BLUE  MUSCLE  BULLDOGS

Specializing in Quality Standard & Rare Color French Bulldogs

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French Bulldog Health

Provide your Frenchie with regular checkups, routine vaccinations, tests for intestinal parasites, heart-worm prevention, and flea and tick control. Your vet should do regular dental checkups and care, and you should clean your dog’s teeth regularly at home as well. As a short-faced, brachycephalic, dwarf breed, French Bulldogs may have some health concerns that you should be aware of. The short face can make their breathing less efficient than that of long-nosed breeds, so Frenchies have less tolerance of heat, exercise, and stress, all of which increase their need to breathe. Keep your French Bulldog cool in warm weather, and avoid strenuous exercise.

If your dog seems to overheat or become stressed too easily, with noisy breathing and sometimes spitting up foam, consult the vet and have its airway evaluated for pinched nostrils or an elongated soft palate. Anesthesia is also more risky in short-faced dogs, so be sure your veterinarian is experienced with such breeds should your Frenchie need to be anesthetized. The spine also merits special attention. Like other dwarf breeds, the stocky French Bulldog may also have abnormal vertebrae and/or premature degeneration of the inter-vertebral discs. While the spine is supported by good musculature, herniation of degenerated discs can cause major problems, and most symptomatic back problems are due to disc disease rather than to abnormal vertebrae

Nutrition & Feeding

Depending on the size of your dog as an adult you are going to want to feed them a formula that will cater to their unique digestive needs through the various phases of their life. Many dog food companies have breed-specific formulas for small, medium, large and giant breeds. The French Bulldog is a small breed and has a lifespan of 11 to 13 years.

What you feed your dog is an individual choice, but working with your veterinarian and/or breeder will be the best way to determine frequency of meals as a puppy and the best adult diet to increase his longevity. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

Energy & Exercise

You won’t have to worry about a yappy dog bothering your neighbors because Frenchies rarely bark. That said, you can count on them to alert their owners to danger (Look! The UPS guy is coming!). They enjoy daily walks or brief outdoor romps, but because of their short noses, they shouldn’t be exercised on hot, humid days and should have access to cool (preferably air-conditioned) rooms during the warmer months. Besides snoozing the day away, the Frenchie’s favorite hobby is being his owner’s personal lap warmer.

 Fast Eating, Gulping, Gassy or Vomiting

Puppies/ Adults from all dog breeds will occasionally eat or drink to fast and tend to be gassy or vomit from time to time due to this. It seems that Frenchies throw up more than most other breeds. Because they are brachycephalic (short faced) probably has a lot to do with this in short nose breeds. Frenchies will tend to gulp water and their food (which is why they are sometimes or many times gassy which also contributes to their propensity to throw up more than most other breeds.

Based on experience, if your puppy is throwing up a time or three a day, especially early on as a pup and are getting accustomed to their new living quarters it is nothing to worry about. Especially if your puppy seems happy and healthy and is not losing weight. If they do gulp food and water, there are some food and water bowls on the market which will slow them down that can help. Feeding your puppy smaller more frequent meals can help slow them down and help eliminate some of this issue. Sometimes having dry food always available to them can also help as they will not feel a need to rush and gulp their food.

As puppies age, they should throw up less and less frequently until it becomes a fairly rare occurrence. If they continue to throw up several times a day, there is a good possibility that your puppy might have a food allergy. Some may have a problem digesting dry food, which most will feed to there dogs that contain grain. Putting on a grain free diet might do the trick eliminating the problems of throwing up and having loose stools. Some may also have a problem with all of the dry food including grain free and need to be placed on a raw diet.

The bottom line is that almost all Frenchies will occasionally throw up, so it is nothing to be alarmed about. However, if it is persistent and there are other signs(weigh lost, no energy, diarrhea or dehydration, corrective action should be taken right away . It very well may be as simple as a diet change to fix vomiting, but if this does not solve the problem, your vet should be consulted.

Coat & Grooming

Routine grooming for the French Bulldog includes regular nail trimming, ear cleaning, brushing to remove excess hair, frequent cleansing of skin folds, and occasional bathing. Their fast-growing nails should be trimmed regularly with a nail clipper or grinder to avoid overgrowth, splitting and cracking. Their bat ears should be checked regularly to avoid a buildup of wax and debris which can result in an infection. Teeth should be brushed regularly