French Bulldogs and Sun Exposure

Greetings from sunny New Hampshire!

My name is Allison and I am thrilled to be writing here at All About Frenchies on one of my favorite topics, French bulldogs!

I am lucky enough to share two French bulldogs with my fiancé, Stephen in our home in beautiful New Hampshire. Lana, who is my oldest and dearest friend, is a 5-year-old brindle pied French bulldog who secretly believes she is both indestructible and the size of a Great Dane. Henry, our 8 month old cream colored frenchie, is our youngest.. Henry’s favorite things include eating food, chewing sticks, belly rubs, and rolling around in the grass. These two light up our lives and never fail to make us laugh (or shake our heads!).

Above: Lana (left) and Henry (right)

I’ve long loved the bully breeds ever since my parents brought home their  English bulldog, Jackson. I was fortunate enough to find Lana in 2013 and the rest is history! As a self-described “overbearing puppy mom” I have spent a lot of time searching for what is best for our little monsters.  We try to keep our pups eating right, well exercised, and as happy as we can. I am in constant search of things to keep Lana and Henry happy and healthy, and I hope to share with you some of what has worked for us.

Sun Exposure and your French Bulldog:

Stephen and I are fortunate Lana and Henry enjoy time outside as much as we do. While French Bulldogs have a known reputation as couch potatoes, what pup doesn’t love to venture to the dog park or out for a little walk in the summer months?

We all know that French Bulldogs have a tendency to overheat, and you all are more than likely very aware of how to recognize heat exhaustion/stroke in your pups.

But what about sunburn?

Yes, I said it. Sunburn.

Recently our family veterinarian had mentioned the importance of sunscreen at Lana’s last check up, saying that she could be at a higher risk..

I’m no stranger to sunscreen myself. I have very fair skin and a long tenure as a lifeguard in my teens and 20’s that required a metric-ton of sunscreen to be applied to me each summer. But using sunscreen on my dog? I had to dig into this a little.

It turns out that yes, white-haired short coated breeds are at the highest risk of skin damage from the sun. PetMD cites Richard Goldstein, DVM, and chief medical officer of the Animal Medical Center in New York City saying “White dogs with short-hair, like Pit Bulls, Dalmatians, French Bulldogs, Greyhounds, etc. are more susceptible to sunburn than dogs with darker skin and thicker coat.”

As the owner of a white bridle pied Frenchie and a cream-colored Frenchie, I started thinking that this may be something we need to invest in. While many Frenchies prefer to be couch potatoes, Lana constantly wants to be outside in the sun, either going for a  hike in the mountains or lounging in the kiddie pool at the dog park. But never before has sunscreen graced her skin.

Using Sunscreen on your French Bulldog

So what should we as French Bulldog owners consider when selecting a sunscreen for our lighter-toned Frenchies?

First, it is important that sunscreen used on canines does not contain two ingredients that can cause them harm: zinc oxide and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). Zinc Oxide is a well-known canine toxin that can cause hemolytic anemia, a condition of the blood in which normal red blood cell counts or hemoglobin are lacking. Similarly, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is also toxic if ingested.

The best sunscreens for your Frenchies are the ones that are approved for canine use. There are a number of options for canine sunscreen like traditional lotion forms, wipes, and sunscreen spray. Just be sure to hit all the vulnerable spots; the nose, outside of the ears, the groin, and the belly. Also, like human sunscreen be sure to reapply periodically and always after swimming!

Epi-Pet Sun Protector: a review

Fearful of exposing the pups to toxic chemicals, we decided to test a canine sunscreen on Lana and Henry. We tested  Epi-Pet Sun Protector on both dogs. Epi-Pet can be found on their website and also on Amazon.  Epi-Pet states that it is the only FDA compliant sunscreen for both dogs and horses and is “is a non greasy, quick dry formula that is safe if licked after applied to the pet”. We tested this option for a few weeks, which comes in a handy spray-on form. After trying this out on both pups, we found that it stayed true to its promise of being non-greasy. However, there were challenges in applying the spray with Henry. But this is most likely due to the fact that our puppy does not stay still!  However, the spray was easily applied to Lana and we plan on continuing to use the product through the fall. We will definitely follow up on this review if anything changes!

Other Sunscreen options:

However, canine sunscreen may not be an option for you. If so, a broad spectrum baby sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or higher can also be used. Just be sure it doesn’t use the toxic chemicals mentioned previously! But please, remember to check your labels and check with your veterinarian before applying any sunscreen to your Frenchie.