Hemivertebrae – The French Bulldog has an average of 3-4 hemivertebrae. These are misshapen vertebrae that can occasionally cause severe instability of the spinal cord. We recommend testing to reduce the incidence of this occurring. French Bulldogs can also suffer from Hip Dysplasia – again, we recommend testing to reduce the incidence of unstable hips.

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) is a combination of long soft palate, stenotic nares (pinched nostrils), everted saccules and an underdeveloped trachea. Altogether this causes extreme breathing problems for the affected French Bulldog. Left untreated, this can lead to further and more severe health issues like hiatal hernia. It is recommended that a dog suffering from BOAS should never be bred from.

French Bulldogs can also suffer from luxating or slipping patellas (dislocating kneecaps). This usually requires surgical intervention to give the dog relief and quality. Again, it is not recommended that a dog suffering from luxating patellas be bred from.

Heart conditions can also affect the French Bulldog breed – heart murmurs, pulmonic stenosis are some of the heart conditions we occasionally see. Dogs with any heart condition should NEVER be bred from.

We encourage readers to follow the health links provided at the end of this document to find out more on French Bulldog health.