Will my Frenchie really only live til 6 years ?

[Jessiesthedog]

I spoke with a breeder today who suggested my girl would live til 6 max. I was quite taken a back

There is a reason pug ugly is a phrase!

Dogs aren’t thick and they can absolutely tell that there is something seriously wrong with Frenchies. I have seen it time and time again, dogs being unsettled or going for them. It breaks my heart for the Frenchies.

I think the average lifespan for a Frenchie is just under 5 years, although that figure is skewed by a large number who die very young. If your dog hasn’t already died due to the terrible health problems inflicted upon it, in order appeal to people who think a deformed dog looks cute, then it might well make it to 10 years of age. But those 10 years will be blighted by daily suffering, struggling to breathe and to blink properly.

Your puppy may have been born regardless of your purchase, but your demand created the next litter. You may love your dog, however you have supported an industry of awful cruelty.

I thought it was pig ugly?

I think this breed should be outlawed, like any other breed with extremities that cause suffering or health issues. I really don't get it at all. Just take a look at a wolf and then at a bulldog and say honestly whether we have done right by them.

Does she really not snuffle rather than breathe clearly?

My vizsla definitely doesn't recognise Frenchies as dogs. His pupils dilate, his mouth waters and he shakes. I don't know wtf he thinks they are or what they make him feel but it's distressing to see. Should add that its not a size thing because his best friend's are a chihuahua and a dachshund.

If you PAID MONEY for her you have continued the cycle....

She was going to be born because there is a demand for her breed, even though the are incredibly unhealthy dogs.

you only need to look at the list of dog breeds that are at risk of dying out due to no demand to see that there are certain breeds that fall out of favour.

hopefully frenchies and other flat faced breeds will fall out of fashion soon

amd you have fuelled that demand by buying her, so no doubt the breeder will continue to have more litters

Most dog breeds are "deformed". I dont disagree with the breeds you have listed but I could add the majority of the KC breeds to the list. Many have painful health conditions and short lifespans. Most of the dogs with the shortest lifespans are the bigger dogs.

My friend rehomed one from a family member who wasn't looking after it properly.....lovely, lovely dog. Has a.lovely nature, so easy to train. She's an absolute joy. But the reality is what makes them appealing to us is torture to them, in the summer its difficult to breathe. (( dog spent most the last summer living in my friends bathroom)) and this time of year the cold.air makes their eyes and noses sore.

Lovely dogs. But the breeding of them should be banned or change to improve the health of the breed.

Because they looked deformed. And that isn't meant to be horrible it's because they really are deformed it's not their fault it's stupid humans that have done it to them

Dds best friends mum just bought a French Bulldog puppy.

Poor little thing. She clearly can’t breathe. I grew up with Labradors - she’s a world away from those healthy, robust dogs.

She is a fashion accessory carried in a doggy backpack.

she was going to be born whether I took her or not.

Sorry, op, I know you are already getting a pasting. It’s because people are pulling their hair out. It really is not ok to ever buy one of these dogs. Rescue, absolutely. But buying her just feeds into the trade and makes sure more deformed dogs who probably won’t ever see their sixth birthdays are born.

I know you are getting defensive now because you can’t go back in time and buy a dog that would be lovely, trainable, healthy and live for a long time. But if this thread just makes one person reconsider buying a flat faced breed then that will help.

To be honest it isn’t just the flat faced ones that are suffering from overbreeding, many popular breeds are also rapidly declining in physical/mental health (GSD’s come to mind).

The difference in their quality of life is really stark. Our vets has commented on how happy she is to see our two little jrx crossed with god knows what mongrels. Our girl is only one, but the scruffy (inherited) lad is ten and showing no signs of slowing down or ill health. They will most likely live to 20. On the other hand a family member has a Frenchmen around the same age as our girl, she is already chalked up for an operation soon. And this was from a very expensive, ‘researched’ and ‘responsible’ breeder. Which no person breeding these poor creatures can call themselves.

People who buy these brachycephalic breeds absolutely disgust me. If people stopped buying them then breeders would stop breeding them, it’s that simple.

THIS^.
ffs OP... all in the name of fashion.

Get her vet checked and see if they suggest nare surgery and check her palate too to see they can shorten the palate if it is over long and double check she has no underlying heart issues. As you have stated already in your post you are aware of heat stroke and use a fan on her, but even running in the garden in warm temps can cause heat distress if their breathing is challenged, so once temps go above 15 I would make sure she is not racing around. Please know how to treat heat stroke in dogs, lukewarm wet towels to lie on, fans, tepid water poured over her, checking her gums for either paleness or dark redness, rapid breathing and be certain to limit her exercise on warm days to early mornings and late evenings. Keep her on the slim side also as weight gain means they struggle even more to breathe. Get familiar with taking her temperature and know what her normal is, and basically just be prepared in case. Thats really all you can do and not torture yourself with recriminations, they are a delightful breed of dog and very affectionate, with care your little one could live longer. Also find out if your vet offers 24 hour emergency care, and if not who they suggest if you have an emergency. Keep that number safe as Its very important not to have to go looking in an emergency xx

Yup!

@monsteramunch absolutely no snuffling. Breathes easily through nose with mouth closed. She's currently fast asleep on the sofa opposite and you can't hear a thing.

I don't disagree, I'm not very knowledgeable on other breeds but I'm sure you're correct. It's very sad.

I just remember when I heard about that awful problem the King Charles have with their brain being too big for their heads - the poor things.

The very existence of some dogs is animal cruelty in itself.
Bulldogs are lovely, but for the sake of Bulldogs, they should never be bred.

That's good to know.

I've never, ever known a frenchie to not snuffle at all but if that's the case for yours / she's maybe a cross that's had a lucky escape from that issue then I'm glad.

And I hope people don't think people don't think the individual dogs are lovely. I'm sure they are. But they are bred irresponsibly as they are specifically bred with features that perpetuate issues with breathing, which is cruel.

There should be a special place in hell for these breeders.

Our dog is a rescue, she was smuggled in from Poland as she’s a ‘toy’ dog that sells for big money. I’ve had morons say to me ‘you must have paid a lot for her’ which pains and horrifies me in equal measures (because I know what people may think and that someone would steal her for ££).

Having a dog should be about giving them a good home, love, care, etc. When we went to the rescue (for many weeks) our goal was to find a dog that would become part of our family - and ignore the old excuse of it’s hard to get a rescue dog when you have kids. We got ours when she was a puppy - we were regular visitors and they rang us when she came in. We are so blessed to have our little girl.

I bought a cavalier when I was a child. She lived until 17 and point blank refused to die. Her body was going but she refused to let go..we had her pts but I think she could have gone on for years more. So no one can say for sure. All the things that supposedly came with a small head wasn't known back then, I certainly didn't know more than all pedigrees inbreed faults into all pedigree dogs. So she never had headaches, didn't struggle to breath, only eye problems was cataracts. At 17 thats no shocker. Basically there's no hard fast rule your will drop dead before 6. My dod should have suffocated and been plagued with headaches, but that just wasn't true.