Reverse Sneezing

As frenchie owners at some point we've all experienced our pup gagging for air as if they can't breathe, with my two I tend to gently hit there noses if it happens but here is some useful information about reverse sneezing and how to prevent it!

Reverse Sneezing, Pharyngeal Gag Reflex or Paroxysmal Respiration is a condition that can be seen with some dogs. It’s caused by a spasm in the dog’s soft palate as well as laryngeal area during which dogs gasp air in awkwardly rather than expelling it as it happens with a normal sneeze.

What Happens During a Reverse Sneeze?

· Usually, dogs extend their neck as they gasp with loud and strong grunting sound. They are likely to turn their elbows out and their eyes may even stick out during the occurrence.
· Since the trachea becomes narrow, it’s even harder for dogs to get a sufficient amount of air into their lungs. As a result, their chest might expand as they try to inhale.
· During the episode, most owners would think their pooch is suffocating, choking, or even suffering from a seizure.
· Each occurrence of reverse sneezing only lasts for just a couple of minutes or less. The episode normally ends on its own without posing any threat to your dog’s health.

Fortunately, dogs appear normal both before and right after the event, without after effects. Dogs don’t lose their consciousness, and this phenomenon is often harmless, and rarely requires medical treatment.

Common Causes

Reverse sneezing can be set off by a wide variety of irritants and some forms of dog allergies. Pollen, dust, mites, viruses, post-nasal drip, nasal inflammation, perfumes, and household cleaners or chemicals are some of the known triggering factors. Other causes include exercise intolerance, rapid drinking or eating, pulling on leashes, and even excitement. It’s also very likely that sinusitis and other kinds of respiratory problems can lead to episodes of reverse sneezing.

Although any dog breed can experience this fairly common respiratory condition, it is more widespread in smaller pooches. Short-faced dogs like Boxers, Boston Terriers, Bulldogs, Pugs, and Shih Tzus are found to be more at risk of reverse sneezing. It has been suspected that a genetic factor is involved with such kind of breeds.

Possible Treatments

· Antihistamines. If allergies have been discovered to be the main cause of the problem, antihistamine medications can be administered. Your vet may prescribe drugs if mites are found in the dog’s laryngeal area.

· Massage. Another way to treat reverse sneezing is through massage. To help stop the spams, just rub Fido’s throat gently.

· Others. You can also try to cover your pooch’s nostrils to help him swallow; clearing out whatever trigger is setting off the episode. In addition, if the occurrence doesn’t windup quickly, try depressing your pups tongue to open his mouth and help air to move through his nasal passages. This has always worked very well with my two.

Well I hope this information was as helpful to you as it was me. We all hate to see our frenchie's suffering but there is always useful tips and advice around.

Floppy ears !!

Alot of people freak out when they see their frenchies ears not springing up like a bunny! But dont panic it take some frenchies longer then others. Frenchies ears do funny things in their first few months due to their bodys using all the calcium for teething.

When they do start to go up, they frequently don’t go up at the same time. Their ears do all kinds of wonky things in the teething stage. For example, one ear might be up and one might be down, then the next day opposite ears will stand and lay down. One or two ears might start going up, and then the next day they both might be down. One ear may be up weeks before the other ear stands up. Also, when they do start standing up they are often not completely erect (they look more like airplane wings). The point is, when your frenchie is done teething, his/her ears will almost always stand correctly. Have patience and let nature take it’s course, and when he or she is ready his/her ears will be straight and beautiful!

Some people like to help aid the calcium problem with yogurt, milk or cottage cheese but please let me tell you this, due to experience do not use too much cheese! Although cheese has less lactose in it than milk too much can upset the digestive system as their bodies do not produce enough lactase to break down, process and digest lactose. This will be the same case with milk so prevent from using normal cows milk and find a goats milk instead. With yogurt try using natural yogurt, this will have less sugar, flavourings and additives in it.

