Why are my dog's skin folds under her eyes red and irritated?

Brachycephalic dogs (dogs with short faces) commonly develop skin problems in their facial folds. The combination of excessive skin and the tearing from their eyes commonly results in excessive moisture in their skin folds which can easily become infected. There are a number of medicated wipes on the market that your veterinarian can recommend to treat and help prevent skin fold infections since this will likely be a recurrent problem. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Breeds like French bulldogs are prone to irritation and skin infections in the jowl area. The overhanging lips creates a perfect environment for bacteria. Sometimes this can become itchy. Pets can also develop allergies to foods or certain toys or even food bowls. I recommend to call your veterinarian. They may need to check Marlowe for an infection. They often carry medicated wipes for owners to use at home to prevent irritation and infection. Also make sure to clean his toys, food and water bowls once a week with hot soapy water and rinse well. Make sure his food and water bowls are metal or ceramic. Best of luck.

Breeds like Penelope are prone to skin infections in the folds. If the balms and wipes are not helping, I recommend to have her examined by her veterinarian. She may need an antibiotic or a medicated wipes. Your veterinarian also may carry products for routine cleaning which help to adjust the pH of the skin and this can help prevent infections. Lastly, if she seems itchy, it’s possible she has allergies. It is best to rule out an infection first and foremost. I hope this helps.

A photo may be helpful. Face wrinkles in Pugs can become infected pretty easily. Ideally, take her to your vet for an exam. She may need oral antibiotics or a topical prescription medication. It may help keep it at bay in the future if you use some medicated wipes to gently clean her face and skin folds. These are great: https://www.douxo.com/us/douxo-solutions/douxo-chlorhexidine/Pads They are typically only sold through veterinarians, though you can likely find them on amazon. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

This is called facial fold dermatitis and is very common in dogs with wrinkly faces. It is likely due to underlying allergy and yes Benedryl is safe to give. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl I do not recommend putting anything over the counter in the folds. However, I do recommend gently wiping out the crease with a baby wipe once or twice daily. Even more importantly is getting air to the folds. After you wipe, blow in the fold or hold it open to the air for 30 seconds to make sure it’s completely dry. If those measure are not improving things in a week- or if there is worsening in any way- it’s time to see he vet for some prescription strength help (medicated wipes +\- stronger allergy medication). Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Scooters!

Hello. I am sorry for your concerns about Lilly. There are possibly 2 reasons for recurrent skin irritation, allergies, or the presence of a skin mite. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian who will do a simple skin scrape of the skin & look for the presence of the mite under a microscope. Depending on what is, or is not found, your veterinarian may try a steroid medication, either as an injection or a pill, & possibly use a flea & tick medication called Bravecto, that also has activity against the skin mites. Hopefully, this will take care of the redness & swelling you are seeing. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a focal infection. At least in this picture it appears to be superficial. Make sure that this is not from urine getting into that part of the skin and if it is, have him evaluated by a veterinarian. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!