For those who have just purchased or adopted a French Bulldog and see that its ears are floppy, you may be wondering what happens to your dog when you see their ears are floppy. Is it normal? Is it okay for their ears to be floppy?
Apparently, French Bulldogs are not born with upright and stiff ears. They are soft and floppy when they are born. As they age, their cartilage starts to form, build and harden and get the signature erect look that French Bulldogs usually have. It is important for you to understand the development of their ears to understand everything. Here is the table that explains the stages:
| French Bulldog Age | Development |
| Birth – 3 weeks | The French Bulldogs are born deaf. Their ears will start to open when they are in 3 weeks. |
| 5 – 15 weeks | Their ears usually stand up. |
| 7 – 8 months | It is possible for their ears to go down again and become floppy as the teething process takes place. |
| After 8 months | If their ears go down, usually, they stand up again. |
If you have a French Bulldog with floppy ears, you may be wondering if they can be fixed. For those who are wondering about it, the good news is that it can. Then, how do you fix the floppy ears of the French Bulldogs?
There are a few methods that you can try to be able to fix the floppy ears of the French Bulldogs. Some of them are as follow:
Method 1: Talk to your breeder
If you get your French Bulldog from a breeder, you can ask your breeder about the ears of its parents. If their ears are also floppy, it is not surprising that the ears of your dog are also floppy. If it is the case, it means it is genetic. Finding out about this information is important so that you can decide what to do to fix the floppy ears of your French Bulldog.
Method 2: Talk to your vet
After talking with the breeder where you got your French Bulldog, the next thing that you can do is to consult with your vet. Do it before looking for the solution online. Just bring your dog to a vet to see if there are any development issues. When you are there, one of the things that may be recommended to you by the vet is to change the diet of your dog. If the ears of your dog remain the same even after around 7 months, it may be needed for your vet to give your dog a calcium injection.
Method 3: Give them foods that are rich of calcium
One of the best ways to fix the floppy ears of French Bulldogs is to give them foods that are rich in calcium. You can add foods that are rich in calcium to their diet. According to the vets and owners, the most helpful foods are yogurt and cottage cheese. Any yogurt is fine. Even one spoon of it can do wonders. However, you should be careful when giving them yogurt as some dogs will have varying degrees of lactose intolerance and will have issues digesting yogurt. There are some signs of lactose intolerance in dogs, such as excessive ear scratching, itchiness, licking paws, diarrhea, and vomiting. If one or more of these signs are shown by the dog after consuming yogurt, there is a chance that the dog has lactose intolerant. In this case, the best thing that you can do as the owner is to take it to the vet as soon as possible.
Method 4: Add a cartilage encouraging supplement to their diet
Adding a cartilage encouraging supplement to the diet of your French Bulldog is recommended. It is fine as long as it is given in a proper dose. This kind of thing usually does not have side effects, so there is nothing to worry about. By consuming this supplement, not only the ears of the dog will get advantage but also something else. If you are wondering what other benefits, they include strengthening their joints, making them easier to run and climb stairs.
Method 5: Give them chew toys
Aside from doing something wonders for the teeth of the French Bulldog, chewing can also strengthen its muscle that is good for the development of its ears. Just like any other dogs, French Bulldogs have a temporalis muscle at the top of their jaw and under their ear. The strong temporalis muscle that they have is useful to make their ears stand up. It can be concluded that lots of chewing means a reduction in floppy ears.
There are a number of chewing toys for French Bulldogs in the market. The best ones include:
- Benebone Wishbone Chew Toy for Aggressive Chewer
- Petstages Dogwood Wood Alternative Chew Toy
- SHARLOVY Dog Squeaky Toys
- Petstages Orka Dental Rings Chew Toy
- Beewarm Pineapple Dog Chew
Method 5: Tap their ears
The last method that you can do is to tap the ears of the French Bulldogs. Here is step by step to follow to try it:
- To tape around both ears individually, use masking tape.
- While taping, make sure to keep their ear level. Besides, you should also maintain the distance from a crinkled looking ear base.
- Then, arrange their ears to the top where they would stand erect.
- After they erect, it is time for you to make a bridge with tape between the ears. Make sure the ears are correct at 11 and 1 o’clock.
- Please leave the tape on their ears for five days or more.
- When the time is up, make a little cut at the base of the tape and tenderly strip off and get rid of it.
In order to understand the guide to tap the ears of the French Bulldogs above better or if the written guide above is a bit hard to understand or if you cannot just imagine it, you are encouraged to watch the tutorial video on Youtube at here.
