4 Wrinkly Dog Care Tips

Wrinkly dogs are absolutely precious. You can take a look at some of these breeds that were once mentioned on the My Animals website. For example, there’s the Shar-Pei, the most precious, wrinkliest dog of them all. However, that beauty also comes with some added responsibilities for keeping them healthy. So today, you can look at 4 simple wrinkly dog care tips.

Why is taking care of a wrinkly dog different from other dogs?

Wrinkly dogs are gorgeous, it’s impossible to deny that. however, having such interesting skin can also lead to having problems that other dogs don’t have. Here are some of them:

• Infections. Due to having so much excess skin, it’s easy for them to get mites, skin allergies, or mucins–a mucousy substance that can cause a lot of problems.
• Eye problems. Once they’re born, their skin covers a lot of the area around their eyes, which can cause irritation or even a temporary/permanent vision problem.
• Wrinkles are a breeding ground for scabies. Even though scabies is a parasite that lives underneath the skin, it tries to find damp, fleshy areas to move around in. So, these dogs have the perfect type of skin for that. 
• They get fat. Wrinkly dogs tend to pick up a few pounds easily. Due to the fact of their extra skin keeping them warm, their metabolism doesn’t have to doesn’t have to work so fast. It can also be hard to tell if your wrinkly dog has picked up pounds because they already have extra skin.
• Because of that metabolism issue, it can also start to have stomach problems if you don’t give it a balanced diet.
• Wrinkly dogs have a different carpal joint than most other dogs. This difference can cause them to lose their balance and fall forward when they try to walk.
• Problems with their anus. Because their wrinkles cover so much of their body (especially puppies), you might forget about the hygiene of delicate areas such as the anus. Poor hygiene in such places can cause all kinds of infections.

The most important parts of wrinkly dog care

To prevent your dog from developing any of the problems above, there is some advice you can follow to help your wrinkly dog live a long, happy, healthy life!

Cleaning their wrinkles

Cleaning your dog’s wrinkles is absolutely essential. Around every two days — depending on how often your dog goes out or interacts with other animals — cleaning their wrinkles with a baby wipe or something made specifically for them will do the trick.

This will help you get rid of any dust, dirt, or other substances that could cause them problems later down the road. You should also lift up the wrinkles around their eyes for a few seconds to make sure they’re not causing irritation or blocking their vision.

Of course, pay special attention to sensitive areas such as the ears, anus, and genitals.

Thoroughly examine your dog

This might sound obvious, but a big part of wrinkly dog care is to look for fleas and other parasites. Their wrinkles are the perfect breeding grounds for this tiny creatures, and it’s hard to see what’s under the wrinklings if you don’t look at them. So make sure you check for any unwanted guests on your dog’s skin.

Remember: if you clean the wrinkles with a wipe or any other product, you need to lift up the wrinkles afterward until they are dry. If not, that dampness can end up causing irritation.

Provide them with a balanced diet

High-quality dog foods offer all the nutrients a dog needs in order to be healthy and to maintain a proper weight. You can also buy foods made specifically for wrinkly dogs to keep yours from having stomach problems.

Get them dewormed

Deworming is important for any dog, but it’s even more important with wrinkly dogs because of their delicate stomach. Therefore, you should follow all the steps that are necessary to deworm your dog to prevent them from getting any worse problems.

Having a pet of any kind is a big responsibility. However, when you have a breed of dog that’s as sensitive as these, you have to put in even more effort to make sure it’s happy and healthy.