French bulldog: diseases of the breed, their treatment and prevention. French Bulldog

The eyes of French bulldogs are very expressive, lively and require special care. And although for most of their lives “Frenchies” cannot boast of keen eyesight, the quality of eye care will be reflected in the general well-being of dogs of this breed.

Eye care rules

Normal vision in French bulldog puppies develops by the age of one and a half months, when they begin to distinguish objects well, navigate in space and follow moving objects.

However, unfortunately, over time, the “French” develop myopia. This happens closer to a year. It is important for the owner not to aggravate this process with poor visual care and not to speed it up due to oversights in the pet’s health.

A healthy dog's eyes are shiny but not watery. But when walking or being in dusty rooms, particles of dust, dirt, or small fragments of foreign objects or bodies may get into your eyes. Because of this, small clots of purulent discharge accumulate in the corners of the eyes.

Therefore, after walks, as well as in other cases, when this discharge appears, it is necessary to clean the dog’s eyes with a piece of clean cotton cloth or a napkin, removing this particular clot.

Important! Cotton wool can leave fibers in the eye, so its use is not advisable.

Discharge from the eyes may turn the color of the fur underneath pinkish-brown or coat that fur with a brown, sticky substance. This exudate in itself is not dangerous, but the color of the coat indicates the action of bacteria and yeast. Therefore, for a healthy dog, it is enough to wipe the eyes and fur underneath them every morning with a clean piece of cotton cloth or a napkin soaked in warm, clean water.

If discharge from the eyes begins to bother the dog, a consultation with a veterinarian will help to figure out the cause: lacrimation may be associated with irritants affecting the organs of vision, and infectious diseases of the eyes are also possible.

Excessive lacrimation may occur due to strong wind or draft. In this case, you need to wipe your eyes from the outer corner to the inner corner with a soft cloth or napkin. It is not recommended to use synthetic types of fabrics for these purposes. You should also monitor your eyes in the future and if excessive tearing occurs again for no apparent reason, seek help from a specialist.

Eye care for illness

If your dog has excessive lacrimation, redness, clouding of the eyes, or the presence of profusely secreted purulent exudate in them, this is a reason to consult a veterinarian for advice and examination, as these symptoms may indicate an eye disease in the pet.

Important! Often, dogs with such almost bulging eyes experience prolapse of the third eyelid, as well as eye injuries due to punctures and foreign bodies. There are frequent cases of conjunctivitis caused by infections.

Eye irritation, blockage of tear ducts, inversion of eyelashes or eyelids, abnormal eyelid structure - all this can cause profuse and frequent tearing, which, together with bacteria and fungi, can lead to a dog’s eye disease and long-term treatment and recovery. Therefore, if the above signs are detected, going to a specialist will make life easier for both the owner and his pet.

Prolonged and heavy discharge from the eyes is possible, as well as sneezing, restlessness, and itching on other parts of the dog’s body. It is necessary to analyze the dog’s condition and remove the source of the allergy from his environment. Antihistamines, sorbents, and hypoallergenic foods are used for treatment.

Watery eyes caused by blocked tear ducts, inverted eyelashes or eyelids, or abnormal eyelid structure can sometimes be treated only with surgical intervention, the need for which can only be recommended by an experienced specialist. He will also prescribe restorative therapy.

If you find a foreign body in your dog’s eye, you cannot remove it yourself, but you must contact your veterinarian. Under sterile conditions, the doctor will help remove the foreign object from the eye and prescribe appropriate healing, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory drugs. It should be remembered that it is inadmissible to use healing drugs before removing the foreign object from the eye.

Only a doctor can diagnose a dog with conjunctivitis, and only after appropriate tests. Symptoms of this disease are profuse purulent discharge from one or both eyes, the formation of dried crusts on the eyelids and eyelashes.

For treatment, microbe-sensitive drugs and restorative therapy are used. The crusts are removed with a soft cloth or napkin soaked in warm boiled water.

Important! Do not wash dogs' eyes with solutions of aggressive agents or tea.

When prescribing eye drops, they need to be instilled with a pipette into each eye, for which you need to fix the dog, then use the fingers of one hand to slightly push the eyelids apart, and with the other hand, instill drops into the eye, bringing the pipette to a distance of 5 mm. from the eyeball. It is better to apply the gel to the inner edge of the eye.

In addition to the main set of diseases that pose a danger to all dogs, the French Bulldog has an increased risk of developing certain diseases.

