French Bulldog Health by Age: Puppy, Adult and Senior Care

French Bulldogs live ten to twelve years, and the good ones are very good. The things that go wrong tend to arrive on a schedule. Know the schedule and most of them are manageable, or avoidable. Our usual honest line: we are not vets. This is what to watch and when to ask.

Puppy: the first year

Insurance before the first vet visit. Anything noted in the file after that becomes pre-existing, and Frenchies are exactly the breed you insure for.

A breathing assessment early. Ask your vet for a BOAS grade in the first months, and about nostril surgery if the nostrils are narrow. Done young, it is simpler and can stop the airway getting worse.

Neutering timing. Have the conversation rather than ticking the box at six months. Many vets now suggest waiting until growth is finished, weighed against your dog's behaviour and situation.

Weight, stairs, sleep. Keep the puppy lean, block the stairs, use ramps, and protect eighteen to twenty hours of sleep.

Adult: one to seven

The airway and weight years. A yearly check with a BOAS grade, a look at the teeth and skin, and honest words about body condition. Allergies usually declare themselves between one and three; get a plan rather than a bottle of steroids. Watch the back and knees: a new reluctance to jump, a hunched back or a yelp when lifted means a vet today; wobbly back legs or dragging paws is an emergency. A skip in the step with a leg held up briefly is a slipping kneecap worth grading. And every summer is the danger season, every single year.

Senior: seven and up

What is not 'just age':

• Drinking and peeing more. Kidneys, diabetes, Cushing's. A cheap blood and urine test sorts it out.
• Stiffness after rest that loosens with movement. Arthritis, very treatable now.
• A new reluctance to jump, climb or use the ramp. Back or joints. Same-day question.
• Breathing that gets noisier. Airways can worsen with age and weight; ask whether anything can help.
• Lumps that change size, shape or texture. Most are harmless; the ones that change need a needle test.
• Night pacing, staring at walls, forgetting the potty routine. Cognitive decline. There are diets, supplements and routines that help, and earlier is better.
• Bad breath, dropping food, chewing on one side. Teeth. A senior dental is usually safer than leaving it.

Move to two vet visits a year with bloods from about seven. Shorter walks, more often, cooler. Rugs on hard floors, an orthopaedic bed, nails kept short, weight kept lean. A senior Frenchie who is kept cool, lean and comfortable is one of the sweetest dogs there is.

The whole life, one rule

Lean, cool, harnessed, ramped, and looked at closely once a week. That rule protects a French Bulldog at one, at seven and at eleven. Add dry folds and brushed teeth, and you have most of the breed's health in a sentence. For the day-to-day version, from the fit check to the senior comfort list, the handbook below puts it in order.