Deworming French Bulldogs: Why It Is So Important?

We all want to see our French bulldogs fit and healthy. It would be disheartening to watch them suffer from parasites. These parasites can make the Frenchie’s life very miserable. Therefore, it is very important to protect the little bulldogs from these parasites by deworming them. Deworming is the key to health for our little French bulldogs. Intestinal parasites like hookworms, whipworms, roundworms and tapeworms, fleas and ticks can threaten the well-being of the French bulldogs. So, we must protect them and prevent the parasites from infecting them.

Deworming should be done on a monthly or quarterly basis to protect the health of your frenchies. As the name suggests, deworming means to prevent your dog against diseases that parasites can cause in the body.

Intestinal Parasites are worms that live inside the dog’s body and grow in the intestinal tract. These parasites can be contracted through feces, raw meat or infected soil. Some intestinal parasites can remain dormant for many years before infecting your French bulldog. There is also a possibility of the parasites being passed on from a pregnant or nursing mother to her puppies. For this reason, veterinarians advise dog owners to deworm puppies after they are born and the following months too.

The four common intestinal parasites that infect French bulldogs are roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms.

It is common for French bulldogs to be infected by roundworms at one time or the other. This infection can be caused by ingesting eggs or larvae from the infected environment or animal tissues. Disease caused by roundworm infection in young puppies can be severe. This infection can result in an inability to gain weight, a dull hair coat, and a potbelly. Roundworms can be passed on from pregnant or nursing mothers. The eggs develop into larvae that can go on to infect another dog. These eggs can also infect earthworms, rats, and mice and when they are consumed by French bulldogs, they grow into adult roundworms inside the dog. Once the Frenchie is infected, it can pass numerous worm eggs in its stool and they can survive for many months in the surrounding. These eggs cannot be killed by chlorine bleach; they can only be killed by an aqueous iodine solution. It is a good practice to clean up the Frenchie stools daily to prevent the eggs from spreading infections.

Hookworms can infect French bulldogs by ingesting its larvae from the contaminated surroundings. The larvae can penetrate the skin of the Frenchie if they roll on the infected soil. Hookworm infection can cause anemia, diarrhea and even death in some cases. Cleaning up the Frenchie stools daily can help prevent this infection to some extent. 

French bulldogs can be infected by ingesting whipworm eggs from the affected surroundings. Whipworm infections can result in diarrhea, dehydration and even death. Whipworm eggs can survive in the environment for more than a year. Whipworm can be killed by milbemycin but it cannot be killed by other preventive medications. Whipworms are more difficult to kill when compared to roundworms and hookworms. 

Tapeworms can be ingested by consuming fleas and rodents that are already infected. Flea control measures can eliminate tapeworm infection, though it can be difficult to control French bulldogs when they hunt for fleas or rodents on their own. 

Fortunately there are well known treatment for French bulldog parasite infections such as Panacur, Fenbendazole etc. Contact your veterinary to get the best dewormer for your puppy.

A French bulldog can acquire a heartworm disease if an infected mosquito bites it. The parasite can enter the dog through the tissue and then reach the bloodstream, from where it can affect the heart and lungs. This disease is transmitted through mosquitoes from one dog to another. It can be life-threatening, if not treated on time. Symptoms include coughing, difficulty breathing and being sluggish. Heart and lungs can be severely damaged without proper treatment. 

Heartworms can develop inside the infected dog for five to seven years. The worms can breed and die inside the body all these years. During this time, your dogs would be fighting the damage caused by the heartworms. 

Panoramis can kill the heartworms before they mature into adulthood. 

To prevent your Frenchie from getting infected from all these parasites, cleanliness is the key.

• Pick up the feces at the outdoor
• Prevent your bulldog from eating other dog’s feces
• Provide a hygienic and clean environment for your Frenchie to play. So you can prevent the parasites from infecting the French bulldog. 

Start an annual worming routine for your Frenchie and follow up regularly. Keep in mind your Frenchie’s age and the worming product to decide on your worming treatment. Young Frenchies who are two weeks old requires to be wormed every two to three weeks till they are twelve weeks old. Then, you must worm your Frenchie once a month until they attain six months of age.