Deciding on my first Frenchie....

[JSolano]

Here's my story. I'm 39 living in my Miami all my life. I have 3 kids from first marriage (12+ twins 10 year old) with shared custody. I have a 9 months old with my current wife. She has a 15 year old. I've been wanting a Frenchie for the last 5 years but prolonged it because my current wife wanted 1 more child. I grew up with 2 poodles with my mom and sister. My first marriage had a shih tzu (put down at 11 years old because of seizures ) a Maltese (died at 2 with bad heart murmurs). Finally decided to start looking. Decided to go with a breeder 2 friends recommended me to. Litter was born April 9. Been following progress with pics and video. Finally went last weekend to pick litter (60 miles away). Picked a male. Spent 30 mins with the dogs and him (litter has 4 girls 3 boys) Breeder started feeing them royal canine. So I put a deposit on the dog. Fast forward to last few days I'm having 2nd doubts about getting a Frenchie. I make a good living but I don't want to get emotionally attached to a breed with many health issues. Been reading and researching. The stuff I'm reading honestly is making me considering if this is the right thing to do. Scary stuff I've read. Good and bad but mostly bad. Plus the color I picked seems like one of those colors with issues. At first my wife didn't want a dog yet now she's more into it. She's even bought stuff for the dog. We even picked a named...Bruno. We are scheduled to pick up June 11 from breeder ( vac/akc paperwork included) Honestly not worried about losing my 1k deposit should I decide to back down. Reading the good sides of Frenchie's makes me defiantly want to get one. I'm a dog lover. I know the time and work it takes. Any advice/tips is appreciated it.

 

[JSolano]

Here is picture I took with him last weekend.

 

[Cbrugs]

Welcome! Yes, the "exotic" colors can have more health issues and they are not pure bred Frenchies. They have to be mixed in order to get those colors. Finding a responsible breeder that does the recommended health testing and breeds the standard colors is your best bet. However, the biggest issue for me and French Bulldogs is IVDD. There is no guarantee even a healthy dog won't get it. They are prone to it because of the way their bodies are built. I do know a breeder in Nova Scotia that breeds for a longer back and snout and does spine tests on all dogs in her breeding program as well as all of her puppies at 8 weeks old.

Jax is 9 and was diagnosed with IVDD in 2017 at 4 years old. He just had his 4th IVDD related surgery in January. As much as I love the Frenchie breed, for me personally, I would not get another one just because of the IVDD. It is heartbreaking and very expensive. Thankfully Jax still has full mobility but many do become paralyzed.

 

[JSolano]

Thank you for your response. I’ve been even reading and quoting difference insurance for this dog. Low and high. Even bad reviews. So much negativity I’ve read outweighs the goods. Just want to make a smart decision.

 

[Jeffc]

Both of our babies are blue. We love them dearly, but they are very high maintenance and difficult to keep healthy. We are driving 5 hours one way, Monday for a appointment with the the orthopedic team at a university hospital. I’m by no means trying to discourage you from getting that wonderful boy, but be prepared for a lot of commitment on your behalf. This breed takes a lot of care and potentially lots of extra $$ besides the initial investment.

 

[JSolano]

Both of our babies are blue. We love them dearly, but they are very high maintenance and difficult to keep healthy. We are driving 5 hours one way, Monday for a appointment with the the orthopedic team at a university hospital. I’m by no means trying to discourage you from getting that wonderful boy, but be prepared for a lot of commitment on your behalf. This breed takes a lot of care and potentially lots of extra $$ besides the initial investment.

Do you have pet insurance on yours? You got it from a breeder? How old are they?

 

[JSolano]

2 of my friends have frenchies. One is dark Merle. He is 2 and build like a tank with no issues so far. The other one is a spawn. No issues either. The litter that I picked from has 4 girls (2 spawns 1 Merle 1 blue) 3 boys (1 blue 1 spawn 1 dark brown. The mom is a Merle and dad is dark brown. I don’t want a girl because they cost double and I’m not breeding. I picked between these 2 boys.

 

[Cbrugs]

If you decide to move forward, I suggest getting pet insurance right away. There is usually a 2 week waiting period and no company will cover pre-existing conditions.