A breed characteristic of the French are large bulging eyes, slightly protruding from the sockets. Such a striking feature of appearance can create many problems, for example, the eyes can be easily damaged while walking on protruding branches, the organ can be damaged in a fight with other dogs. In addition to accidents, French bulldogs often have: infectious eye disease.

A symptom of this disease is purulent discharge from the eyes, the eyelids become swollen and red. There are many remedies against conjunctivitis, but it is better not to select them at random. There are many microbes that cause the disease, and first you need to take a test to determine which one triggered the disease, and then buy the appropriate eye drops. An unpleasant disease is prolapse of the third eyelid, but it is often much easier to deal with than long-term conjunctivitis.

Experienced French Bulldog breeders have learned to solve this problem on their own and can correct this problem at home. If you are even scared to look at your pet’s sore eye, not to mention correcting the problem with your own hands, then you need to contact a veterinary clinic. Moreover, in some cases the eyelid can only be corrected surgically.

Dermatitis

French bulldogs are creatures with very delicate skin, prone to... They are especially often bothered by the fold on the muzzle, which requires careful care. If moisture accumulates there or food particles remain, then symptoms of dermatitis immediately begin:

• redness,
• irritation,

French bulldogs are also bothered by interdigital dermatitis, which affects the pads on the paw; inflammation also affects the claw. According to the observations of breeders, dermatitis especially often bothers light-colored dogs or spotted Frenchies, and the disease appears precisely in light-colored areas. Although, of course, dark Frenchmen are not immune from such trouble.

Breathing problems

All dogs with a short muzzle experience. Frenchies are worried about shortness of breath, and their owners are worried about the snoring of their cute pets. But there are also more serious problems: brachycephalic breathing, caused by the pathological structure of the larynx and nostrils. Normally, the French breathe almost silently, making hoarse sounds only when actively moving and excited.

But with brachycephalic breathing, the dog breathes very noisily, and every breath is difficult for her. In especially severe cases, the dog begins to choke. The problem can only be solved by surgery, when the trachea is freed from the tissues of the larynx or the palate that is too long is trimmed. Sometimes breathing problems are associated with seasonal heat or excess weight.

Spine

French bulldogs are more likely than other breeds to encounter pathological abnormalities in the structure of the spine: the appearance of hemivertebrae and changes in the intervertebral discs. This structure of the spine is dangerous because any unsuccessful jump by the dog can lead to serious complications:

• displacement of the vertebrae.

Also, the location of two hemivertebrae next to each other weakens the spine, can cause its curvature, provoke severe back pain, and atrophy of the hind limbs.

Allergy

French Bulldogs often have allergic reactions to foods and the environment. For this reason, it is easier for the owner to feed the dog the same dry food than to create a menu of different natural products, risking causing allergies. Less common are allergic reactions to environmental factors:

• dust,
• plant pollen,
• insect bites.

Allergy symptoms look the same:

1. redness,
2. changes in the skin,
3. hair loss.

Difficult birth

French bulldog females are at risk. Puppies are born with large heads, which is why bitches often have to have a caesarean section. This operation is complicated by the fact that French bulldogs do not tolerate anesthesia well.

Newborn puppies require increased care and attention, and the mother, weakened by difficult childbirth, is not always ready to begin her duties. Therefore, breeding French bulldogs is not an easy task, requiring bitch owners a lot of time, patience and professionalism.

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Remember that 2 weeks before vaccination it is necessary to deworm your pet. On the day of vaccination, also measure your rectal temperature.

Pregnant and lactating bulldogs are not vaccinated.

Separately, it should be noted that French Bulldogs are prone to slight snoring and snoring during sleep, which is due to the “snub” short nose and the structure of the skull. However, if your dog not only snores, but breathes noisily and heavily, whistling, swallows air convulsively and suffocates, then you urgently need to consult a surgeon to change the structure of the nasopharynx.

Castration (sterilization)

This procedure has no fewer defenders and opponents than tail docking. If the owner does not want to have offspring, it is not at all necessary to resort to quite serious surgical intervention.

It is enough just not to take your dog and monitor his behavior on the street. But this is the responsibility of every competent owner who has taken responsibility for the “smaller brother.”

