Hello bobrjr,
Thank you for your question.
I have located the following information on bulldog "maintenance" for you:
Bulldogsworld.com
http://bulldogsworld3.homestead.com/grooming_shedding_bath.html
"...Grooming should be routine and common, just as it is for you!
Start when your puppy is young, get her use to a table or stand to be
groomed on, it will make things so much easier for you both. You will
also be checking for bare spots, skin lesions, scabs, infection, flaky
skin, rough skin and other problems. If anything is not normal you
will notice it right away, which is the best time to catch a problem.
This may seem like a lot of work but in fact it will only take 5 to 10
minutes a day. Don't forget to check between her toes for cysts or
inflamed areas, look over her wrinkles and tail area while examining
her...
...A bulldogs face is covered with wrinkles and is his trademark for
sure. That trademark requires cleaning, use a mild soap and water
solution to clean. If your dog has a heavy nose wrinkle, lift it and
clean, rinse and dry it well, the tail pocket should also be cleaned
the same way. Many owners will also put some corn starch, medicated
powder or baby powder in there when finished. You can use this to keep
things looking good, if it is dry and flaky you may want to put a
small amount of a diaper rash ointment in there like Desitan ointment
instead of the powder or if the rash is severe..."
Bullwrinkle.com (hah!)
http://www.bullwrinkle.com/index.html?Assets/Health%20Topics/Wrinkles.htm~indexmain
"...Bulldogs tend to have messy face wrinkles. The older they get, the
messier the wrinkles. How often you clean these wrinkles depends on
the dog. Some do very well if you clean the wrinkles a couple of times
a week. Some need it on a daily basis. When you clean the wrinkles,
wash his nose and apply a good rub of Vaseline to keep it soft. It's
better to clean more often than you think you need to than not often
enough. You can clean the wrinkles with a soft, damp cloth and then
dry. Or you can wash them using the shampoo you use to bath the dog.
Be sure to rinse thoroughly and dry thoroughly. One of the best ways
is to wipe the wrinkles clean with Baby Wipes with lanolin and aloe.
Whatever method you use, be sure to get the deep nose wrinkle clean.
You may need to put a soothing ointment in the deep nose wrinkle. If
it is irritated Panalog will help to heal. Diaparene Ointment will
soothe and dry the wrinkle. This contains zinc oxide, so before you
apply it, rub Vaseline into the dog's nose. You will almost always see
a number of Bulldogs having "tear stains" of varying degrees of color.
If the stain is bad, in addition to cleaning you may want to try to
remove the stain. There are many treatments, you may have to try
several before you find one that works for you. Apply on a daily
basis until the stain in gone, then weekly to keep stain from
returning. Another remedy is rubbing a dab of Desitine (sic) into the
stain to help dry it..."
And at Pedigree.com in Australia:
http://www.pedigree.com.au/breeds/breeds.asp?b=30&p=b2
"...It is recommended that would-be purchasers learn a little about
the breed before purchasing. A smooth-coated breed, the British
Bulldog is generally a clean animal. Folds in its face need to be
cleaned daily by drying them out with cotton wool, applying a
petroleum jelly, and then wiping it out to create a barrier against
tear stains and to prevent chafing.
The area underneath the root of the tail requires the same attention.
And a little smeared over (and left on) the nose daily prevents it
becoming crusty. Toe-nails (especially the dewclaws) should be
inspected weekly to ensure they have not become too long and require
clipping..."
The Bulldog Club of America has a very informative page you might wish
to read in full. As regards grooming, they say:
http://www.thebca.org/basiccare.html
"...Where do you bathe a Bulldog? Any place you want to and can! Some
Bulldoggers have a big deep sink, some use the bath tub, some use the
kitchen sink, in the summer some wash the dog on the lawn. You need a
place where you can control the dog, where you can easily control the
water supply and where you can rinse the dog thoroughly. It's a good
idea, especially with a puppy, to take the dog outside to "do his
thing" just before you bathe him.
Gather up all the things you will need before you start. You will
need: shampoo, any rinses you plan to use, cotton balls, Q-tips, eye
ointment or mineral oil, Vaseline, wash cloth, towels. You will want a
mild, no tears shampoo. Most Bulldoggers use a dog shampoo such as
Lambert Kay or Groom-Rite. Some use a baby shampoo such as Johnson &
Johnson No Tears or Avon Tearless. Most use a special whitening
shampoo for white dogs (Lambert Kay Snowy-Coat, Bio Groom Super White,
etc.). Many use a special shampoo for red dogs (Ring S Burnished
Bronze, etc.). You may on occasion need to use a flea shampoo but
since these are quite harsh, don't use one unless you really need to.