 

[Rusty’s Owner]

Here's my story. I'm 39 living in my Miami all my life. I have 3 kids from first marriage (12+ twins 10 year old) with shared custody. I have a 9 months old with my current wife. She has a 15 year old. I've been wanting a Frenchie for the last 5 years but prolonged it because my current wife wanted 1 more child. I grew up with 2 poodles with my mom and sister. My first marriage had a shih tzu (put down at 11 years old because of seizures ) a Maltese (died at 2 with bad heart murmurs). Finally decided to start looking. Decided to go with a breeder 2 friends recommended me to. Litter was born April 9. Been following progress with pics and video. Finally went last weekend to pick litter (60 miles away). Picked a male. Spent 30 mins with the dogs and him (litter has 4 girls 3 boys) Breeder started feeing them royal canine. So I put a deposit on the dog. Fast forward to last few days I'm having 2nd doubts about getting a Frenchie. I make a good living but I don't want to get emotionally attached to a breed with many health issues. Been reading and researching. The stuff I'm reading honestly is making me considering if this is the right thing to do. Scary stuff I've read. Good and bad but mostly bad. Plus the color I picked seems like one of those colors with issues. At first my wife didn't want a dog yet now she's more into it. She's even bought stuff for the dog. We even picked a named...Bruno. We are scheduled to pick up June 11 from breeder ( vac/akc paperwork included) Honestly not worried about losing my 1k deposit should I decide to back down. Reading the good sides of Frenchie's makes me defiantly want to get one. I'm a dog lover. I know the time and work it takes. Any advice/tips is appreciated it.

Frenchies are great dogs, they are amazing dogs.
There are health issues that are common besides IVDD, like allergies and airway issues( which can be surgically corrected), but if he is being fed Royal canin food, that alone can cause so many health issues.

If I was in your situation I would get pet insurance as soon as possible.

When the pup comes home, I would put him on raw diet or a lightly cooked low carb food as that’s a huge factor in preventing a lot of the common health issues(allergies for example can be prevented by low carb high moisture food and rotate the proteins). Any inflammation issues stem from diet. If you feed the current RC food you can have lots of problems health wise, but if you switch him to a better food while he is young and healthy, some of the health issues can be prevented they good diet!

I would get the Frenchie pup an just put it on a better food and rotate and get pet insurance.

He is cute pup!

 

[JSolano]

Frenchies are great dogs, they are amazing dogs.
There are health issues that are common besides IVDD, like allergies and airway issues( which can be surgically corrected), but if he is being fed Royal canin food, that alone can cause so many health issues.

If I was in your situation I would get pet insurance as soon as possible.

When the pup comes home, I would put him on raw diet or a lightly cooked low carb food as that’s a huge factor in preventing a lot of the common health issues(allergies for example can be prevented by low carb high moisture food and rotate the proteins). Any inflammation issues stem from diet. If you feed the current RC food you can have lots of problems health wise, but if you switch him to a better food while he is young and healthy, some of the health issues can be prevented they good diet!

I would get the Frenchie pup an just put it on a better food and rotate and get pet insurance.

He is cute pup!

He's been breast fed from mom since birth and Royal Canine last 2 weeks. I was going to switch him to Farmina as I've been reading great things about them. I live close to a good famous spot here in Miami that serves raw/top food/top dog products for dogs. They pretty known for their raw stuff and knowledge on foods. They good with frenchies too.

 

[Jeffc]

Do you have pet insurance on yours? You got it from a breeder? How old are they?

Yes we have insurance. One of them just turned 3 and the male will be 4 in October.

 

[Rusty’s Owner]

He's been breast fed from mom since birth and Royal Canine last 2 weeks. I was going to switch him to Farmina as I've been reading great things about them. I live close to a good famous spot here in Miami that serves raw/top food/top dog products for dogs. They pretty known for their raw stuff and knowledge on foods. They good with frenchies too.

Ok, I would try to give a fresh raw diet if that’s possible, unless you absolutely need kibble I would avoid it, higher moisture food and raw being low carb is the best for controlling inflammation and the diseases it causes.

Farmina is a decent kibble, there are definitely better ones out there.

If it was my dog I would get him off kibble and onto a raw diet, especially for Frenchies. I did my research to before getting a Frenchie and knew before I got him the potential health issues and I have pet insurance, and feed great food.
Raw diet is ideal.

If you maintain his health with good food, you will see the vet less!

 

[JSolano]

Ok, I would try to give a fresh raw diet if that’s possible, unless you absolutely need kibble I would avoid it, higher moisture food and raw being low carb is the best for controlling inflammation and the diseases it causes.

Farmina is a decent kibble, there are definitely better ones out there.

If it was my dog I would get him off kibble and onto a raw diet, especially for Frenchies. I did my research to before getting a Frenchie and knew before I got him the potential health issues and I have pet insurance, and feed great food.
Raw diet is ideal.

If you maintain his health with good food, you will see the vet less!

