Health & Care · Summer Season
The right time to prepare was last month. The second right time is now. Every year you write me the same thing. "Mine is French, it's different." "Mine is used to it." "My little dog has never had problems." And every year, as punctual as the June heat, the other messages also arrive. The worried ones. Those where you describe a dog panting too much, a fold that has become infected, a pair of eyes that have been tearing for weeks and you waited for it to pass on its own.
It's not your fault. It's just that no one ever explained it properly to you.
The differences between the two breeds exist — and I'll tell you about them shortly. But there are also similarities that make the question "English or French?" irrelevant when it comes to heat, skin, and prevention.
The differences that really exist — and the ones you've been told wrong: let's start with what changes. Because it changes, and how it changes!
The body: it's not just a matter of size
The English Bulldog is massive, short, with broad shoulders and a structure that seems designed to impress. The French Bulldog is more compact, agile, with bat ears that have become the symbol of a breed that has conquered global popularity rankings. Two different physiques, two different histories. But both are brachycephalic — meaning both have a skull developed more in width than in length, with soft tissues that have not proportionally reduced to the bones. The result, in both breeds, is a conformation of the upper airways that creates obstructions of varying severity. It's called BAOS, Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, and it systematically affects both breeds.
The folds: the English starts at a disadvantage
Here the difference is real and worth stating clearly. The English Bulldog has more folds — on the muzzle, on the neck, around the screw tail, in the groin area. The French Bulldog has fewer, mainly concentrated on the muzzle. More folds mean more surface area exposed to friction, humidity, and lack of ventilation. Large-scale clinical studies have confirmed that the risk of fold dermatitis is statistically higher in English Bulldogs compared to French Bulldogs. But "lower" does not mean "absent." And this is the point where many French Bulldog owners get lost.
The trachea: the French advantage that isn't always an advantage
Tracheal hypoplasia — the reduction of the tracheal diameter — is a condition documented more frequently in English Bulldogs compared to other brachycephalic breeds. The anatomical data is unequivocal: the English Bulldog has a smaller trachea relative to its body size than almost all other breeds. The French Bulldog has a lower prevalence of this specific condition. This doesn't mean that the French Bulldog is better off. It means that the English Bulldog, on average, starts with a more complicated picture. BAOS affects both. Symptoms can vary enormously from individual to individual, regardless of breed.
The eyes: a complete tie
Protruding, round, expressive eyes. In both breeds, identical in conformation and identical in the problems that conformation brings: chronic tearing, risk of entropion and ectropion, keratitis, corneal ulcers, CKS (Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca). It is one of the areas where the two breeds are perfectly equal — in vulnerability and, unfortunately, also in the frequency with which owners underestimate the signs. Tear stains are not a cosmetic problem. They are a sign that something is not working as it should.
The heat: where breed stops mattering
Here we are. This is the chapter where English and French become the same thing. Dogs do not thermoregulate through their skin. Not in the way we do. Eccrine glands — those that produce sweat for cooling in humans — are only present in a dog's paw pads. A tiny surface, insufficient to dissipate body heat effectively. The main mechanism by which a dog lowers its temperature is panting: open mouth, tongue out, evaporation of saliva from the surface of the oral mucous membranes. It is an efficient system — but only if the airways allow it. In brachycephalics, that mechanism is reduced due to conformation. It's not laziness. It's physiology. And in dolichocephalics — in dogs with long muzzles, to be clear — it works better simply because they have more space. The practical result is that the English Bulldog and the French Bulldog reach the critical thermoregulation threshold sooner, with temperatures that would seem moderate to us. The combination of heat, humidity, and even a little physical activity can be enough to distress a brachycephalic that appears to be doing well. What seems like a lazy bulldog that doesn't want to walk is often a bulldog that is already working at the limit of its thermoregulatory capacity. Learning to distinguish early signs makes a difference.
Folds: the prevention that almost no one does early enough
Inside a skin fold there is a microenvironment that never changes: warmth, humidity, friction, lack of ventilation. It is the ideal ecosystem for contact dermatitis, Malassezia proliferation, and chronic bacterial infections. The thing that strikes me most, after years of consultations with bulldog owners, is this: the inflammatory process begins weeks before anything visible appears. When you see redness, when your dog starts scratching, when the fold begins to smell a little cheesy — it has already been going on for a long time.
Prevention is not what you do when you see the problem. It is what you do every day to avoid seeing it.
