French Bulldog health issues. What Are they? Let’s find out
Most breeds have a set of health problems commonly associated with them. These problems are often genetic, which makes the choice of the breeder from whom you will purchase your dog very important. More responsible and knowledgeable breeders will take the genetic makeup of dogs they are pairing up into consideration, and that practice will significantly decrease the chances of their offspring suffering from such genetic disorders.
French Bulldog Health Issues
However, hereditary problems are not the only one that can frequently appear within a certain breed, some of the breed’s characteristics can also contribute to creating such breed-specific problems. With French bulldogs, those characteristics are there flat faces and short muzzles. Animals with that type of head bone structures are called brachycephalic.
French Bulldog Breathing Problems
Their short muzzles can make it hard for French Bulldogs to breathe properly. This also makes them risky to put under anesthesia, as their breathing might become too shallow to sustain them. You will often hear snorting from you French Bulldog, and that in itself is no reason for concern. If you, however, notice that they are doing it much more often than usual and that they are getting fatigued more often don’t hesitate to contact your vet.
This limited air intake also makes them quite vulnerable to heatstroke, as they cannot cool themselves off with deeper and faster breathing as other breeds do. Make sure that they are always sheltered from the heat, and by heat, you should consider everything that is above room temperature. If you leave your dog outside in the warm weather make sure that it has access to shade and a lot of fresh, cold water. If you see the inside of his ears are turning redder you should recognize that as a possible sign of an impending heat stroke and take immediate steps to shelter your French Bulldog from the heat. Maybe even cool them down with a fan or AC.
Stenotic Nares
Constricted nostrils are another common ailment of brachycephalic dogs. It is a defect present from birth and is characterized by soft cartilage that should be giving proper form to the nostrils. Its inability to do so results in obstructed breathing, which can in time even flatten the Bulldog’s chest. You can recognize this condition by nasal foamy or watery discharge.
Nose Surgery
If you determine or even suspect that your dog might be suffering from this condition contact your vet. If the condition is diagnosed the dog can undergo stenotic nares surgery that should enable it to breathe properly.
Just be aware, this procedure can be quite costly depending on where you go. So make sure to shop around all of the local vets and try to get the best deal.
Bone Related Issues
French bulldogs might also suffer from some bone-related problems, such as abnormalities with vertebrae, hip dysplasia or kneecap dislocation. These conditions might vary in severity and they are usually easily noticeable. Look for limping or unnatural posture in your Bulldog, if you notice that it is experiencing any type of discomfort while walking, take him to the vet.
Some of these conditions are not progressive and may be ignored or even temporarily fixed by the dog stretching his legs, others will require surgery.
Generally, it is recommendable that you keep a close eye on your dog and report any significant and potentially telling changes in his behavior to your vet, they might sometimes be perfectly harmless, but in such situations, it is much better to err on the side of caution.
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