On the other hand, it happens that attraction to the opposite sex is accompanied by very unpleasant symptoms:

• The French bulldog marks in the corners with urine, which due to the concentration of hormones has a specific unpleasant odor;
• tries to “attach” to the owner’s hand or leg, another pet, or animals on the street;
• pursues individuals of the opposite sex during a walk (males), shows unfriendliness towards approaching dogs (females in heat);
• phobias appear, mental behavior changes to the point of aggression even towards the owner;
• disturbance of wakefulness and sleep patterns;
• dog's refusal to eat.

In this case, for medical reasons, the veterinarian advises spaying (neutering) the French Bulldog. After the operation, the male stops marking and becomes more affectionate and calm. Excess weight appears exclusively due to physical inactivity, which is typical for this breed. If you control your diet and don’t be lazy and walk your pet 1-2 times a day and periodically, then he won’t be at risk of obesity after castration (sterilization).

A few more advantages in favor of sterilization: there are no diseases or pathologies of the mammary glands, the likelihood of oncology of the reproductive system is reduced, and the risk of infectious diseases of the genitourinary system is reduced.

Castration of a male French Bulldog is carried out in the first year of life until the formation of habits and attitudes associated with the opposite sex. Bitches are spayed before the age of 8 months (first heat).

In general, many bulldog diseases are caused by natural physiology and lifestyle. It cannot be said that this particular breed gets sick more often or more severely, however, the specific structure of the skull gives rise to a number of pathologies associated with breathing. If you keep these problems under control, your Frenchie will live a long and healthy life, delighting his owner with new achievements.

Breeders of dogs of this breed know firsthand about the problems with French bulldogs. Males are often incapable of bearing offspring, and females are incapable of full gestation and childbirth.

Dogs that are valuable in terms of pedigree are even mated artificially, with the help of humans.

The most common diseases:

• diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including those leading to limitations in walking;
• gastrointestinal disorders, insufficient metabolic rate;
• excessive shedding, dermatitis - the reason is in the previous paragraph;
• vision problems;
• reproductive dysfunction;
• cardiovascular diseases (due to the load on the respiratory system, the load on the heart increases);

How can you tell if your dog is sick?

In detecting diseases, your best friend and adviser is the dog itself. Observe the animal's behavior.

Dogs do not know how to hide painful sensations to the same extent as they do not know how to communicate about them. If a dog is worried, whines, sleeps poorly, or refuses to eat, these are clear signs of problems or disturbances in the body’s functioning.

You can easily identify an eating disorder in an animal by looking at its stool while walking.

Visual impairment can be noticed by the dog’s timid step, slow response to calling, and inhibited behavior in general.

Preventive examination consists of:

An attentive owner should notice all other symptoms himself - who can know the dog better than him? Pay attention to unusual behavior for your dog and take appropriate measures, including a visit to the veterinarian.

What are the most common health problems?

There can be many causes of illness in a French bulldog, especially if its health is not constantly monitored. Monitor your pet more carefully and do not let even the most minor health problems, as you think, take their course.

Dermatitis

French Bulldogs are known allergy sufferers. Almost anything can cause an allergic reaction in them, since the breed has a low immune threshold and is prone to a strong reaction of the body to an irritant.

The main symptoms of allergies can be quite varied, but the main one among them is atopic dermatitis, manifests itself in almost all cases.

Dermatitis is an inflammatory skin reaction to an allergen. In dogs, it manifests itself in the form of rashes, inflammation in certain areas of the skin and purulent blisters on the least protected skin (for example, the testicles, skin on the stomach and between the toes).

Most often, dermatitis is visible on the dog, but it is even more likely to show it with constant scratching and restlessness. Due to severe itching, the bulldog may scratch himself in an attempt to itch, which only worsens his situation with pain and the risk of introducing an infection into the blood.

There are less common allergy symptoms - eating disorders. A French Bulldog may refuse to eat, may vomit and have diarrhea. In any case, it is necessary to pay attention to such a reaction of the body, whatever the reason.

Possible causes of dermatitis:

NOTE!

The only way to cure dermatitis in a dog is to eliminate the allergen, first identifying it quickly. If the allergy is seasonal and the allergen cannot be removed, buy your dog special medications that alleviate the symptoms. Veterinary ointments will help with itchy wounds and skin areas.

Musculoskeletal disorders

The body constitution of French bulldogs implies the development of such problems in any case, especially if the dog is aged - then the chances double or triple.

How quickly your French Bulldog begins to have difficulty walking is up to you.

