Jack Russel Terriers have the longest lifespan of all dog breeds, while French Bulldogs are the shortest ones, according to life expectancy data for 18 breeds. To get these data, the researchers created a life table for each breed that allows dog owners to predict how long their dogs can continue to live depending on how old they are.
Since French Bulldogs have the shortest lifespan, you may wonder how long French Bulldogs live. If you accidentally care for French Bulldogs, knowing their life expectancy is a must. To get to know the life expectancy of French Bulldogs, you can just simply dive into our post below!
How Long Do French Bulldogs Live?
According to the research performed by Dan O’Neill at the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield, UK and his colleagues, they found that French Bulldogs have the lowest life expectancy, just about 4.5 years, followed by English Bulldogs with 7.4 years.
However, the estimate of French Bulldogs’ lifespan is considered an underestimate, Dan O’Neill notes. It happens since French Bulldogs are the most popular dog in the United Kingdom right now, so there is a huge overrepresentation of young French Bulldogs in the population that is skewing the team’s calculations.
But some sources revealed that French Bulldogs predictably can only live between 10 to 13 years. Of course, this number can vary drastically because of poor breeding, health of the individual dog, overall genetics and owner care. On other hand, if French Bulldogs are properly cared for, they may live longer and happy lives.
It is known that a lot of small dog breeds tend to live longer than large dog breeds. However, the scientists do not pretty understand this, since it is the opposite when compared to any other animals on the planet. However, French Bulldogs are basically considered small to medium sized dogs, making their lifespan longer than large dogs.
Can You Increase Your French Bulldog Lifespan?
Yes, of course! You can really increase your French Bulldog lifespan, although they are the shortest-lived dog breeds. You may already understand that breed and genetics play a role, but if you make a serious effort to extend your French Bulldog, it is likely not to have a French Bulldog with longer life expectancy.
There are several ways you can increase your French Bulldog lifespan. Here they are:
1) Make sure to pay attention to your French Bulldog’s food
Just like other small dog breeds, French Bulldogs will be able to gain weight much more easily than you may expect. What you should do is to feed them a high fiber food and don’t give them so many treats. By doing this, you can control your French Bulldog at a proper weight and easily increase their lifespan.
Avoiding commercial processed dog foods is also a must, since they are full of inferior sources of protein, and also known as fillers. Of course, you should check the list of ingredients contained in the commercial food product. If the commercial food contains a substantial amount of corn, soy, white rice or wheat, it’s a great time to use another product that will be more appropriate for your French Bulldogs.
Many experts suggest you feed your French Bulldogs with a raw food diet that contains a high-quality protein and bones as their first ingredient. If you cannot serve a raw food diet, you can freshly cook, but make sure to keep the protein contained on the food.
It’s a highly recommended for you to add the following ingredients to your dog’s kibble:
- Bone broth that you can make at home
- Probiotics and Enzymes
- Freeze dried food toppers
- Omega 3 Plankton
- Cold pressed hemp seed oil
2) Always take a consideration when choosing all natural cleaning products
At any age, your French Bulldogs will be naturally curious, that may lead to trouble, particularly with a smushed faced dog. Of course, your French Bulldogs may breathe in unhealthy or chemical based cleaning products without you knowing. It will happen through doing laundry or simply cleaning your floors. Make sure to always keep your French Bulldog when you shop for cleaning products.
Alternatively, you can choose organic household products to get rid of any unwanted things. There are some great options for household products, including:
- ECOS Earth Friendly ALL PURPOSE cleaner
- Aunt Fannies Vinegar Wash Floor Cleaner Eucalyptus
- Seventh Generation Concentrated Laundry Detergent
3) Keep your French Bulldogs’ joints healthy
It is known that French Bulldogs will be more susceptible to hip dysplasia, but it does not mean it is a sentence to a shorter life span. Of course, you should keep your French Bulldogs’ joint healthy by doing some following ways:
- Keep your French Bulldogs lean, as overweight will lead them to put stress on their joints. Make sure to always keep your French Bulldogs the leanest possible without it being visible undernourished.
- Feed raw meaty bones like chicken wings, chicken necks, turkey necks and chicken backs. However, all those bones are very healthy for your dog-in raw form and your Frenchie can crush and ingest the whole thing. Never feed your Frenchie a cooked bone.
- Give your Frenchie a good joint supplement. Your French Bulldogs may not get the significant amount of supplement needed from the commercial foods. If you’re confused which good joint supplement you can buy, you can buy the recommended joint supplement, that is the Agility Formula by Life’s Abundance.
4) Watch out for your French Bulldogs’ anxiety
Even though your French Bulldogs are commonly very friendly and happy dogs, you may also need to pay attention to whether or not your Frenchie feels anxious or upset. You should understand that anxiety can take a tool on anyone’s life, particularly the life of your dog.
It is likely for you Frenchie to experience extra anxiety during stressful situations such as new family members entering their lives, fear, moving and many others.
5) Regularly check up your Frenchie
If something wrong happens to your French Bulldogs, don’t wait until it is too late. You can then find a reputable and honest veterinarian which has your French Bulldogs best interest at heart. You can do a yearly blood work panel to detect any abnormalities, particularly in older dogs.
When checking up on your Frenchie, make sure to look for a good and reputable vet, as they can alert you to any major changes in your dog’s personality or health. So, you can have someone who you can trust to take care of them well.
