How Long Do French Bulldogs Live

Depending on, conditions, an average French bulldog lifespan is around 9 to 12 years.

Dogs’ average lifespan plays a crucial in choosing your pet dog. Especially if you are a French bulldog lover. Let’s dig in and find out what factors affect French bulldog lifespan.

French Bulldogs Lifespan Statistics

French bulldog can be an excellent canine companion. French bulldogs may fit your lifestyle if you are looking for traits such as the following:

• Small yet strong
• Affectionate family dog
• Well-tempered and can adapt to different environments
• Entertaining and quirky personality
• Friendly, playful and sweet

These good qualities are the reasons why many pet lovers develop fondness for French Bulldog. However, there are important considerations to keep in mind. Frenchie cannot do well in heat. The dog can also be territorial and might develop separation anxiety when always left alone. French bulldogs commonly display lots of wheezing, snuffling and snorting noises, and they might even snore. This breed is somehow hard to house train and can be stubborn if you don’t show deep relationships with them.

Nevertheless, statistics and opinions vary. Some sources say that the lifespan of an average French bulldog’s lifespan is 10-12 years, but there are records revealing that there are dogs that reached more than 14 years old.

These dogs are certainly adorable. However, are said to be vulnerable to various illnesses and other health concerns. These issues do not just affect their lifespan, but also have detrimental effects on the overall quality of their life. Move on to French bulldog lifespan influencing factors.

Factors Affecting the Life Expectancy

1. Health Issues

Similar to other dog breeds, French Bulldogs are more vulnerable to particular health issues than other breeds. These health concerns can significantly affect the lifespan of this breed of bulldog. Even anxiety and stress can shorten French Bulldogs’ life expectancy. Then sex of the dog also plays a part in determining its lifespan.

2. Disorders

There are certain studies that revealed make French bulldogs are more prone to be diagnosed with disorders, though research also reveals that French bulldog lifespan between female and male was unaffected.

3. Other Health Issues

Another health factors affecting the life expectancy of this bulldog were diarrhea, ear infections, skin dermatitis, and conjunctivitis, or pink eye.

4. Breathing

Around 12% of French bulldogs are also diagnosed with respiratory tract disorders resulting from brachycephalic facial structure or flat-faced. Adapting breeds with flat face is not really recommended due to possibility of breathing problems. Due to the flat faces of French Bulldogs, they tend to have breathing troubles that could lead to them suffering from snoring and sleep apnea.

5. Temperature

They are also unable to keep safe body temperature during the hot season or during exercise. The main reason for this is that these dogs largely depend on the evaporation to cool down from the palate and mouth. However, the flat-faced breed does not really have ample surface area in order to achieve that.

Many French Bulldogs suddenly die because of overheating during exercise or during extremely hot weather. Some issues of health can actually be tested. Nevertheless, many are just the resulting of breeding. Keeping French bulldogs as pets is not really advisable, simply because the likelihood of serious health problems is way too high.

So if you want to extend French bulldog lifespan, keep him away from hot weather.

How to Help Frenchie Live a Happy and Long Life

If you own a Frenchie or planning to adopt one, there are essential things you need to remember. The first important thing is that breeding parents must always be tested for preventable health issues. Trusted breeders must conduct all possible tests for such breed to be able to reduce the possible health issues. All health problems do not necessarily need to be tested for, but even so, selecting a breeder who takes time conducting health tests helps you end up with a healthier French bulldog. There are two tests commonly conducted, and these are hip tests and eye tests.

1. Eye Tests

The eye tests must be done on breeding stock, and these usually include hereditary cataract tests and eye health problems.

2. Hip Tests

Hip scoring is another test available to determine the possibility of hip dysplasia. Trusted breeders must be able to give scores to the potential parents of the puppy. Conducting tests is highly imperative in order to rule out preventable health concerns or issues.

Make sure to get your French bulldog from a reliable breeder or from a licensed facility. The breeders must be highly experienced, licensed and ensure conducting tests on the health of breeding stock. As soon as you have your puppy, there are a thing that you need to do to keep it safe and healthy.

