New Frenchie (2) Owner, so many questions :) Hello!!

LeighFreels · Apr 12, 2017

Hello everyone! I have 2 Frenchies from same litter, boy and girl (Indy & Lucy) they are 4 months old (getting big!!) I have so many questions as we are coming up to that time (spay & neuter) I am sure it is on this site and I just need to find it

so will look but am wondering when all of you took your pup to be fixed, my vet says 6 months? We are going on vacation 2 weeks after their 6 month b-day so wonder if I should wait until we get back (I have been told by breeder if girl goes into heat, the risk of breast cancer increases, yikes, when do they go in heat???).. but then our boarding place said they won't board if 6 months and not fixed. Dilemmas!!

And our vet who is not that great (I am looking for new one, I am in North of Atlanta, GA so if anyone here knows of good vet let me know!) but she did say my girl Lucy will need the "bulldog treatment" which I guess is the soft palate surgery, I did see that on here somewhere. Should I wait until she is older for that, the vet (not great) said that I should get it done same time as I spay her, to get all surgery done at once... she at least admitted she could not do a surgery on a Frenchie (worried about the breathing issues)

I think that is all questions I have now LOL, these are our first dogs ever and it has been a learning experience. We have had only cats before, and boy is this different. LOTS of work, but we do love them.. we are getting a fence in backyard so I think that will help

I have some cute pictures to share, I need to figure out how to do that, I am new to forums!

Cbrugs · Apr 13, 2017

Welcome!! You have come to the right place!

I had Jax neutered at 6 months (he was always humping everything constantly) but they say you should wait as close to a year as possible to neuter for development reasons. I have heard that you should wait for until after the first heat cycle before spaying. There are a few threads on here that talk about spaying and neutering that you can probably search. And I am sure others will chime in as well.

I agree that you should get the spay and soft palate surgery done at the same time so she doesn't have to be put under multiple times. And while this vet may not be great, at least she told you she was not comfortable performing a surgery on a Frenchie!

Jakeyjake · Apr 13, 2017

Welcome to you, Indy and Lucy! I had Jake neutered at 7 months because he was mounting everything, otherwise I would have waited longer. Stella was spayed at roughly 6 months.
It is very important to find a vet that is familiar with brachy breed dogs as the anasthesia protocol is different. If you find a new more experienced vet I would get their opinion on the soft palate surgery/nares.

2bullymama · Apr 13, 2017

:welcome3: to FBN! Congratulations on your two new bundles!!

Spay and neuter... for spay anytime after 6 months and neuter is anytime after 8 months is what our vet has always recommended, but it is a personal preference

here is a list of vet recommendations from our sister site English bulldog news, maybe one is near you and you can get an evaluation.

~GEORGIA~

Riverside Animal Hospital
Dr. Aimee Rosee
Lawrenceville, GA
770-339-9080

Bethlehem Veterinary Hospital
Dr. Jerry Frost
799 Christmas Ave
Bethlehem, GA 30620
770-867-2977

Atlanta Veterinary Skin & Allergy Clinic, PC
(For Skin or Allergy Issues)
2803 Shallowford Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30341
770-936-8922

North Georgia Veterinarian Specialist
1328 Buford Hwy NE
Buford. GA
678-835-3300

Pet Care Associates
Dr. Cox
5250 Hog Mountain Road
Flowery Branch, Ga 30542
770-965-3773
Dr. Cox

Alice Kable · Apr 15, 2017

:smileywelcome: to FBN.

The palate surgery should be when they are 1 year old. Laser surgery is better for the pup--less blood loss and faster healing.

BB2017 · Apr 17, 2017

Hi,
If you don't mind me asking how are you getting on with 2 from the same litter?
We have a dog/bitch from same litter only 8 weeks old although lots of people we're against the idea as it's supposed to be really hard work.
We're only 3 days in!
Yours are beautiful.
Lou x

LeighFreels · May 28, 2017

Hi there! Sorry it took me so long to reply, these pups are keeping us BUSY! We keep asking ourselves if we could go back would we get only 1 instead of 2, and it would have been tons easier for sure, but we love them both so much we can't imagine one without the other. I think if I could give advice I would tell people just 1 at a time. LOL. it is a test of marriage for sure (we do not have kids) We are struggling with house breaking at the moment and just training in general. We have learned they will do ANYTHING for treats/food. LOL. And have lots of patience, they are called Bullies for a reason (STUBBORN).Hope things are going well for you guys!! Would love to see a picture of them :heart:

Cbrugs · May 28, 2017

Jax is 4 and three weeks ago we brought home an 11 week old English Bulldog. I don't think I would ever be able to do two puppies at one time. Can you do some puppy classes with them? That can help with some of the general training.

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2bullymama · May 30, 2017

LeighFreels said:
Hi there! Sorry it took me so long to reply, these pups are keeping us BUSY! We keep asking ourselves if we could go back would we get only 1 instead of 2, and it would have been tons easier for sure, but we love them both so much we can't imagine one without the other. I think if I could give advice I would tell people just 1 at a time. LOL. it is a test of marriage for sure (we do not have kids) We are struggling with house breaking at the moment and just training in general. We have learned they will do ANYTHING for treats/food. LOL. And have lots of patience, they are called Bullies for a reason (STUBBORN).Hope things are going well for you guys!! Would love to see a picture of them :heart:

if they are food motivated.... use 'nothing in life is free' ... very easy tool to help get them to follow commands

davidh · Jun 1, 2017

Sorry took so long to reply. We like to wait until the female has her first heat cycle before spaying. But be very careful when she is in heat and do not let her out of your site for even a second. The male I like to wait until about 18 month of age before neutering. Christine has given you a list of good vets in the area, I would check them out. Definitely find a good Frenchie vet for any surgeries. The palate I would let a good Frenchie vet look and see what they think. You can usually tell if it is too long, if they snore loudly, have a hard time swallowing food, or choke sometimes on their food or water.