The dog needs:

• moderate physical activity;
• a complete diet with phosphorus and calcium;
• maintaining normal body weight.

Arthritis and osteochondrosis are the most common diseases of this type in bulldogs. Low withers and widely spaced paws create ideal conditions for the development of problems with the musculoskeletal system.

If you do everything right, your dog will encounter such problems in old age. We can only help by preventing further complications and critical periods.

Prevention includes improving the diet, removing any stress from the dog, and taking bone-strengthening medications.

In irreversible cases (disability or borderline disability), the dog can be given a prosthetic wheelchair to facilitate movement.

The prosthetic wheelchair is the most popular because it is designed for the back legs, which are usually the first to fail in French bulldogs. Unfortunately, not every clinic can make such a device for your pet.

Hind leg failure

The French Bulldog seems to become significantly lower in the spine from the withers to the tail. This structure is very inconvenient in the long term and causes a lot of problems for the dog in old age or even adulthood.

Due to a low seating position, pressure on the spine increases, spinal disc dystrophy and various forms of arthritis develop.

If at first only the vertebral discs are affected, then over time they are completely erased and the animal loses the ability to control its hind legs. The effect is similar to a spinal injury and is also irreversible.

Arthritis, if it does not deprive the dog of the ability to lean on its hind legs, makes it unbearable due to pain in the bones. The bulldog stops moving of its own accord, fearing pain. The best solution in this situation is prosthetics in combination with analgesics and dietary nutrition to avoid obesity.

Heart diseases

Small dog breeds have heart problems in almost all cases. problems with the mitral valve.

Mitral valve insufficiency is very easy to determine - the dog gets tired very quickly, becomes out of breath, and may even faint. When you try to feel the pulse, you will find a serious arrhythmia.

To diagnose the problem, you can contact a modern veterinary clinic, where your pet will have a chest x-ray, cardiogram and ultrasound cardiography. This is enough to accurately understand the cause of the deficiency.

In such cases, veterinarians advise eliminating nitrates from the animal’s diet as much as possible, and also prescribing heart-strengthening medications - medications keep the weak heart muscle in working condition.

Red and watery eyes

If your French Bulldog's eyes are red or watery, this could indicate an infection, recent eye injury, or a progressive vision problem in the dog.

When infected, the dog will try to scratch the eye with its paw, will become restless and whine, and blink frequently. In such cases, the eye should be carefully rinsed; if this does not help, take it to the veterinarian. It is possible that a foreign object has entered the eye.

The infection can be very dangerous - an inflammatory process begins in the eye, which, if neglected, can deprive the animal of its vision.

If the dog does not itch, then injury may be suspected. Look into the eye and look for a bruise there - if there is one, then the bulldog most likely hit his eye on something.

Vision problems are not as easy to detect as previous health problems. Usually, the owner visually notices eye diseases (cataracts, retinal detachment) too late, already in the presence of “sores” and cloudy membranes of the eye. Tearing may be a symptom.

Scabies

Carry out pest control in the house, and thoroughly rid the animal of pests using tablets, gels, special collars and a good bath with special shampoo. If after this the scabies do not stop, then the cause is dermatitis.

Dermatitis as an allergic reaction is treated by eliminating the irritant. Simply remove the allergen factor and over time the dog’s symptoms will disappear.

There is a worse option - your pet could become infected real scabies(infectious dermatological disease) or deprived from another animal or simply on the street.

In this case, the bulldog must be urgently taken to the veterinarian for treatment. If there are other animals in the house, they will have to be isolated.

Severe hair loss

If your French bulldog loses hair outside of periods of natural, seasonal shedding (spring and autumn), or moments of age-related changes (puppies change color quickly and with hair loss, old dogs - simply due to deterioration in the quality of wool with age), then there are reasons for enough worry.

A dog may shed when it does not receive enough nutrients for the body to function properly. When there is a calorie or nutrient deficiency, preserving the coat is not a priority, so it actively falls out, being replaced very slowly with a new one or not being replaced at all.

It could also be due to an allergy you already know.

NOTE!

There may be a genetic predisposition to shedding - this is similar to the human tendency to go bald.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is an unnatural condition of stool for almost any creature. This indicates an intestinal disorder, harms the dog in every possible way, causes severe gas production and irritates the animal’s anus.

Diarrhea can be either a one-time incident - the dog ate something wrong or picked up garbage on the street, or chronic - the result of some disease or long-term poisoning, allergies.

