Did you Know...
Most French Bulldogs require artificial insemination to breed. Progesterone test determine the optimal time to breed a French Bulldog. This is more expensive than breeding by vaginal smears but is worth the cost.
CESAREAN SECTIONS
Most French Bulldog pups are delivered by Cesarean section. They have a difficult time trying to whelp naturally for a number of reasons. The pups have large heads. Most female have a small pelvis. A female with a large number of pups can get too tired and exhausted before she has the last one. When there are only one or two pups, they are usually larger and still more difficult to deliver.
PUPPY CARE
Some may say, French Bulldog are not the best mamas. It is not unusual for them to accidentally lie on pups and smother them. Some may accidentally step on a pup and kill it or badly injury it. For these reasons, we recommend keeping puppies in a nursery away from the mother; and put them with the mom only while nursing until they are older. As a breeder, we constantly monitor the pups while nursing to ensure there is no risk of accident injury. Of course, this is a lot of dedication and takes a lot of monitoring around the clock. But this is the best way to raise keep the puppies safe for the first weeks of life.
For the first few weeks, pups can not maintain their own heat. The pups nursery temperature is maintain by a heat pad or heating lamp. Temperature will need to be about 90- 95 degrees the first week, 85 degrees the second week and 75 - 80 degrees thereafter. However, it is important to adjust the heat according to the puppies reaction to the temperature, make sure to keep a non-heated area where the puppies can move if they get too warm.
NURSING
The pups are in a nursery all the time, except when nursing. The first few days the pups are supervised and nurse every 2 hours for the first few days. Moms will lick the pups to stimulate urination and defecation and to clean them up. Pups can not eliminate waste freely on their own for the first 2 to 3 weeks of their lives. Someone should always monitor the pups while they are nursing.
WEANING
Bowl feeding is introduced at about 3-4 weeks old. Some puppies start eating on their own right away, others may take a few days to learn. We start our puppies on a mush of puppy food and formula by grind in a blender to a fine mixture. At six weeks, we start transitioning the puppies to dry food by soaking the food in warm water. We reduce the amount of water added to the food over 2 weeks until the puppies totally transition to dry food.
PREVENTIVE MEDICAL CARE
To ensure the best health and well being of our puppies, we follow a vaccination schedule before placing the puppies in their new homes and recommend that the new owner continue this schedule:
Initial vaccinations (canine distemper, hepatitis, coronavirus, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus) at six weeks old.
Repeat this combination vaccination every three weeks till the pups are sixteen weeks old. The last vaccination should also contain Leptospirosis.
Rabies vaccination can be given anytime after twelve weeks.
AGE TO PLACE PUPPIES IN NEW HOMES
Many pups are eating well and physically ready to go to new homes at 6 weeks of age. However the time from 6 weeks to 12 weeks is a very important age for the behavioral development of the pups. During this time the pup have both interaction with mother, litter mates, and interaction with our family. Therefore 8 to 10 weeks is the best time for the pups to go to their new homes!
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