What is your best advice for someone who has never had a Frenchie and is looking to bring one home? I get this question frequently, so let’s jump right in.
The short, sweet, and simple answer is: Research the medical concerns of this breed, plan your budget accordingly, and beware of scams!
Here are the details: Frenchies are a designer breed which resulted from hundreds of years of selective breeding to bring out their unique characteristics and features. As a result, Frenchies are a brachycephalic (flat-faced), short-tailed, micromelic achondroplastic (dwarve) breed. Although adora-BULL in their combination, it isn’t to say that each of these characteristics comes with a set of health consequences.
French Bulldog Short Legs | NW Frenchies
French Bulldog Flat Face | NW Frenchies
French Bulldog Natural Bob Tail | NW Frenchies
Briefly: Having a flat nose makes breathing difficult, which impedes on heat exchange. Canines do not sweat like humans, so their primary mode of cooling down is through panting. Having a flat face narrows and partially obstructs the airway, which makes panting difficult. Because of this French Bulldogs are heat intolerant and tire easily. A Frenchie owner should be familiar with the signs of heat stroke and what to do in the event of suspected heat stroke. Some French Bulldogs may require surgery to remove tissue from the nostrils, soft palate, and laryngeal saccules to make breathing easier.
Furthermore, French Bulldogs tails are not docked at birth, meaning that this breed is naturally born with a short tail. However, despite having a short tail, Frenchies still have the same number of vertebra as any other breed with a full length tail. The result is that the vertebra are spaced much more closely together and often become malformed (hemivertebra). Every radiograph I have ever seen of a Frenchies back contains at least one hemivertebra, which is normal for the breed standard. However, this would not be normal for a breed with a full tail. Another manifestation of selecting for a short tail is intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) which is a degeneration or slip of an intervertebral disc (the shock-absorbing tissue between the bones of the spine). Both of these diseases present as variations of pain due to the pinching of nerves, loss of balance, dragging feet, incontinence in a potty trained dog, and paralysis. There are medical interventions that can help these conditions including medication, physical therapy, and surgery.
Conditions associated with dwarfism in the French Bulldog include shortened and weakened bones, enlarged and weakened joints, hip dysplasia, patellar luxation, incorrect bite, hydrocephalus, breathing problems, and fertility problems to name a few. This is by no means an exhaustive list of possible medical concerns in Frenchies, just a condensed list of breed specific conditions associated with their specific features.
French Bulldogs are expensive to purchase upfront and I could write a novel on the cost of producing a health litter of puppies. But in short, Frenchies do not reproduce the way regular dogs do. They require intensive hands-on care and medical intervention to get through their first month of life. The Frenchie breeder community frequently jokes about how much we have aged since breeding due to the sleep lost and stress endured to bring these little angels into the world. Personally, my French Bulldog puppies start at $5,000 and the price goes up quickly depending on body type/conformation, pedigree, and coat color. When purchasing a puppy, you should have at least the cost of the puppy saved up in case of emergency and an unexpected medical bill, heaven forbid. If you are able to do so, I also recommend purchasing health insurance for your French Bulldog.
All of this being said, in your search you are likely to come across an ad for a blue Frenchie with blue eyes for $800. Don't walk, run! This is a scam. Any puppy priced $2,000 or less leads me to question the health of the puppy, the health of his/her parents, whether this is a pure breed, whether the puppy is stolen, or maybe the puppy doesn't exist at all. I hope you find this information useful, and as always, sending my hugs and my love from NW Frenchies.