Put a couple of drops of mineral oil or a bit of eye ointment in the
eyes and place a cotton ball securely in each ear before you wet the
dog. Wet the dog thoroughly from just behind the ears to the tips of
the toes on his hind feel. Be sure his underside is wet, too, not just
the top and sides. Apply the shampoo starting at his neck and working
back. Work the shampoo in to be sure you get all the way through his
hair to the skin. Pay special attention to his paws (wash between the
toes), his tail (clean all around the base), and the genital area. On
a bitch, be especially careful to clean the vulva. Wet the wash cloth
and use it to dampen the dog's face and ears. Put some shampoo on the
washcloth and wash the dog's face. Wash the wrinkles over the nose, on
the forehead, around the nose and under the eyes. Wash his nose. Wash
his ears, inside and out. Now rinse. Rinse until you are sure every
bit of the dog, especially in the wrinkles and tight places, is
thoroughly rinsed and there is no shampoo any place. If you are
applying a rinse, do it now, following the instructions. You can use a
dog conditioner rinse like Oster Creme Rinse, Oster Coat Conditioner
or Francodex Oatmeal Creme Rinse, or you can use a "people"
conditioner like L'Oreal Creme. For a white dog, you can use a rinse
of 4 Tbs. Mrs. Wright's Bluing, I qt. water, 1/4 cup baking soda. Mix
enough bluing into the water to get a darkish blue (not black). Pour
the bluing mixture over him and work in with your fingertips. Do not
rinse. Do not towel dry. Let the dog drip dry. For red dogs, try VOS
Henna Conditioner.
Dry the dog with towels. Take the cotton balls out of the dog's ears
and clean any wax carefully using a dry Q-Tip or one with a dab of
Panalog. Rub a dab of Vaseline onto his nose to help keep ii soft. You
can then let him air dry or use a hair dryer to finish the drying.
It's best to keep the dog inside until it is completely dry - about
two hours...
and as regards the wrinkles:
...Bulldogs tend to have messy face wrinkles. The older they get, the
messier the wrinkles. How often you clean these wrinkles depends on
the dog. Some do very well if you clean the wrinkles a couple of times
a week. Some need it on a daily basis. When you clean the wrinkles,
wash his nose and apply a good rub of Vaseline to keep it soft. It's
better to clean more often than you think you need to than not often
enough. You can clean the wrinkles with a soft, damp cloth and then
dry. Or you can wash them using the shampoo you use to bathe the dog.
Be sure to rinse thoroughly and dry thoroughly. One of the best ways
is to wipe the wrinkles clean with Baby Wipes with lanolin and aloe.
Whatever method you use, be sure to get the deep nose wrinkle clean.
You may need to put a soothing ointment in the deep nose wrinkle. If
it is irritated Panalog will help to heal. Diaparene Ointment will
soothe and dry the wrinkle. This contains zinc oxide, so before you
apply it, rub Vaseline into the dog's nose...
...A sizable number of Bulldogs have "tear stains" of varying degrees
of color. If the stain is bad, in addition to cleaning you may want to
try to remove the stain. There are many treatments, you may have to
try several before you find one that works for you. Some of the
commercial products used are Showes "Pretty Eyes" Stain remover,
Bio-Groom cream (to prevent re-staining) and Diamond Eye. You can make
a paste of I Tbs. Hydrogen Peroxide and enough corn starch to make a
thin paste (some Bulldoggers add I Tbs. Milk of Magnesia to the
hydrogen peroxide and mix the cornstarch into that mixture). Apply to
the stain, let dry, brush off excess. Apply on a daily basis until the
stain in gone, then weekly to keep stain from returning. Another
method is to rub the stain with a cotton ball soaked in Boric Acid.
Daily until the stain is gone, then weekly. Or use NM Boric Acid
ointment (10%) which can be purchased at Payless or most any drug
store. Another remedy is rubbing a dab of Desitin into the stain to
help dry it..."
As you can see, most owners and experts tend to agree on how and how
often to clean a bulldog's wrinkles.
Search Strategy:
bulldog +clean
bulldog +groom
bulldog +wrinkle
I trust my research has provided you with good advice on caring for
your bulldog and links to read for even more information of value. If
a link above should fail to work or anything require further
explanation or research, please do post a Request for Clarification
prior to rating the answer and closing the question and I will be
pleased to assist further.
Regards,
-=clouseau=- |