In the first case, you shouldn't worry too much. Put the dog on a daily diet (do not give the product that allegedly poisoned the animal) and reduce the amount of food for the next two days.

Chronic diarrhea should not be treated so lightly - it is better to take your dog to the veterinarian and find out what is so upsetting its intestines.

Snore

Due to the flattened shape of their muzzle, French bulldogs (and indeed all bulldogs), as well as sometimes Pekingese, pugs and boxers, snore. This is the norm for this breed and there is no need to worry about this - these are the features of the respiratory system of these dogs.

Another thing is when snoring is interrupted by whistling, and the dog itself is obviously having a hard time and restlessness in its sleep. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that your pet snores if, while awake, the dog also chokes and wheezes.

All of these symptoms may indicate an abnormally shaped nasal septum or brachycephalic syndrome.

Considering the problems of such dogs, veterinary clinics have long been performing nose correction surgeries for them. After such an operation, the dog can breathe almost fully, and its condition improves significantly.

Disease Prevention

It is unlikely that you will be able to completely protect this problem breed from diseases, but for the most part, the responsibility for the full life and health of the dog lies entirely with you, as the owner.

• a complete, healthy diet;
• examination by a veterinarian once every six months;
• provision of vitamins;
• walks in the open air;
• active play with the dog, moderate physical activity;
• communication with other animals - bulldogs are very social, they need it.

By following these simple rules for caring for your dog, you will get a healthy and reliable friend who will be cheerful and cheerful until old age, and maybe even after.

Remember that the animal depends on you. Provide him with all the conditions for a full, happy life and receive a lot of positive emotions in return for many years.

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Interesting and useful facts about French bulldogs:

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Susceptible to ocular diseases, and their treatment requires immediate measures. Otherwise, the disease will become chronic and may even lead to blindness.

French bulldog eyes - decoration of the breed. The standard requires that they be

• widely spaced
• slightly convex,
• had a beautiful round shape, dark color and black eyelids.
• When the dog is looking straight, the eyeballs should not be visible.

However, these attractive features make the dog vulnerable to various injuries and inflammations. While walking, sand and dust easily get into her eyes; she can damage them with blades of grass or bush branches; even strong winds cause irritation. In this case, tearing may occur, and pus may accumulate in the corners of the eyes. Therefore, care through the eyes of a French bulldog - one of the mandatory hygiene procedures. It is recommended to wipe them twice a week with a special lotion or a soft cloth moistened with chamomile infusion or weak tea. Under no circumstances should you use boric acid or strong tea for this purpose. When using cotton swabs, it is recommended to ensure that hairs of the cotton do not get into the animal’s eyes.

Injuries and pollution provoke infection, which causes conjunctivitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane (conjunctiva) of the eye. Its symptoms:

• French bulldog has red eyes,
• severe tearing,
• swelling,
• purulent discharge.

Why do French Bulldogs have red eyes?

Mechanical stress, the influence of chemical reagents at home and while walking, as well as food allergies cause catarrhal conjunctivitis in a French bulldog. It can occur in one or both organs of vision of the animal and occurs in an acute inflammatory form - the eyes turn red and become very watery, the eyelashes stick together. In this case, it is necessary to regularly rinse with boiled water and limit walking to prevent negative environmental impacts.

If inflammation continues to develop, redness of the mucous membrane intensifies, eye french bulldog discharge become purulent, thick, and the swelling does not allow the dog to open his eyelids. The animal behaves depressed and sad. This means that the disease has progressed to the next - purulent - form. At this stage, urgent consultation with a veterinarian and intensive treatment with special anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics are necessary:

• drops of albucid, chloramphenicol, sofradex;
• ointments: tetracycline, chlortetracycline, etazol;
• an innovative product - ophthalmic medicinal films made from a mixture of antibiotics;

In each specific case, the doctor prescribes the necessary drug complex and dosage. Medications are accompanied by rinsing with boiled water, weak solutions of celandine and novocaine. The inflammation causes itching, so sometimes you have to put a blocking collar on your dog to prevent his paw from reaching his muzzle.

If through the eyes of a French bulldog At this stage of the disease, if you do not pay due attention or self-medicate, it can go into the third stage - follicular. On the inner side of the third eyelid - the transparent film that protects the cornea - enlarged lymphatic follicles of a dark cherry color become visible. The disease is chronic and lasts for years, sometimes exacerbating and then fading.