Your French Bulldog might have started dragging one or both back paws along the ground. This might have started suddenly or over a longer period of time, but you will notice their nails getting shorter and often their paw skin starts to bleed as they damage the skin and it becomes damaged.
It doesn’t look nice, and it can be painful for your dog. Importantly, dragging can increase the risk of infection in your dog's paw, as dirt can get inside its cuts or scratches, so you must keep the paw clean and protected!
Your French Bulldog is likely to have a medical condition called Paw Knuckling.
It's important to get your dog checked out by your vet so you have a firm diagnosis. Once you know the medical condition your dog has, you can get your French Bulldog on the right treatment plan.
If you think your Frenchie is paw knuckling, read more here:
Paw Knuckling: The Causes, Prevention and Treatments
Commonly paw knuckling is a sign of an underlying medical condition, very often for Frenchies this medical condition is Degenerative Myelopathy. It could be another medical condition for your dog, so get your dog checked out by your vet, however we see Degenerative Myelopathy all the time, so we will go into this medical condition further below.
We see a lot of French Bulldogs who start showing signs of Paw Knuckling and have an underlying neurological condition called Degenerative Myelopathy.
Degenerative Myelopathy is a progressive, and very sadly, fatal neurological disease. Degenerative Myelopathy typically begins in the hind legs making your dog wobbly or unbalanced. This means that sometimes dogs are misdiagnosed with arthritis or other age related medical conditions.
Read more here:
Degenerative Myelopathy: Causes, Prevention and How to Help
It's a good idea to get your Frenchie some protective boots to stop the skin from being damaged further.
Find the best protective boots here
If your French Bulldog is severely knuckling or has Degenerative Myelopathy, we help many owners get a dog wheelchair. A dog wheelchair can seem a big step, but if you're open-minded, it can really transform your dog's daily life.
Importantly, dog wheelchairs allow your dog to exercise independently again. The wheelchair takes the weight off their back legs, so they can exercise. This means they can lose any extra weight they've put on through being immobile, and it really lifts their mood.
If you'd like to learn more about owners who went ahead and got their Frenchie a dog wheelchair, read more here.
We can help find the right solution for your dog
Feel free to give us a call on 01730 622544
or email us at woof@zoomadog.co.uk
