The French Bulldog, despite its menacing appearance, is gentle, outgoing, friendly and loves children very much. He can be pugnacious almost exclusively in relation to other males of his race. How to care for a French bulldog? Who are dogs of this breed best for and how to feed a French Bulldog to prevent excess weight?

French Bulldogis not a new breed. Images of dogs confusingly similar to the French bulldog were found on vessels dug in Peru from the pre-Columbian era, so it is likely that this breed has a very long pedigree. Its modern representatives, however, come from the old English bulldogs, used, among others, in for dog fights. When the British parliament banned these bloody pastimes in the early 17th century, dogs became a companionship for workers. Gradually, on the way of crossword puzzles, a smaller, now known, version of a much milder character was created.

The grotesque and at the same time nice appearance of the dogs attracted the attention of the then high society. The French Bulldog became so popular in salons that its image was painted by the famous painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The first French bulldogs reached Poland in the interwar period.

French Bulldog - Appearance

French bulldog dogs are massive, muscular, but small - their height at the withers does not exceed 25 cm, and their weight usually oscillates around 13 kg. They belong to the brachycephalic group due to the fact that their visceral skull is very shortened, as if flattened. They have a flat mouth, a short tail, erect ears, well-muscled, well-proportioned limbs. The most popular colors are black, beige, brown, and a mixture of these colors.

French Bulldog - Nutrition

French Bulldogs are not picky and have an excellent appetite. However, due to their structure and the tendency to tire during exercise (which is related to, among others, the abnormal shape of the larynx and underdevelopment of the trachea), they should not be allowed to become overweight. The easiest way to achieve this is by providing a good-quality, balanced dry or wet food, appropriate to the body weight and development stage, and in the amounts recommended by the manufacturer.

You can cook a dog on your own, but it is difficult and requires knowledge of the calorific value of the products used in the production of homemade food. When deciding tocooking for your dog, remember that the diet must include products that contain specific nutrients that can reduce the tendency of French bulldogs to certain diseases. These are, among others, unsaturated fatty acids, which reduce the risk of inflammation of the mucous membranes and skin (fish meat, veal offal and poultry fat are a good source of them). The menu of the bulldog, for which the owner is cooking, should be varied and also include vegetables, rich in vitamins and minerals. It is better to avoid snacks as they can make French bulldogs overweight due to the fact that they are high in fat and carbohydrates.

A French Bulldog that receives a ready-made food no longer needs to receive any dietary supplements. However, they are sometimes advisable when the dog is fed a home diet. French Bulldogs are usually recommended preparations containing calcium, zinc, copper, B vitamins and vitamin E.

According to an expertdr inż. Jacek Wilczak, nutrition expert in the Noteć Valley, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences

Due to the tendency of inflammation in French bulldogs, the direct symptoms of which are skin lesions, and indirect symptoms of inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, it is necessary to include unsaturated fatty acids in the diet. These acids help in the treatment or alleviate the symptoms of various skin conditions and diseases, e.g. psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, eczema.

The results of many years of observation indicate that the use of evening primrose oil (n-6 fatty acids) as adjunctive therapy in psoriasis along with an adequate dose of antioxidants leads to a much greater improvement in the clinical condition than other therapeutic methods. There are no side effects, of which the most serious problem is liver damage caused by the use of high doses of retinoids.

Atopic dermatitis is the most common chronic eczematous skin condition. Although the exact etiopathogenesis is unknown, the use of gamma-linolenic acid is very effective in treatment. Deficiencies of unsaturated fatty acids lead to diseases not only of the skin itself, but also of its appendages. The claws become brittle and their growth slows down. The plaques may separate and form spots. As for the hair cover, the effects of deficiency can manifest themselves through loss, brittleness, lack of gloss and even the appearance of dead epidermis fragments. When mentioning unsaturated acids, be sure to pay attention tomaintaining the correct proportions between fatty acids from the n-3 (fish fats) and n-6 ​​(vegetable oils) families. Excess vegetable oils predispose to the intensification of inflammation.

The sources of n-3 unsaturated fatty acids in the diet of a French bulldog should be fish meat, fish oil, veal offal and high-quality poultry meat and fat.

