Caring for your French Bulldog

We have listed below some of the steps we take to care for our French Bulldogs. This is what works for us, it might be different for you and your Frenchie. In case you have another tip or suggestion, or if you have a Vixbull Frenchie and would like to get a few advices, talk to us by email. And in case of any alterations or doubts, refer to your Veterinarian.

FOOD
Puppies eat about 3 times a day. While your puppy is growing, you can decrease his meals to twice a day. Make a point to always feed him at the same time. The best kind of food for your Frenchie is the one that is a quality food, that does him well and that both of you approve, whether it is raw food, grain free kibble, home cooked... If you choose to feed kibble, read up on Dog Food Analysis, an excellent place to start.

EXERCISING
Avoid jumping exercises with your Frenchies, such as: jumping on and off beds and couches, jumping off flights of stairs and general hopping around / jumping exercises in general. These vertical movements might help increase the pressure on bone marrows and while young, they might cause some sort of malformation of their members. Also note that they might cause degeneration of their discs. When in doubt, pick your Frenchie up and never encourage any kind of jumping behavior. This is very serious.

HEAT
The French Bulldog is extremely sensitive to heat and might overheat in a very short time, being in serious risk of suffering a heat stroke and dying. In hot days, closely observe your Frenchie. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE A FRENCH BULLDOG ALONE INSIDE A CAR and avoid going out during the hottest days and times. A panting dog with the inner parts of their ears red are signs of risk of heat stroke. In case of emergencies, wrap your dog on a wet towel and use a fan to cool it off. You can also offer him ice chips to suck on. Do not offer them ice cold water, or put them in a tub filled with ice water! Keep reading about what a brachycephalic breed is.

EARS
To reduce a chance of an ear infection, we clean our Frenchie ears at the very least weekly with an ear cleaning solution. We also protect their ears when we give them baths to prevent water from getting in.

FACE
The French Bulldog head is covered in wrinkles and folds, especially close to their noses and eyes. Clean the area once a week, or whenever you feel it is necessary. We use cotton balls with mineral baby oil or coconut oil. Gently rub on all wrinkles to remove all dirt from these areas. After cleaning, dry them well with a cotton ball and remove all oil. You can use a q-tip to reach difficult areas. To wrap things up, we use a fitotherapeutic product that helps with keeping the area rash free and healthy. We also like to hydrate their noses with coconut oil or nose butter. For more extreme dry noses or any boo boos, we also use the boo boo butter or natural lanolin ointments (the breastfeeding aiding kinds).

EYES
One of the most common problems of the breed might be "Cherry Eye". The repositioning of the eyelid is extremely simple and if done quickly avoids an unnecessary surgery.
The eyes of a French Bulldog deserve special attention. Because they are a Brachycephalic Breed (pushed in noses), their eyes are more exposed, and might be targets of eye lesions. Always take care of games that are close to pointy plants and be wary of scratches around the area. In case of eye ulcer suspicion, avoid treatments with eyedrops that contain corticoids, and immediately look for a vet that is an optometry specialist.
Constant eye tearing might also be a sign of a problem. Talk to your optometrist vet in case you think your Frenchie is producing a large amount of tears. If you have a lighter colored Frenchie, tear stains might happen. Cleaning the area frequently might help to minimize the problem.

INTIMATE PARTS AND FEET
After going out for long walks at parks, and whenever we feel it is necessary, we recommend a solution of one part baby cleaning lotion and three parts water in a spray. We clean those parts with this liquid and cotton balls.

NAILS
Keep their nails short. Be careful if trimming them at home, because they are vascularized. We strongly recommend dremelling your dogs' nails.

WALKS AND BUGS
We prevent mosquitoes and other bugs making use of natural products in spray, candles or cleansing solutions.

HOMEOPATHY
Our french bulldogs have been successfully treated with homeopathy for boo boos, allergies amongst other things. We always try a natural approach for daily necessities so we can preserve their immune systems and keep them going strong and healthy.

IN CASE OF ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY
TAKE YOUR FRENCHIE TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY!