In every important event our dogs experience, we’re always excited, right?
Especially the days when they’re pregnant. For sure, one Frenchie parent would both be worried and excited about their dog’s pregnancy, right? You’re in the perfect article today as we will discuss French Bulldogs’ pregnancies. Let’s get into it!
How Can You Tell If Your French Bulldog Is Pregnant?
Here are some of the signs that your beloved Frenchie is preggy:
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She Is Digging and Scratching at Blankets
Instinctively, dogs love digging and scratching. That happens especially when they’re pregnant! You don’t have to worry about their sudden change of attitude towards blanket, as it is part of a sign that they’re pregnant.
Dogs have scent glands on the bottom of their feet, just like cats and many other four-legged animals, and these glands release a unique pheromone. Your dog may scratch at anything to let others know they have claimed a certain bed. In their beds they are marking where they could keep their pups safely after pregnancy.
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She Is Spending More Time in or Near Her Whelping Box or Area
According to veterinarian expert Kelly Dunham, the whelping box or area is what a pup is making as she begins to nest, according to veterinarians. According to Dunham, “This is often a cozy, warm sanctuary away from people, noise, and other dogs.” Simply said, it’s the place she feels most at ease giving birth.
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She Has Lost Her Appetite
Depending on the dog and the stage of her pregnancy, a pregnant dog’s appetite may change in a variety of ways. She may eat less frequently or perhaps vomit sometimes in the early or middle stages of pregnancy (the canine equivalent of morning sickness). She might, however, also eat more than usual if she doesn’t like her food. These variations match the hormone changes in your dog.
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She Seems Restless and Uncomfortable
Eclampsia is a highly dangerous illness, and it has very obvious symptoms. Those canines with restlessness may:
- appear agitated and anxious
- walk with a rigid gait, and you might even wobble or seem lost.
- become unable to walk and perhaps have inflexible or stiff legs.
- fever, even with a body temperature of more than 40 °C.
- muscle tremors commonly appear in impacted bitches.
- have an increase in the respiratory rate (number of breaths per minute).
At this stage, seizures may also happen; proper care is needed because Frenchies may endanger their lives at this point.
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Her Mammary Glands Are Enlarged
By the final three weeks, weight gain around the belly and enlargement of the mammary glands are noticeable. The mammary glands enlarge toward the end of pregnancy, and a milky discharge from the nipples a day or two before delivery is typical.
What Are the Stages of a Frenchie Pregnancy?
Stages
Here is a breakdown of the medical terms used to describe each stage of the French bulldog pregnancy period if you’re really interested in learning about it.
Their reproductive cycle has four phases:
- Proestrus: the approximately nine-day “getting ready” period before blood can discharge.
- Oestrus, often known as estrus, is the nine-day “mating” stage.
- Diestrus: the about 63-day “pregnancy” stage
- Anestrus: The “recovery” phase, which lasts up to six months before the beginning of the following oestrus cycle.
Labor and Delivery
You will notice a lot of panting, moving about, and restless behavior prior to labor. Your Frenchie will shiver and shake once labor begins. She will then lie down and begin to push. You should call your veterinarian if she has been pushing for 20 minutes and you still can’t see the puppy’s head since labor difficulties can be present.
You’ll need to assist in cleaning the puppies, severing their umbilical cords, and tying them up. Paper towels are also required to clean the area.
Taking care of your pregnant Bulldog
There are two steps that we recommend you doing to take care of your preggy Frenchie:
- Plan carefully what to feed her during her pregnancy.
It’s crucial to maintain your dog’s food consistency as you get her ready for pregnancy so she maintains a healthy weight. Feed her just premium high-quality dog food and a folic acid vitamin every day. If you’re already a fan of a premium brand, give her more of that.
After you confirm her pregnancy, proceed to progressively increase her food portions. It may be important to split her meals up into 3 or 4 short meals per day so that she doesn’t get overly full after one big meal. This will be crucial if she ends up having a large litter because she will require more nutrition throughout the day.
- Maintain her good health
Throughout her pregnancy, be careful to keep up with her vaccines and prophylactic heart worm medicine. Give her the recommended treatment every month if she lives in an area where ticks or fleas might be present. For pregnant dogs, particular drugs work best. Before you start breeding, you ought to discuss these with your vet.
Immediately after she starts bleeding, make an appointment with your veterinarian. They will examine her and give her a progesterone test to make sure that the pregnancy is going smoothly. During this visit, the vet will probably also check her hormone levels. To make certain that she is ovulating normally, you should ask for a luteinizing hormone test. The majority of clinics can do these tests on the day of your appointment.
How Do a Frenchie’s Nutritional Needs Change in Pregnancy?
The pattern of weight gain reflects the energy requirements of pregnant dogs. By the end of pregnancy, pregnant dogs will need to consume 25% to 50% more food than usual, although their energy needs won’t start to rise until around the sixth week.
As long as their diet satisfies their nutritional demands throughout pregnancy and lactation, it is unlikely that your dog will need any additional supplements in addition to the food you select during breeding. Following your appointment with your veterinarian, you may wish to have blood work done to learn more about problems including hypoglycemia and anemia.
Don’t give your dog anything than what’s in their meal plan. Their diet during pregnancy may be compromised by foods like meat and table scraps.
Maintaining your dog’s diet regularly eliminates the possibility that a reaction to new foods is to blame for any illness or pregnancy-related difficulties your dog may be experiencing. It is also simpler to make sure they are getting all the nutrients they require and staying hydrated without their stomachs irritated with a consistent diet.
French Bulldog Pregnancy Problems
Frenchies are almost 16 times more likely than other dogs to experience a difficult pregnancy and natural birth, according to the Royal Veterinary College. When the puppy’s shoulders get stuck on the body, it may have difficulties including dystocia, which can result in a protracted labor or delivery.
French Bulldogs are hence 2.4 times more likely to need a C-section than a typical breed. When a dog’s owner chose a natural delivery, many of these will need to be emergency procedures.
Because of this, French Bulldogs seldom give birth spontaneously; instead, most breeders tend to perform an expensive but necessary C-section.
Conclusion
French Bulldogs are precious to many owners out there – pregnancy of their pups are their primary concern. Knowing the signs and problems that dog moms and dads out there should know how sensitive and dangerous a Frenchie preganancy is. These furbabies need a lot of attention and care, and so we hope that in this article, you have the idea what to do when your beloved Frenchie is preggy.
FAQS
Are There Pregnancy Tests for Dogs?
Yes. By checking relaxin levels of a dog, a blood test can identify pregnancy in a pregnant dog.
Can a French bulldog give birth naturally?
A French bulldog can give birth naturally, however it is quite uncommon to witness one do so.
Can French Bulldogs Get Pregnant Naturally?
Yes, but it’s quite uncommon and hardly ever happens. Artificial insemination is frequently used by breeders instead.
How Many Puppies Can You Look Forward To?
In its lifetime, a French Bulldog can have up to four litters. There will be an average of three puppies in each of these litters, or 12 in total.
Why Is My Dog’s Vagina Swollen?
A dog’s vulva swells and may likely discharge blood when she is in heat (receptive to mating). Although it can vary greatly across dogs, this heat cycle often lasts for a week or two.
