A
LETTER TO MY VET
by Jan Grebe |
Hi! I'm a French Bulldog, and unless you are
extremely lucky, you may not have anyother
patients of my rather rare breed. If that is the
case, please let me alert you to some special
health needs of Frenchies, as our friends call
us.
Though our Minimum Daily Requirement for human
companionship and love is high, our day-to-day
needs are simple. Petting keeps our coat shiny;
praise keeps us happy. The best medicine for a
Frenchie is TLC. But we do have higher incidence
of certain structural problems that go along
with our-flat faced, dwarf status than do other
breeds (the ones we think of as spindly and
pointy-nosed).
As with other brachycephalic breeds, we have
airways that are easily compromised. We overheat
very easily, often have an elongated soft palate
that may need to be shortened, and anything that
causes swelling in the mouth or pharynx (trauma,
insect stings, tonsillitis, etc.) can cause a
respiratory emergency. Sometimes our nares are
rather stenotic; this does, however, give us the
most endearing snore. Cleft lip/palate, of
course, is more frequent in short-faced breeds.
And it has been suggested that we are more
likely to have oddly-formed thyroids and
anterior pituitaries, since the pharynx, from
which these structures develop as outpocketings,
is so abbreviated. Whether these glandular
abnormalities cause any functional problem is
uncertain, but it's worth considering if any
problems are seen that could have an endocrine
basis.
Anesthesia, of course, is a constant worry.
Thanks to our laid-back attitude, many
procedures requiring a general anesthetic in
other, more excitable breeds can often be done
without it in Frenchies. When a general is
required, we are very hard to intubate; even
more so than Bostons, we're told. First, please
note that our necks tend to be rather squatty
(no way to put it delicately). The endotracheal
tube may have to be shorter than in a
longer-necked dog of comparable size; if it is
too long, it will end up in a bronchus and we'll
only be half-ventilated. Also, we must be
watched closely after extubation, until we are
up and walking around, because our large tongues
and/or floppy palates can easily relax and
obstruct the airway. And any swelling in the
pharynx or larynx, which is an ever-present
danger with intubation, is doubly serious in our
breed. With our generally calm nature, we may
also require less anesthesia than other dogs of
comparable size, as anesthetic depression can
occur more easily in us than in, say, a Fox
Terrier.
Probably our most important and serious built-in
anatomical problems (other than the airway) are
back problems caused by the chondrodystrophic
dwarfism that gives us our distinctive shape.
Like the other dwarf breeds, we suffer from a
high incidence of hemivertebrae and premature
disc degeneration. The incidence of the former
in our breed is unknown, since many dogs that
have these malformed vertebrae never have
problems related to them, so that they are only
detected incidentally on a radiograph done for
some other reason. If they do occur, they are
most often seen at T9 - T11; a single vertebra
may be involved, or several. Depending on which
part of the vertebra is malformed, they may
cause scoliosis or kyphosis; and this can
produce secondary changes in the rib cage.
Premature intervertebral disc degeneration most
often is seen in 3- to 5-year old dogs and
generally affects the discs between C2 - C4 and
T11 - L2; disc degeneration seen as a
consequence of age is more likely in the
cervical region. If you should note any
hemivertebrae, calcified discs, or narrowing of
discs spaces on an x-ray, or palpate any bony
deformities, please instruct my owner about how
to best protect my back, and what neurological
signs to watch for in case problems should
develop. Many Frenchies are frisking happily
about today after extensive spinal surgery,
because their owners quickly sought help at the
first sign of trouble, before the cord was
permanently damaged.
As is the case with Bostons and Bulldogs, we
often have whelping difficulties. Though some
Frenchies are free whelpers, the combination of
the big head and narrow pelvis often produces
uterine inertia, requiring cesarean delivery.
(Considering the anesthesia risk, this helps
explain why there are so few of us around.) We
also seem to be plagued by pyometra more often
than other breeds; some believe that our odd
construction tilts the female reproductive tract
in such a way that it doesn't drain properly
postpartum. Whatever the cause, this is a
problem to watch for.
Impacted anal glands may also afflict us
(especially if the screw tail torques sharply to
one side and compresses a duct.) We may suffer
from most of the other usual canine ills.
Frenchies with lighter coat colors tend to have
more skin problems than do the darker ones; this
is particularly true in hot, damp climates,
where every variety of fungus and bacterium
tends to flourish. Though hip dysplasia is not
known to be a major problem, it has been
reported in the breed; whether it's inheritable
or due to a random defect in Frenchies is not
yet known.
Our breeders are constantly trying to produce
sounder pups, and the French Bull Dog Club of
America is establishing a Genetics Committee to
gather information about health problems in the
breed that might be inheritable, serve as a
liaison with the Canine Genetic Disease
Information Service, and to help educate
breeders about potential inheritable problems.
We would appreciate your help in this regard. If
you should detect any problem in a Frenchie
patient that you believe is genetic, please
discuss this with the owner and/or breeder of
the dog so that we might avoid the spreading of
harmful genes through the breed. Our gene pool
is so small that a recessive gene in a popular
sire could spread like wildfire; and early
detection requires the help of our vets. Though
there have been cases of clotting disorders in
Frenchies, we have not yet seen the problems
like the juvenile cataracts and copper toxicosis
that have devastated other breeds, and we want
to keep it that way.
We Frenchies are a proud lot, and are increasing
in popularity. We would appreciate any new
observations or information that you might give
us about our breed to help our breeders and
owners keep us sound and happy, both as a breed
and as individuals.
And, finally, should the time come when . . .
because of age, injury, or illness . . . my life
should become more burden to me than blessing,
please help my owner/friend make and accept the
most loving and kind decision. Tell him to "Sing
no sad songs for me," but to know that my life,
however short or long, was an enviable one. I
was a French Bulldog.
(Reprinted from The French Bullytin, Vol. 6 No.
4, 1988)
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