For the daily care of folds Lisina Dermo Gel + Lisina Cream
The Lisina line is the only animal skincare line to contain Bach flower remedies — with both topical and transdermal action. Specifically formulated for brachycephalic skin, it is indicated for contact dermatitis, malassezia, and chronic irritations. Using it daily, before the problem manifests, is exactly the point. To keep the folds dry White Winkle: the specific powder for folds. It absorbs excess moisture, reduces friction, and keeps the area dry between applications. To be used in combination with the Lisina line for complete protection of bulldog wrinkles and folds.
The eyes: the routine that takes two minutes and almost no one does. I clean my bulldogs' eyes every morning and every evening. For eleven years with Teodora and for three with Martino, since we adopted him. Not because it's an obsession — but because chronic tearing in bulldogs, if left without daily attention, evolves. First tear stains, then irritation, then keratitis, then situations that require veterinary intervention that could have been avoided. Daily eye cleaning doesn't take much time. It just requires remembering that those beautiful, protruding eyes are also vulnerable eyes — anatomically exposed more than those of any other dog. For daily eye care Rugiada — Natural Eye Lotion Formulated with Bach flower remedies and botanical ingredients, Rugiada gently removes secretions, reduces irritation, and prevents the formation of tear stains and is perfect for preparing the eyes for treatments with eye drops and ointments. Morning and evening, every day. Not when the eyes are already red.
Walks: common sense comes first. No product replaces an attentive owner. I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again: common sense comes before anything else. No outings during hot hours. Cool surfaces when possible — concrete in summer can exceed 50 degrees and burn paw pads in minutes. Water always available. And learn to read your dog's signals before they become an emergency. Then comes the rest. Teodora is 11 years old and has three legs, and in summer she goes out with her thermoregulating shirt B-Cool. Martino, also 11 years old, pretends to die rather than go out — but when they do go out, he also wears it. Not because of a personal obsession. But because it's the same device that the best Italian veterinary clinics use when managing a brachycephalic: upon waking from anesthesia. For safe outings B-Cool — The B-Cool t-shirt uses a patented thermoregulating membrane that maintains the physiological body temperature of brachycephalics stable for up to 10 hours without wetting the fur. It's not mechanical cooling: it's a thermal balance that works with the dog's physiology. The same device chosen by Neurovet and major Italian veterinary facilities for brachycephalic management. Designed exclusively for bulldog anatomy, available in multiple sizes.
Parasite protection: the piece often forgotten: Summer isn't just about heat and folds. It's also the season when vectors are active — and parasites don't wait for us to remember to update protection. The choice of the right product should be made with your veterinarian, taking into account the geographical area, your dog's lifestyle, and its medical history. There is no universal answer — there is the right one for your specific bulldog and remember: you need to protect your dog from both external and internal parasites. Attention, natural ones do not protect; they can act as repellents, but they do not protect and can only be used as an addition to chemical antiparasitics.
The summer routine: it's not a one-time checklist
Everything I've described in this article converges on one concept: bulldog care in summer is not a reaction to an emergency. It's a daily routine built before the emergency arrives.
→Folds — cleaning and treatment every day with Lisina Dermo Gel, Lisina Cream and White Winkle. Before damage is visible.
→Eyes — Rugiada morning and evening. Not when they are already red.
→Nose and paw pads — Burroso, especially if going out on hot surfaces. Dry nose and cracked paw pads are not normal.
→Outings — during cool hours, with B-Cool always to avoid any risk of HEATSTROKE. Common sense first, then the right tool.
→Parasiticides — active, updated, agreed with the vet. Not optional. Note that natural ones do not protect; they can act as repellents, but they do not protect and can only be used as a supplement to chemical antiparasitics.
→Observation — learn to read your dog before signals become symptoms. This is the part no product can do for you. It's not complicated. It's what you do when you know your breed — and your dog.
Don't know where to start for your bulldog?
Every dog is different. Age, medical history, geographical area, health conditions: building the right routine requires individual evaluation. That's why there's the Bullconsulto — a personalized consultation with someone who knows these breeds from the inside. Not generically. Your specific bulldog.
Emi Nava — Founder & Creative Director, Bullfit Fashion. Twenty years in luxury fashion. Then the first bulldog arrived and everything else became secondary. Founder of B-Cool, the first device that uses a patented thermoregulating membrane for brachycephalics. Creator of Bullconsulto. Made by bulldogs, for bulldogs.