Brachycephalic
Not every smoosh-faced dog will show signs of BAS or need treatment. But virtually every smoosh-faced dog is at risk of panting too hard on a hot day and causing the airway to swell from over exertion. The French Bulldog with low tolerance to heat or exercise will breath heavy and act like they are getting sick. That dog needs to be taken inside and cooled down fast. They also may need oxygen if they can’t catch their breath. Do not let this situation get that far. Be diligent to know if you have a French Bulldog with a short snout you have to be careful. No overheating – be diligent to keep your French Bulldog lean and muscular not short and fat like their English Bulldog relatives.
The best way to prevent BAS issues is to keep the dog from overheating which causes airway swelling. Imagine breathing through a coffee stir straw rather than a regular straw, these dogs already struggle with breathing, and when coupled with warm weather and exercise, it can be dangerous.
BAS is a recurring issue in smoosh-faced dogs, including very narrow nostrils (stenotic nares) that make breathing through the nose difficult or impossible to breathe naturally.
Though some Frenchies don’t make any breathing sounds, many Frenchie owners are familiar with the grunting, snorting, snoring sounds Frenchies make while awake or asleep. Many of us get so used to it, the sounds are a comforting background noise, but owners should be aware those noises may indicate one or more of the symptoms of BAS. Some dogs are so seriously affected they can’t exercise much, or they vomit or cough after exercise or exertion. Heat and humidity can make their symptoms much worse.
Here at Czar we will not breed two very short nosed and small nostril Adult together for a breeding. This eliminates the factors of being able to get the very smashed faced French Bulldog which is the norm for a BAS puppy prospect. In our years of breeding we have had only 2 pups get a very severe BAS condition that required surgery. The others were mild and only needed to stay indoors on very hot days and not walk for more than 20 to 30 mins at a time.
As far as breeding high quality French Bulldogs you want the short-nosed look, but you want to pay attention to the mating of two very short nosed pairs with smaller nostrils. It’s better to have at least one on the pair have a longer snout. Click here to see a short video.
If you are a breeder of French Bulldog puppies and you would like some pairing ideas to eliminate this problem in your breeding line, please feel free to contact me: info@czarfrenchies.com.
