Itchy skin: Probably an allergy, possibly the food you are feeding - From what I have read one in 20 allergies is food related but this is one of the first things to try to help remedy the situation. Allergies in food are more likely to be protein allergies so switching to a minimal protein diet is the first step. Lamb is high in protiens followed by beef. Chicken is recommended as is rabbit, turkey and kangaroo. I have made chicken rice and vegetables in the past to test if it was a food allergy, to no avail, but you have to start somewhere and like I read; it is only 1 in 20 that this will be the cause.

When trying to narrow down what is causing the allergy it is important to not try multpile treatments at once incase one works, then you will not know which one it was. The diet should be tried for 2 weeks or a little more for a chance for it to work. Dry food is a risk as you will truly never know the ingredients. After that there is grass/plant allergies, fleas, mosquitos. I have had a pup with mosquito allergy and he came up in multiple pimple type lumps that were effervescent ie, they come and go.

To sort out skin allergies properly is a mighty hard thing for an owner and expensive to go down the specialist approach. I was recently quoted nearly $1500 to have the pup allergy tested by one of only 3 specialists in Victoria. This included the visit, fine needle aspitation of the lumps and allergy testing. So it is really worthwhile to try and sort it out ourselves. A very experienced Australian Bulldog person helped me diagnose the mosquito issue! My vet had 3 visits and had no idea.

Ilium Neocort is a good cream to help alleviate rashes, lumps etc but like I say if you are doing the diet or medicines then using a second treatment will confuse you to which has worked if any do.

Mange: The most common form of Mange is Demodex (demodectic mange or red mange). The mite is present in all dogs and is passed from mother to pup during suckling. Infection occurs when the body's immune system is unable to maintain a harmonious state with the demodex parasite. This lull in the immune system can be genetic but can also be due to depression in the dog, following illness or sometimes during a growth spurt or after a booster jab.  Common in younger dogs it is more often "localised" (small patches around face, chest or front legs)  but is not contagious between dogs.

Diagnosis is made by "scraping the skin area" with a sharp blade, in order to "lift" the parasite off of the skin.  The scraped material is then examined under the microscope to visualize the parasite. The condition is not usually itchy but in severe cases, the entire body be affected, in this form it has become "generalised", and along with hair loss, a secondary bacterial infection can occur.  These patients can itch and scratch because of the bacterial infection.  Treatment is one of 2 methods. Ivomec given orally daily about 2 mls for pups and 5 mls for adults. The second which I have no knowledge of is Cydectin. Both are drenches. Treatment takes between one to 2 months.

Do not believe the horror stories you may hear or have been told. Demodectic mange/mite is easily and inexpensively treated. I have known a bitch to have this as a puppy after stress and shots and to have been treated and never have a relapse, she also had pups that never got mange. This is truly an illness that carries alot of undeserved stigma but saying that, a dog that is not curable, well that would be very sad.

Baldness: Many bulldogs go bald and the most common site for this is on the sides of the body. Often the baldness is symmetrical on both sides and the skin underneath blackens. The most likely cause is hormonal or seasonal alopecia, however it's worth asking the vet to test Thyroid function and for Cushings syndrome, especially in dogs that have recently put on a lot of weight as both of these condition will initially present as bald sides. Spayed bitches will sometimes go bald when they would have come into season and some dogs will only go bald during certain times of the year. In the absence of any other symptoms (ie: lack of appetite, lethargy or sudden weight gain) the problem is cosmetic.