However, Frenchies are more susceptible due in part to their short height. That means their bellies are lower to the ground so fleas and ticks can come off plants onto them a lot easier.
Frenchies are also sensitive when it comes to potential health concerns, which means skin irritation may be more pronounced in Frenchies than other canine types.
Fleas and ticks, like most insects, thrive in warm and humid conditions. Although this is bad news during the spring and summer months, it is possible that infestations may be absent in the cooler months.
Regardless of the time of year, it is best to keep your Frenchie as free from fleas and ticks as possible. This is achieved through adequate treatment procedures in conjunction with prolonged preventative measures.
How to tell if your Frenchie has fleas
It’s not always that obvious that your French Bulldog has fleas. Yes, you might see one hopping onto you from your dog, and suddenly freak out. But it’s often the things you don’t see that are more important and can help you prevent things sooner.
You need to check for:
- Flea eggs: they look like small oval white grains of rice, but much smaller.
- Flea larvae: they look like small tiny worms, between 2 and 5mm long.
- Flea pupae: they look like adult fleas but a lot smaller.
- Adult fleas: fleas will be around 3mm in length.
- Flea fecal matter: this is the small black flecks you might find in your dog’s hair.
Why fleas can be dangerous
Fleas and ticks can result in the following health problems for your Frenchie:
- Mild to severe itching.
- Skin problems and infections.
- Anaemia in more serious cases.
- Can also transmit tapeworm.
Fleas can also transmit disease to humans (read more on petsandparasites.org).
The best French Bulldog flea treatment options
What are the best processes for French Bulldog flea and tick treatment? French Bulldogs should be treated for fleas and ticks by a variety of treatment types, including medicated shampoos, quality flea, and tick collars, and oral or topical medications. Here’s what I recommend.
The basics of French Bulldog flea and tick treatment
The most crucial aspect of eradicating fleas and ticks from your Frenchie is to begin the process by treating your Frenchie’s surrounding environment. This includes the entirety of your home as well as the yard or garden.
Particular attention should be given to the areas inside the home where your Frenchie sleeps and spends the longest amount of time. Since fleas and ticks start out as exterior pests, adequate treatment of your lawn should be done first.
For the interior of the home, a product that is generally safe to both humans and animals is essential, therefore, always look for a flea and tick killer that uses pyrethroids, which are easily tolerated by the sensitive systems of both people and pets.
BASF 671858 PT Ultracide Pressurized Flea Insecticide (view on Amazon) is an aerosol that can be applied directly to carpets and pet bedding to kill fleas and ticks instantly.
With this in mind, it may also be beneficial to utilize flea treatment products with an active residual for continued eradication, this service is likely best suited for a pest control professional.
Once control of the surrounding environment is achieved, you will want to treat and prevent flea and tick infestations and flea bites on your Frenchie. A powerful, yet gentle flea and tick shampoo is perhaps the best method for removing the parasites from your dog.
If your French Bulldogs has fleas persistently, wash them once to twice times a week with this shampoo to maintain the killing action until resolved.
Further protection should be added with a quality flea and tick collar, such as PetArmor Plus (view on Amazon), which comes in one universal size and utilizes safe, yet effective pyrethroids to kill and repel fleas and ticks.
This is the grey skinny collar you will often see our Frenchie Claude wearing in our YouTube videos and photos – it keeps our Frenchie free of fleas all year round despite all those forest walks.
Medications are also preferable since this can address the entire system to increase repellent properties for prolonged periods of time.
The best flea and tick medicine for French Bulldogs
Sometimes topical treatments are not always enough to prevent your Frenchie from becoming infested with fleas. This is particularly relevant in areas where fleas and ticks are rampant.
Oral medication and topical ointments may be essential to help eliminate the problem fully. These options are also attractive due to the prolonged repelling attributes of having flea and tick repellent in your dog’s system.
It should be noted that veterinarians can prescribe oral flea and tick medications that seek to expand the preventative repellent throughout a dog’s entire anatomy. Consult with a veterinarian for considerations of this type of flea and tick medication.
Most over-the-counter flea and tick medications are meant to be applied topically directly to a dog’s skin. The medication then expands throughout the skin to build up effective levels on the surface of the skin, which is where fleas and ticks land and crawl.
All you need to do is slightly part the hair on the back of your Frenchie’s neck, squeeze the flea treatment on and you’re good to go.
This product is also well-tolerated by nearly all dog breeds and there are no adverse side effects to contend with, which may be likely with oral medications.
French Bulldog flea bites and how to treat
Whilst those are the best ways to prevent fleas on a French Bulldog, what happens when your dog has already been bitten? Here’s how you can treat flea bites on a Frenchie.
How to treat flea bites on a Frenchie
The main cause of incessant scratching from your Frenchie is most likely due to flea and tick bites. Fleas constantly bite and draw blood multiple times throughout the day, whereas ticks latch onto the skin and draw blood for weeks at a time.
Once the fleas are spotted and removed with a comb, you will want to treat the bites, which will likely be red and inflamed. Consider using home remedies to ease the inflammation from the bites.
Tea tree oil, aloe vera, and vinegar are great substances to apply to French Bulldog flea bites. These remedies will help ease the irritation and pain while other treatments and preventative measures are working.
Treating flea bites on your Frenchie is recommended, however, measures to remove and repel fleas are the main tools in your arsenal to eliminate the problem.
A good rule of thumb to remember would be treating flea bites as soon you dry your Frenchie from a medicated bath.
Conclusion
French Bulldogs are a wonderful breed of dog that brings consistent enjoyment to their owners. With this in mind, Frenchies are highly susceptible to health concerns due to fleas and ticks.
With proper treatments and medications, these parasites can be eliminated. Measures should be taken to treat the entirety of your surroundings in addition to your Frenchie.
About the author
This blog post was contributed to us by Mike Henderson at CityPests.com. Mike is a pest control expert based out of New York, United States.
One of the most interesting comments from Mike which you can find on his website was:
“Not all dogs will be suitable for wearing a flea collar. For example, if your dog is elderly, pregnant or nursing puppies then you would need to use alternative methods. If you have a puppy it is not recommended that they wear a flea collar until they are over the age of 6 months. If you have children in the house or are pregnant yourself, then again, I would advise against using flea collars altogether as a form of treatment, or at the very least only purchase a natural flea collar made without using chemical pesticides.”
For more information on pest control and helpful tips like this, in particular which flea collars Mike recommends, please visit the City Pests dog flea collars page which has lots of useful information for dog owners.