I would aim for raw but with kids and busy family business I don’t think I can do raw 100%. Would some raw and good kibble still be good? What do you recommend better than Farmina? I don’t mind the price. Would like the best possible for him. Also inquired about his coat today and seems he is lilac since he isn’t fully grey blue. He has some grey with many white streaks. In person he looks more grey white brownish honestly. I plan to make my decision this upcoming weekend.

 

[Rusty’s Owner]

I would aim for raw but with kids and busy family business I don’t think I can do raw 100%. Would some raw and good kibble still be good? What do you recommend better than Farmina? I don’t mind the price. Would like the best possible for him. Also inquired about his coat today and seems he is lilac since he isn’t fully grey blue. He has some grey with many white streaks. In person he looks more grey white brownish honestly. I plan to make my decision this upcoming weekend.

Yes if you can do 1/2 raw(like breakfast full raw, and dinner is full kibble for example), that would be good.

Farmina uses synthetic vitamins/minerals that do more harm than good and aren’t absorbed anyways.

For the kibble, some really good kibbles are Natures Logic(whole food based with added probiotics, but no synthetics).

Carna 4 is also a great kibble it doesn’t have synthetic vitamins or anything and all the seeds used are sprouted seeds which act differently than whole peas vs the sprouted peas used in it, it had pre and probiotics too and it’s oven baked nuggets. This is the kibble people but if they can’t feed raw(especially when they feed raw and can’t bring it camping).
This comes In venison, goat, lamb and duck and a few other proteins.

Acana is a decent kibble. Acana singles formulas are the best out of the Acana brand. That’s only single protein is used(pork, duck, lamb).

Orijen is a really good kibble it’s the lowest carb kibble option available. It uses multiple proteins too, some dogs do great on it and some don’t.

I recommend you try a 1 protein kibble(only for the kibble meal) and if you know he likes it and isn’t allergic, rotate to a different protein in the same brand, then that way your boosting his immune system and preventing allergies by Rotating proteins. That’s helps you know which proteins work for him and which ones don’t, and rotate thru all the one he can have.

Do this with raw diet too, use multiple proteins to prevent allergies.


My Frenchie had SO many health issues that could have been prevented thru diet when I got him.
They have cleared up thru diet.

I have taken dog nutrition courses to know what causes certain Health issues and how to prevent them(only a couple can’t be prevented, but 90% of them can be prevented from good diet).
Good diet(especially low carb lightly cooked or Raw which raw is best)=less inflammation=less disease/health issues.

All the health issues that are common in Frenchies can be also in other dog breeds too(allergies and skin issues for example).

Lilac colour is good too, my breeder I got Rusty from is breeding that colour too, as long as the parents are healthy. I would definitely get the pup😊


If you have any other questions let me know and I’m happy to help 😊

 

[Jakeyjake]

I had a blue female frenchie. She had two surgeries for IVDD 6 mos. apart when she was 5 & 6. It is very expensive, so def, get insurance as others have said if you decide to get him. Her brother, Jake and her shared the same sire and were 10 months apart. She passed away at age 7 from an inoperable brain tumor. Jake is 9.
I love frenchies but I personally would never buy a fad color again. It was my 5th dog from a breeder that I though I could trust, but she started breeding fad colors to make more money. I wish I would have done more research.

 

[JSolano]

Update:

Had decided to keep the idea of getting the dog. Was scheduled to pick him up this upcoming Saturday. Was going to get pet insurance via Figo. Breeder called me a few minutes ago that dog didn't pass physical. He was diagnosed with a grade 4 heart murmur. My wife is sad. I'm ok with it. It wasn't meant to be. Owning a Maltese 9 years ago with a heart murmur I don't want that headache. She eventually died of a heart attack at 2 years old. I'm grateful for breeder being honest. She went ahead and refunded me my deposit. With that said we will not talk about Bruno anymore at my house.

 

[Jeffc]

Update:

Had decided to keep the idea of getting the dog. Was scheduled to pick him up this upcoming Saturday. Was going to get pet insurance via Figo. Breeder called me a few minutes ago that dog didn't pass physical. He was diagnosed with a grade 4 heart murmur. My wife is sad. I'm ok with it. It wasn't meant to be. Owning a Maltese 9 years ago with a heart murmur I don't want that headache. She eventually died of a heart attack at 2 years old. I'm grateful for breeder being honest. She went ahead and refunded me my deposit. With that said we will not talk about Bruno anymore at my house.

Sorry to hear that. Like you said though, it’s great that the breeders being honest and saving you lots of cash and a ton of sorrow.

 

[JSolano]

Correct. Especially in Miami. Good to know there’s still some honest people out there.