Things to Follow Up If You Want to Help Frenchie Live Long:

• Make sure that it follows a healthy diet. Be mindful of the foods you give because some French bulldogs have food allergies. The dog’s diet must be appropriate for its age.
• Visit a licensed veterinarian on a regular basis to make sure that your dog remains healthy, and health problems will be addressed immediately.
• Help your French bulldog get lots of exercise. This breed of dog is not really very energetic, but they do enjoy regular walks.
• Be on check with their regular health maintenance like brushing teeth, trimming nails, and many other grooming needs. This plays a big role in improving the Frenchies’ overall health.
• Supervise your French bulldog as if you are looking after your own kids. Keep your dog away from troubles and dangerous objects.
• French bulldog can be sensitive to hot temperatures, so avoid exposing them for long. You need to be alert as well for some signs of stress.

When French Bulldog Gets Old

Once a Frenchie turns seven, you will have to get hands-on with its care. You can ask your vet to check for signs of old age so that you will get an idea regarding when to proceed with this extra care. Some of the common symptoms that old French Bulldogs show are:

• Changes in Frenchies weight
• Changes in its motion due to problems with arthritis
• Internal organs functions start to slow down
• Diminished sensory functions
• Diabetes
• Hyperthyroidism
• Different types of cancer

It is normal to notice some changes in their behavior. We all know French Bulldogs are not the most active dog breeds in the world. However, after reaching old age, they may become even less energetic than before.

What to do when your Frenchie reaches old age

The first and logical thing to do once your French Bulldog reaches seven to ten years of age is to keep a close eye on every little change. Yes, this task might sound very demanding. Still, it is the only way you can catch early symptoms of any diseases or health complications and take necessary measures.

Here are some points that you should keep in mind while taking care of an old French Bulldog:

1. Regular vet visits

French Bulldogs are prone to health complications by nature. You should take your Frenchie for vet visits regularly, at least once a year. It does not matter whether the dog seems to be healthy or not. After it reaches old age, the vet visits will need to become more frequent. This practice will make sure that you get to know any symptom of a problem before it becomes untreatable.

2. Keep an eye on your dog’s diet

Your French Bulldog might need a different diet once it grows old. You can get your vet’s advice on this matter and move forward with any suggestions. There are some dog foods for mature dogs available in the market. They tend to all the needs of a canine in its later years.

3. Check your dog’s weight

Obesity will have fatal effects on any type of creature. This fact is more so in French Bulldogs. Your vet can tell you if your Frenchie is at the ideal weight for its age. In case it is overweight, you can always engage it in some exercise to lose the extra mass and keep it fit.

4. Add probiotics to your dog’s diet

We know that the good bacteria in the gut helps to digest food and aid in the proper functioning of the digestive system. Probiotics help to maintain a balance of the bacteria in a dog’s stomach. If there are too little good bacteria, your old Frenchie will face a lot of health problems like digestive system malfunction. It may even deteriorate your dog’s immune system.

5. Exercise

An old French Bulldog may need to engage in some form of physical exercise to keep itself fit and healthy. Usually, young Frenchies do not need to involve themselves in a lot of activities, and they are not very active dogs either. However, in its later years, it is best to let it get some exercise.

6. Proper treatment for different diseases

This point may seem a bit obvious. You will definitely change its diet and lifestyle if your old French Bulldog has any kidney or heart disease. The thing to keep in mind here is that you should continue with the proper diet and treatment consistently. Missing some days of medication or giving your old Frenchie the wrong food may worsen its conditions.

7. Entertain you French Bulldog with a toy

Stress, anxiety, and boredom do not do any good to a dog’s health. Especially if your French Bulldog has reached its later years in life. Buy your Frenchie some toys to keep it occupied. Toys will help your dog to manage its stress and anxiety. French Bulldogs are a mellow dog breed, but they like to play with toys.

8. Make sure your French Bulldog has a comfortable bed and accommodation

Old French Bulldogs will prefer special beds made of memory foam or some other material. They are prone to suffering from arthritis, and regular dog beds might not solve the problem. Install some furniture like steps and ramps or carpets so that your Old Frenchie can roam around comfortably.

Conclusion

If you really need to keep your French bulldog for the longest time, you need to treat them with kindness and love and do your best to minimize or completely eliminate stress from their life. French Bulldogs are easy to maintain and easy to feed. Still, they do have some health problems you must take care of in order to extend their life expectancy as much as possible. With a French bulldog lifespan lower than the average small breed dog, we have to do all we can to let it live a comfortable life in its declining years. We are sure the tips and pointers given above will give your Frenchie the best dogie years!

Thank you for reading OurFrenchie.com articles 🙂