So when you get your new frenchie furbaby who has floppy ears please dont panic, let nature take its course. My oldest frenchie was 7 months old before his ears were fully erect. Ive put some pictures to show the timeline of his ears 🐰

Tear stains

Tear staining is so common in french bulldogs because of the wrinkles in their faces, it traps dust and dirt. What Causes It? Excessive tears  running down a frenchies face has two causes: too many tears produced or insufficient tear drainage. Epiphora caused by too many tears is an automatic response to irritants such as dust, infection, allergens, poor diet or a health problem. Think of tearing as a symptom of a health problem as you would if you had a runny nose. It's one way bodies rid themselves of toxins. Epiphora can also result when normal tearing doesn't drain properly because of structural defects (genetics) or blockage or inflammation of the tear ducts. 

If your frenchie suffers with tear stains heres a couple of tips, keep it clean and dry, use antibacterial wipes to clean it and the dry with some cotton wool. When i spoke to my vet they told me to use warm salty water, please do not do this! As my zeus's face was sore this stung him so much that he got a little bit snappy so please try other methods before doing this.

What i have been finding very useful is to clean with sensitive baby wipes, drying it and then on a cotton bud put some sudocream in the crease then wiping it with some tissue straight away. This stops them scratching it and keeps it dry and clean. If you are going to use creams like bepanthem and germaline make sure you wipe it off and do not keep the area moisr as it will cause a bacterial ground!

If it doesnt clear up and is still causinf discomfort to your frenchie consult your vet as there is some strong cream and even anitbiotics to help clear it up

Puppy Tear Staining. Puppies tear as they grow and the shape of their face changes. They also tear when teething. This condition is normal and will often go away on its own. Please do NOT give antibiotics to puppies to stop tear staining. You may set them up for a lifetime of digestive disorders, discoloured teeth, yeast infections and other health problems. Sometimes  tearing disappears when you switch your Frenchie from so called premium, natural commercial food to fresh food. It returns rarely, only during illness or allergy season. )

Keeping your frenchie cool in the summer!

When it comes to frenchies every owner must know that they cant regulate their body tempretures which makes them prone to overheating and extremely vunerable to heat stroke. Here are some great ideas on how to keep your frenchie cool and healthy in the heat. 

Firstly lets start with the obvious, keep your frenchies coat damp! Spray water over their coat trying to keep it evenly moist, especially focusing on the chest and head area.

Secondly is cool coats . In my eyes these are an amazing invention. A cool coat is a jacket that wraps around your frenchie and keeps moist by applications of water. This allows heat to dissipate from your frenchies body, just as sweat on the surface of our skin does for people. The moist coat wicks heat away from the body surface, which in turn draws heat from the internal organs, keeping your frenchie cool from the outside in!

Please note.. DO NOT PUT A COOL COAT ON A FRENCHIE WITH ACTIVE HEAT STROKE! THE COAT WILL ACT TO TRAP THE OVER HEATED AIR FROM THE SURFACE OF THE FRENCHIES BODY. ACTING AS A SAUNA. instead soak your frenchie with cool (not cold) water repeatedly .

Thirdly place a hard plastic paddling pool in your garden enough so they can splash around! Having access to a paddling enables them to go and cool down when they are feeling too hot. Be warned! My two frenchies like to go in the paddling pool and then roll around the garden so expect a muddy pup. To prevent algae growth in the pool rinse it every couple of days and clean it with vinegar with water.

The fourth great thing is to buy a cooling pad. As frenchies are particually susceptible to the heat. Cooling pads wicks heat away from the internal organs as they lay on it. A cool belly = a cool frenchie.

Access to plenty of fresh drinking water is a MUST. If my 2 frenchies won't drink i freeze a bowl of water with a little bit of chicken stock in it so they spend ages licking at the ice cube. 

I hope these tips give you some ideas on how to keep your frenchie cool whilst preventing heat stroke along the way! Also remeber, if the sun isn't out these rules still apply as the humidity in the air can make them overheat too.