Ask the French Bulldog Experts

lorihuntdvm July 4th, 2008

I have a frenchie that is expecting her first litter of puppies.  I am trying to decide if I should schedule a C-section or allow her to try to whelp naturally.  What is your opinion?

Dr. Lori writes -
Absolutely you need to plan on a c-section!

Generally speaking, frenchies are not free whelping dogs.  So a cesarean will be necessary.  Trying to free whelp will most likely result in the loss of mom or puppies or BOTH!

Unless you have an exact due date based on ovulation date (which can be determined by progesterone testing done while breeding), then you will need to wait for signs.

I really hope you did progesterone testing!

As her approximate due date gets close, you should take her temperature rectally three times daily.  A normal bitch’s temperature is 100-102.  12-24 hours before labor begins, her temp will drop by at least one full degree and often down around 98 degrees Fahrenheit.  This is the time when you call your vet and schedule the section for that day.  You can also take her to your vet and have daily progesterones done (need to be able to get results quickly, within hours) as when her progesterone drops below 2.0 ng/dl, she will be safe to section.

Good Luck as frenchies can be very difficult to whelp and raise and by your question it sounds like you haven’t done nearly enough research.  I hope you have some time before they arrive to prepare.

Dr. Lori Hunt, DVM

Editor’s Note: I once had a lovely little bitch who came from a free whelping mother. As her due date approached, I assumed she would also be able to successfully free whelp. I was experienced in assisting my girls with their deliveries, and confident all would go well.

Unfortunately, I was wrong - her first puppy, a large pied boy, became lodged in her birth canal. We barely made it to the emergency clinic in time to save her life and the lives of her other two pups. The boy was already dead. Now, I c section all my girls. It’s just not worth losing a single other pup, at least not to me…

Tags: bulldog, C Section, caesarian section, free whelped, French Bull Dog, French Bulldog, Frenchie, puppies, whelping

• French Bulldog Veterinary , c section
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admin July 4th, 2008

My question is regarding the proper food for a French Bulldog. I have been recommended Taste of the wild kibble, Evo, also a raw diet and home made meals. I am not comfortable with the raw however I am willing to make the homemade meals but do not know what would be a good recipe.

I would not want to make a regular meal that is lacking the vitamins and nutrition necessary for my dogs. It seems there are all kinds of sources of what is best…but what really is?

I was just hoping for some helpful insight.

Carol writes -

When I was personally still cooking for my dogs, I used the mix available from Essex Cottage Farms. It looks basically like a sack of flour, and contains all the assorted bone meal and minerals needed to balance out the food. To it, I added meat (ground beef, chicken, turkey, or fish), ground vegetables, greens (mostly alfalfa) and some oil. I’d then bake it, either in individual serving muffin tins, or as a ‘meat loaf’. The dogs seemed to love it! In fact, when Tessa was pregnant with her litter of ten (!!) Frenchie puppies, Essex Cottage Farms food was the only thing I could get her to eat.

Since what you want seems to be more a completely ‘home made’ recipe, I asked for advice from some of the members of the French Bulldog mailing lists:

Monica of HotSchott French Bulldogs writes -

Carol, there is a GREAT book out there for home cookers. I used to before I fed raw and I used to use the recipes all the time. My husband always thought I was cooking for him. LOLOLOL The book is called Barker’s Grub and can be purchased from Amazon.com.

Linda writes -

my vet gave me a copy that is actually from science diet that has many different recipes on the page. And he worked with me on each dogs weight to devise the amount of vitamins and bone meal to add to the recipes. And it has everything from calorie reduced to protein reduced to many types. You could go to science diet ( not that I would recommend you feed their food ) but down load the recopies. I often used eggs for the protein as you can measure it exactly. And yams or sweet potatoes . Children’’s’ vitamins dissolve much better and natural health food section of your store has them. For 5o lb dogs I used 1/2 or 1 teas per day. But work with your vet .and yes I used canned salmon too.

Another suggestion was to join a mailing list for people who home cook for their pets -

You might try this group. Some do raw, some cook, some feed kibble, and some combine. Always great info and discussions,

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Kitchen

I also found these recipes books, which seem to have favorable reviews from people who’ve used them:

The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs - 50 Homemade Recipes

Real Food for Dogs - 50 Vet Approved Recipes

The Natural Pet Food Cook Book

Bone Appetit

Three Dog Bakery Cookbook

Better Food for Dogs

Here’s a great website for home cooking resources - http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/dogfoodrecipes.htm

Enjoy, and bone appetit!

Carol

Tags: diet, dog food recipes, dog treat recipes, Essex Cottage Farms, French Bull Dog, French Bulldog, Frenchie, home cooked dog food, homemade dog food, raw dog food

• Dog Food , French Bulldog Miscellaneous
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