The one-of-a-kind, French bulldog breed is one of the best family dogs in the World. However, besides their cuteness and uniqueness, they often experience weight issues.
Let’s be honest! It might seem sweet to see a fatty Frenchie walking down the street, but in fact, it presents a life threating condition. We all know that these dogs are ready to do anything you want just to get a bowl of a tasty meal. In other words, nothing and no one can stop a greedy Frenchie to complete his mission.
HOW TO DISCOVER IF A FRENCH BULLDOG IS OVERWEIGHT?
Every French bulldog owner needs to become conscious of how a healthy and properly bred Frenchie should look like. French bulldog breed is known for its compact and muscular built of heavy bone. Their heads should be square-shaped and body parts to appear well-balanced in a good proportion.
The AKC recommends that their weight should not exceed 28 pounds (for a male). However, in case you don’t want to show your pooch, it’s allowed for a Frenchie to weight max 30 pounds (for a male). Although these are the recommended weight rules, a Frenchie may be considered for obese if he/she is smaller in size (body built). In other words, a mini French bulldog should never reach 28 pounds.
SIGNS THAT YOUR FRENCH BULLDOG IS OBESE
1- No definition
No matter what dog breed you own, if you see a dog without defined muscles, it’s a clear sign of obesity. No dog should look like he/she is pregnant all the time. Therefore, round and full-looking belly and inability to see clearly defined hips are definitely signs that point out that your Frenchie is overweight. French Bulldogs need to have strong chests with visible muscles, and powerful appearance.
2- Heavy breathing
Well, it’s a well-known fact that Frenchies experience breathing issues when walking in hot weather conditions or while running. However, if a French bulldog breathes heavy while sitting or lying, then you surely need to become worried. No dog should breathe fast as he struggles to catch some air.
Another case when your Frenchie shouldn’t breathe heavy is while you are walking at a normal pace and for no longer than 5 minutes.
3- Inability to scratch the ear
A dog’s normal behavior is to scratch his body parts from time to time. In other cases, when a dog shows frequent itching, it often points to an underlying problem. Some of the potential problems could be an allergy, yeast infection, or bacterial infection.
If you notice your lovely batpig goes through the struggle of life to reach the ear, then he might be overweight. Every dog should perform that without experiencing any difficulties. So, scratching the ear and licking paws is something that is considered for a standard ability.