Oh, Those Wrinkles!
One of the most recognized characteristics of the Bulldog is the wrinkles and they are probably one of the few wrinkled beings who are proud of them. The more wrinkles, the better, as far as they're concerned, no botox here!
Many people fall in love with the Bulldog because of the wrinkles, but most don't understand the problems that those wrinkles can cause without proper care. Tears may stain the endearing folds of the Bulldogs face, especially if the Bullie has an eye problem (see Ectropion and Entropion, and Tear Ducts). Such eye problems can cause excessive tearing and/or incorrect draining of the tear ducts. When these conditions are present, the facial folds require constant attention. The excess tears can cause staining of the hair, and several commercial tear stain removers can be effective at cleaning these, but more importantly the facial folds must be cleaned and dried daily to prevent irritation and infection to prevent skin fold pyoderma, a common bacterial skin infection. Pyoderma that occurs in a facial fold is calles skin-fold pyoderma. Skin-fold pyoderma may be prevented by cleaning and drying the wrinkles with a gentle cleanser (be careful around the eyes!!) and your vet might recommend applying an antibiotic cream to the area after it has been thoroughly dried. If the problem gets out of hand, your veterinarian might want to do a microbial culture to determine the organism causing the pyoderma.
Many people fall in love with the Bulldog because of the wrinkles, but most don't understand the problems that those wrinkles can cause without proper care. Tears may stain the endearing folds of the Bulldogs face, especially if the Bullie has an eye problem (see Ectropion and Entropion, and Tear Ducts). Such eye problems can cause excessive tearing and/or incorrect draining of the tear ducts. When these conditions are present, the facial folds require constant attention. The excess tears can cause staining of the hair, and several commercial tear stain removers can be effective at cleaning these, but more importantly the facial folds must be cleaned and dried daily to prevent irritation and infection to prevent skin fold pyoderma, a common bacterial skin infection. Pyoderma that occurs in a facial fold is calles skin-fold pyoderma. Skin-fold pyoderma may be prevented by cleaning and drying the wrinkles with a gentle cleanser (be careful around the eyes!!) and your vet might recommend applying an antibiotic cream to the area after it has been thoroughly dried. If the problem gets out of hand, your veterinarian might want to do a microbial culture to determine the organism causing the pyoderma.