French Bulldog - reproductive cycle

The first heat of a French bulldog female usually takes place at 6-9 months of age, and then repeats twice a year. Initially, it's hard to know that the female dog is in heat, because in the first week there is practically no bleeding - the only thing that can be observed is frequent licking of the genitals. The bleeding will not worsen until the second week of heat, and during this period the female can accept the dog and allow it to cover herself. The earliest she can be admitted to the male in the second heat, but the best moment is the third heat, because only after the age of 15 months, a French bulldog female is ready to become pregnant. Usually there are 2 to 5 puppies in a litter. When considering pregnancy in your bitch, bear in mind that fetuses have disproportionately large heads, which is a common obstacle in this breed. Therefore, you should take into account the necessity to provide childbirth help to a bitch in labor - a significant percentage of French bulldogs' births end with a caesarean section.

French Bulldog - character

French Bulldog will acclimatize perfectly even in a small space. It is not troublesome and will easily adapt to both active and relaxed lifestyle. Contrary to appearances, it is not a couch dog: it has a strong character and has inherited a fighting instinct from ancestors, therefore it requires a certain socialization with other animals, preferably carried out from a puppy, in a canine kindergarten.

French Bulldogs have a good memory, so they remember unpleasantness for a long time and don't like being shouted at. If rebuked, they may hold a grudge and even refuse to cooperate during the training.

French Bulldog becomes attached to its owner and his family - it also requires constant attention and does not like loneliness. He is curious and cheerful, quite gentle, which makes him a great companion for children - dogs of this breed are one of the few that obey children and obey their orders. French Bulldogs are initially wary of strangers, but quickly establish friendly contacts with them. They are aggressive almost exclusively towards males of their breed, with whom they provoke fights - other dogs, including males, tolerate and usually live in harmony with them.

French Bulldog - grooming

French Bulldogs are easy to care for. It has a fine, rather hard hair (its disadvantage is that it is difficult to remove from carpets and rugs). During the molting period, which is moderate and usually occurs annually, in spring, the dog should be brushed daily using a rubber glove. Outside of the moulting season, the French Bulldog can be brushed once a week. Bathing a French bulldog should be done as needed when the dog appears dirty. It is best to use a shampoo for short-haired dogs or a special dog shampoo for sensitive skin.

Folds by the eyes and nose are prone to chafing, so you need to wipe them with an eye care agent once a week. Regularly, preferably once a week, you should clean your ears and teeth.

According to an expertEwa Korycka-Grzegorczyk, a veterinarian

French Bulldogs - the most common diseases

  • As a breed with shortened skull, bulldogs are burdened withrespiratory syndrome of short-skulled dogs.Due to the partial reduction of the airway patency (at the nasal level - narrowing of the inlet openings to the nostrils, at the pharyngeal level - too long soft palate, at the level of the larynx and trachea - collapse of these parts of the respiratory tract), the body becomes hypoxic . This entails high blood pressure, myocardial hypertrophy, gastric problems caused by breathing air from obstructed breathing, and secondary respiratory infections. Treatment includes both the surgical correction of structural defects and the fight against current infections.
  • The problems related to the organ of vision aredouble row of eyelashes,consisting in the presence of two rows of eyelashes. They rub and irritate the cornea and conjunctiva, causing inflammation and even corneal ulceration.
  • Another eye condition is the prolapse of the third eyelid gland , which is manifested by the appearance of pink oval tissue in the medial corner of the eye. If left untreated, the gland produces fewer tears, which makes the eye less moist and prone to irritation.
  • As a result of the development of the breed, the head and tail have been shortened, but in some individuals it is done at the cost of deformation of the spine. An example of such a deformation is the so-called"half vertebrae",the occurrence of which leads to asymmetry and curvature of the spine.
  • French bulldog puppies may have acleft palate . It is a genetically determined congenital disease. A cleft is a gap in the palate that connects the mouth with the nasal cavity. Puppies have a problem with food intake, they get milkinto the nasal cavity, which may result in choking of the milk, and as a result - developing aspiration pneumonia.
  • French Bulldogs are also allergic.Food allergiesandallergies to environmental allergensmanifest themselves in a wide range of skin and gastrointestinal symptoms.

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