Large Nose Rope Maintenance

[rbourque314]

Hey everyone. I know this is nothing new and a common problem amongst our Bullies but my Lincoln has a very large nose rope and he's only 10 months old so it's gonna continue to grow! My breeder recommended to use Destin diaper rash and this does work; however, I feel like I am just masking the problem and it's just a band aid fix. I do clean it regularly, but not everyday because I have found that continuously wiping the area sometimes make it worse and leaves the area more red. I also try not to wipe out the area as much after applying the Destin. I'm not sure if it's bothering him all that much, but sometimes he will push his face against the wall and drag himself along the way. I don't know if this is related to his nose rope redness (he has always done this since 10 weeks old!). He is fed TOTW and I do give him ACV in his food everyday. The rope doesn't have an odor at all or any odd smells, it just gets red and since it's so big it is difficult to keep dry.

What do you all recommend for seriously big nose ropes?

 

[Dollys Owner]

There's a lot of different ways to clean the rope including medicated ( Duoxo or Malacetic )wipes and no dry, regular wipe then dry, water then dry etc. I have one bull dog with bad large nose ropes due to the eyes draining into them and here is a 3 step process that works for me:
1)Curaseb or Malaseb shampoo on a wet cosmetic pad
2)Plain wet cosmetic pad
3)Dry cosmetic pad

I repeat this every 2-3 days or if I see my dog rubbing her face or scratching at it.

 

[Cbrugs]

Along these lines, what's the best way to clean a nose rope *before* it gets red/irritated or an infection of some sort. I ask in case the puppy I get has a large nose rope and I would love to do whatever maintenance is needed early on before any issues occur. Would you still recommend medicated wipes?

 

[Dollys Owner]

I do the above mentioned 3 step routine for maintenance and it doesn't ever get bad. A lot of people use for maintenance witch hazel on a pad every couple of day which doesn't need to be dried off. Some people use the Duoxo or Dechra Miconahex+Triz wipes a couple of times a week which also don't need to be dried off. If you use plain water or an unscented baby wipe for maintenance then you need to dry it off after.

Also, when the nose gets dry make sure to put coconut oil on it.

Also, you should clean the ears out with witch hazel or a 50:50 mixture of apple cider vinegar (esp. Braggs brand) and witch hazel. It can be put in a spray bottle and sprayed into ear or just dripped into ear with a dropper and then ear massaged, or just put a saturated pad of it into ear and rub it around. (Personally I use Zymox ear drops once weekly as my dog gets a lot of wax buildup and had an ear infection before, and I clean in between with a mixture of 2 oz witch hazel with 5 drops oil of cloves and 5 drops tea tree oil ).

 

[TyTysmom]

We do daily cleaning with sensitive baby wipes, and witch hazel.

 

[rbourque314]

I think I will try some witch hazel next and maintain the dryness with Destin every so often.

Thank you all.

 

[TyTysmom]

I think I will try some witch hazel next and maintain the dryness with Destin every so often.

Thank you all.

That's exactly what we do. The witch hazel is light and won't irritate like the heavier wipes do that are mediated. Don't get me wrong, those are great but not for everyday use in my opinion. Like I mentioned we do either a cotton ball or sensitive baby wipe (nice & soft) and we maybe have to use desitin 2-4 per year for a bad flare up.

 

[Cbrugs]

I do the above mentioned 3 step routine for maintenance and it doesn't ever get bad. A lot of people use for maintenance witch hazel on a pad every couple of day which doesn't need to be dried off. Some people use the Duoxo or Dechra Miconahex+Triz wipes a couple of times a week which also don't need to be dried off. If you use plain water or an unscented baby wipe for maintenance then you need to dry it off after.

Also, when the nose gets dry make sure to put coconut oil on it.

Also, you should clean the ears out with witch hazel or a 50:50 mixture of apple cider vinegar (esp. Braggs brand) and witch hazel. It can be put in a spray bottle and sprayed into ear or just dripped into ear with a dropper and then ear massaged, or just put a saturated pad of it into ear and rub it around. (Personally I use Zymox ear drops once weekly as my dog gets a lot of wax buildup and had an ear infection before, and I clean in between with a mixture of 2 oz witch hazel with 5 drops oil of cloves and 5 drops tea tree oil ).

I have witch hazel and cotton pads on hand for my Frenchie. And I actually have Zymox as well, I usually clean his ears once a week with it along with his weekly bath.

 

[versicolor]

Whopper gets the same routine everyday. When I get home from work he gets a complete face wipe down with unscented baby wipes. That includes nose rope, wrinkles, chin, eye area, ears and tail pocket. He also gets eye lubricant with optixcare eye lube. Every couple of days I apply triple antibiotic ointment in his rope. Once a week I clean his ears more thoroughly with Zymox ear cleanser. And q-tips. Whopper has a huge nose rope and with this routine it never gets irritated or red. His ears are always nice and clean and a healthy pink color. And he never has problems with his tail or is trying to scratch it. I follow the routine religiously and it seems to work.

 

[Dollys Owner]

Just wondering how you knew Whopper needed the optixcare eye lube? I don't put any eye drops in my dog but she does always have a lot of crud going into her rope. There's also an optixcare with hyaluron that looks even better. Do you use that one? https://www.amazon.com/New-OptixCare-Lube-Hyaluron-Aventix/dp/B01JDV1FD2

Whopper gets the same routine everyday. When I get home from work he gets a complete face wipe down with unscented baby wipes. That includes nose rope, wrinkles, chin, eye area, ears and tail pocket. He also gets eye lubricant with optixcare eye lube. Every couple of days I apply triple antibiotic ointment in his rope. Once a week I clean his ears more thoroughly with Zymox ear cleanser. And q-tips. Whopper has a huge nose rope and with this routine it never gets irritated or red. His ears are always nice and clean and a healthy pink color. And he never has problems with his tail or is trying to scratch it. I follow the routine religiously and it seems to work.

 

[versicolor]

Yes its the one with hyaluron. Whopper got a scratch from a cat in his right eye a year ago and had to have surgery. It healed over but gets dry if I don't put a drop or two of lube in it everyday. And his left eye starts to appear opaque and dry without lube. As long as I put a couple drops i each eye everyday they are moist and clear.

 

[versicolor]

The entire cleaning ritual takes about 10 minutes tops. And I never skip it. Seem like if you let it go and slack even for a short time with these dogs that things get out of control quickly with the yeasty ears and irritated nose rope and tail pocket. Whopper makes bulldog #5 that I have had throughout the years so i speak from experience.

 

[versicolor]

I forgot to add that he also gets a dab of triple antibiotic ointment rubbed onto his nose as well. This prevents it from getting dried up and cracking. If I don't apply that his nose gets pretty bad. When applied his nose stays moist and smooth and leathery.

 

[versicolor]

 

[2BullyMama]

Lambeau doe not have much of a rope, but I clean with witch hazel at least once a day