French Bulldog Vomiting? Reasons and Solutions

A dog is a Man’s Best friend, and very few truer statements have been made than this. A dog fills your life with unconditional love and pure joy. French Bulldogs are one of the cutest and loyal dogs of its breed making it 6th most popular breed all over the world. These species mainly found its way along with French and English traders, mainly a mixed breed between a traditional English bulldog and a French terrier. They are very clever and stubborn in nature, with an absolutely catchy and adorable sense of humour it possesses.

Though these dogs seem absolutely adorable and easy to own, any French bulldog lovers would know how much susceptible are they towards any gastrointestinal issues and might vomit more often than other species of dogs. Thus this can be distressing for any owner watching their loved ones suffer and have to clean after their sickness.

Taking a Look at The Different Breeds 

Before going into a detailed discussion, let’s talk about Brachycephalic breed of French bulldogs. These Bulldogs were bred in such a way that they have a shorter and smaller snout, which is one of the USP of these dogs, but the smaller cranial and facial structure hinders them from chewing and proper digestion. Thus this causes a vomit-like white foam, some gagging and non-stop spitting out a frothy white foam.

Their wide and flat skull shape looks like it has been compressed and few extreme breeding might result in the absence of nasal bones. These breeds have a regular habit of indigestion and vomiting, but as their parent you must be careful about the white foam, once you spot it, rush them to a vet as that might be a sign of gastric torsion or stomach dilation which can be a very serious issue for them. Putting these breeds and this special kind of white foam vomit away, we would discuss other reasons why a French bulldog would vomit.

Nausea and Vomiting of French Bulldogs:

Keeping aside the white foam vomit, let us discuss various reasons why our beloved French bulldogs might vomit, and what should we as their parents do, while they are sick.

1)  Food Allergies:

French bulldogs are known to have a sensitive stomach, thus they may be allergic to different kinds of dog food available in the market. The pet often develops new allergies in their lifetime, thus often they become allergic to food and supplies they have been receiving for years. Symptoms of allergies for French dogs are mainly regular vomiting after a meal and severe diarrhea, though different symptoms might also be present. Few of the other symptoms for your French bulldog having food allergies are:

• Itchy skin.
• Infection inside the ear cavity.
• Loss of fur and shine among the dogs.
• Nails being covered with lines of blood deposition.
• Watery eyes.

These are the other symptoms that might indicate that a French bulldog might have some food allergies. It is important for its parent to be cautious about these allergies and offer them food that would suit them and keep a close watch over them. If any of the mentioned symptoms are not cured or become worse, one must take their pet to the vet as early as possible.

2)  Fast and Improper Drinking and Eating

Many of the French Bulldogs have a habit of having their meal with way too much haste, which can be harmful to them and their digestive system. Often they inhale more air than they should while eating, which can cause stress to intestines, which results in vomiting. One can give their French bulldogs’ minute but regular meals which they can chew properly and not keeping them hungry enough for them to devour any food with haste.

3) Several Oesophageal Problems and other Disorders:

French bulldogs are often affected by many oesophageal disorders and issues. We have listed several issues encountered by owners and how to tackle them if your French bulldog is having these issues.

•    Vascular Ring:

This disorder is assumed to be hereditary and a result of improper breeding of the species. This is mainly a congenital flaw which occurs due to the presence of aortic arch on right which is usually lost while the fetus develops. The aortic arch which should have been lost creates a ring along the oesophagus tightening it, thus food is harder to pass through. These type of rings aren’t that popular among French bulldogs, but awareness of these disorders helps when required. Symptoms of this disorder cause a puppy to vomit constantly in the first few months of its birth. One should approach a veterinarian if they find these issues with French bulldogs. It is normally treated with the help of oxygen supplements and doing antibiotic courses. The doctor might suggest surgery to repair vascular entrapment if required.

•    Esophagitis:

This disorder is basically an inflammation occurring in the esophagus which occurs due to food allergy or acid reflux. French bulldogs often have these symptoms when they have esophagitis.

•    Excess coughing

•    Sudden weight loss

•    Constant Drooling

•    Sudden loss in appetite and disdain for food

•    Avoiding lying down

•    Bulldog causing very unusual movements

•    Bulldog having pain in its back and neck

•    Severe Pain while eating

This disorder normally requires veterinarian guidance in case of French bulldogs and can be cured with proper medicinal courses and a well-maintained diet for your dog. Food high with carbohydrates and low in total fat content might be offered to your dog, as it helps the oesophagus to heal. A minimal amount of protein should be present in the diet. Allergenic food must be avoided by your dog. Antacids could be offered in these cases. In severe conditions, veterinarians opt for an operation to install balloon Catheter to narrow down the oesophagus walls.

•    Mega oesophagus:

A type of condition mainly occurring when the French bulldog faces dilation in the oesophagus which occurs mainly for the absence of required peristaltic activity, i.e the passage of food from the mouth to stomach during digestion. French bulldogs face this when their oesophagus weakens and they can’t push food to the stomach, thus the food stays inside the oesophagus. Mega oesophagus is generally a hereditary disease; proper diagnosis requires a trained and experienced veterinary guide. There is no proper cure for this disease, but as this normally occurs when the French bulldog is quite old, and the best option is to let him live his life out. It can be managed by proper postures while eating and the dog requires proper attention from their owners.

•    Hiatal Hernia:

This type of disorder is mainly detected when the French bulldog is either excited or exercising. This leads to an opening inside the diaphragm, which is called oesophageal hiatus, where the oesophagus passes through before entering into the stomach. The following reasons might dictate the cause of hiatal hernia in French bulldogs.

•    A sphincter in lower oesophageal regions.

•    A part of the stomach budges into the oesophagus cavity.

•    An unwanted protrusion and elongation of the oesophagus.

•    Often it occurs as a reason of two things occurring simultaneously.

•    Further complications might occur when the stomach pushes into paraesophageal sac.

Hiatal hernia must be treated under the guidance of a trusted veterinarian. Surgeries are often required to fix these disorders. One can use anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce inflammation in the walls of oesophagus, but should remember that it is a temporary treatment and for a permanent cure, one has to opt for surgery for their French Bulldogs.

Guide to Treating a French Bulldog when it’s Sick

Treating your French bulldog would be dependent upon the state your dog is in. If the dog is mildly sick, a parent might experiment with diets, which would suit their French bulldog the most. Gastric issues could be encountered by serving food like boiled rice and chicken. If the dog faces issues regarding allergies, then sticking to one safe diet for your dog might just be the best idea. Do take advice from the vet before fixing such a diet. One should sincerely follow any guidance and advises given by the vet. A dog owner must prevent themselves to diagnose and medicate their dogs without proper guidance, even more so in severe cases. One should offer their utmost love and care for their French bulldogs as they are often tired and drained out after vomiting.

Prevention is better than cure French Bulldogs, as a modified and rather a modern species, which rose due to cross breeding is a very beautiful and a loveable dog but might possess some disorders from their childhood. It is extremely important for the owner to be careful and cautious about their pet and give them sufficient love and care when they are sick. Veterinary guidance should always be taken seriously for them and one must be attentive to how their pet behaves and reacts to every type of treatment. If its costly we suggest you to choose insurance company.