Tried & Tested
The following products are ones that we have tried and tested and found to work best – but as always seek the advice of your Vet should you have any specific questions.
Adult Worming
Drontal Allwormer Tablets kill every important common type of intestinal worm found in Australian dogs, including roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm.
Drontal is so safe it can be used on puppies from 2 weeks old. It can also be combined with other heartworm prevention and flea or tick treatments
Fleas
Advantage
Advantage for Dogs 4kg to 10kg is an easy-to-use spot-on flea treatment. Its super ingredient stops fleas biting within 3 to 5 minutes and kills both adult fleas and larvae within 20 minutes. Since Advantage works on contact so fleas don’t need to bite, dogs suffer fewer painful flea bites, reducing outbreaks of Flea Allergy Dermatitis. Advantage also controls lice.
Advantage is the only flea product you need as it breaks the flea life cycle. Advantage kills fleas in your dog’s surroundings – your home. It even provides protection for your dog when it comes into contact with other pets that have fleas.
Advantage is applied monthly and provides month-long protection. It is water-resistant so it won’t wash off.
Heart Worm
Valuheart Heartworm Tablets for Dogs
Valuheart is an affordable and effective monthly heartworm preventative for dogs that contains ivermectin, the most widely used drug to prevent heartworm in dogs for over ten years.
Valuheart is the generic equivalent of Heartgard at half the cost!
When used as directed, Valuheart has a wide margin of safety for dogs of all breeds, including stud dogs, breeding bitches and puppies 6 weeks of age and older.
You can also ask your Vet about that annual injection for Heartworm that will protect your Frenchie for the year.
Ear Cleansing
Otiderm Ear Cleaner and Wound Cleansing Solution is for use in the removal of accumulated wax deposits and as an adjunct in the treatment of otitis externa. Use cotton or absorbent material to clean excess solution and debris from the open area of the ear.
Apply Otiderm liberally into ear canal. Gently massage the base of the ear to help break up accumulated internal wax and crust. Use cotton or absorbent material to clean excess solution and debris from the open area of the ear.
Shampoo
Organic Pet Pharmacy Calming Shampoo
A gentle blend of botanically based ingredients known for their soothing properties. The ideal shampoo for dogs with sensitive, dry or itchy skin. Active Manuka, fragonia and marshmallow root.
The shampoo is available in 250ml and 500ml from their own website or some select stockists around Australia (that can be found on their website).
Selsun Gold (Chemists and Supermarkets)
Not many people know that Selsun was originally produced as a Dog Shampoo but was found to be efficacious for humans and we appropriated it for ourselves. That said it is perfect for dogs. It contains selenium sulfide, which functions as a drying and degreasing agent. Many veterinarians prescribe the shampoo for the treatment of Malassezia pachydermatis, a yeast commonly found on dogs. Some dogs suffer an overproduction of the yeast from allergies or other immune problems. This yeast leads to itchy skin, pustules and hair loss. Selsun Gold can help control that.
Malaseb Dermcare Shampoo is an antibacterial, antifungal and antipruritic wash that can be used for generalised or multifocal therapy of dermatitis. Suitable for dogs with sensitive skin, Malaseb is free from dyes and perfumes to reduce possible exacerbation of skin problems and its innovative surfactant base removes damaged lipids without stripping the coat.
A Note about Itch
If your Frenchie is itchy you will need to do some elimination testing. First test that the itch isn’t being caused by diet. One of our owners put their girl on Hills Science ZD Diet for a month and then reintroduced 1 protein at a time and found that she was least itchy on a grain free salmon kibble. Treating with Malaseb (listed above) can also help. Your Vet can also assess if Apoquel (Oclacitinib maleate) is right for your Frenchie – it acts within 4 hours and is very effective (but also quite expensive).
Care around the garden: Frenchies are HIGHLY allergic to Wandering Jew. If you have it in your yard – eliminate it immediately – and on walks, try to steer clear of any around the park or road.
Nose Cream
Organic Pet Pharmacy Manuka Ointment
The Organic Pet Co out of WA makes a really fantastic nose butter made from organic Manuka Honey and Calendula which we highly recommend. You can use it on paws and lips as well and the ingredients are all food grade which is vital on the nose and lips. It provides both a protective balm that relieves and softens dry, exposed areas.
Alternative – Lucas’ Papaw Ointment (Chemist and Supermarkets)
There are lots of products on the market aimed at Frenchie Noses. We have found the best by far is just BeesWax or even better is Lucas’ Papaw Ointment.
This product is available widely from most supermarkets and pharmacists.
Dry Dog Food
Stay Loyal is a small “Australian Made and Owned” manufacturer, founded in 2012 by two guys Robert and David. The name “Stay Loyal” is a reference to staying loyal to your dog, by feeding them a food that’s nutritious and of a high standard. That can’t be bad, can it? They also “stay loyal” to Australia by using 100% Australian grown produce. Great.
The original formula is Grain Free and for all life stages. It certainly helps our little ones with allergies to food – and cuts down on their itchy skin feeling. You can buy directly from their website, and they offer a nifty “auto delivery” option for periodic deliveries which is cheaper.
Royal Canin French Bulldog Adult Dog Food helps maintaining muscle mass with an optimal protein content (26%) and contains L-carnitine. This formula contributes to reducing intestinal fermentation which may cause digestive disorders, flatulence, and bad stool odour. Contains EPA and DHA to help maintain skin health and supports the skin’s “barrier” role with an exclusive complex. The kibble is exclusively designed to make it easier for the French Bulldog to pick up and to encourage him to chew.
As mentioned it is great for reducing Frenchie Farting (or at least that “Frenchie Aroma”) but it is on the expensive side.
The other two Royal Canin products we advise are:
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Mini Junior – Complete feed for dogs – For small breed puppies (adult weight up to 10 kg) – Up to 10 months old |
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Mini Adult – For small dogs up to 10kg – from 10 months to 8 years old |
Wet Dog Food
Human Grade mince-meat (when they are a puppy it is good to give them the fatty minced meat and they move them onto leaner mince as they get older).
PetBarn have a proprietary product called Pets’ Deli Gourmet Beef (pictured) which we find good at keep weight on our babies. We also feed them minced Lamb, Tuna (in Spring Water) and Basa Fillets (that we get frozen from Aldi).
There have recently been reports on research regarding a link between feeding dogs chicken and fatal paralysis. While we suggest NEVER feeding a Frenchie chicken necks (which seems to be a higher risk), until all the advice is in and chicken is either declared safe or not – we are erring on the side of caution and advising you not to feed your dog raw chicken at all.
Multi Vitamin
A palatable high-calorie dietary supplement for use in dogs and cats lacking adequate nutrition over a prolonged period of time.
Composition: Contains Vitamins A, D, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, Nicotinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Iron, Manganese, Magnesium, and Iodine in a palatable base consisting of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, providing approximately 1500 kilojoules of metabolizable energy per 100g.
A highly palatable source of calories and vitamins. Recommended for inclusion in the diets of dogs and cats where levels may be low. Nutrigel can be used to overcome the animal’s reluctance to the intake of tablets by fully covering the tablet with Nutrigel.
Great places to get your supplies
- Pet-N-Vet Direct – Online Supplies that are significantly cheaper than PetBarn with a vastly larger variety of supplies – www.vetnpetdirect.com.au
- Petceutics – is an Australian veterinary pharmaceutical eBusiness built to provide affordable high-quality treatments for your animal. For pharma you can get your vet to write a prescription and email it to these guys and they can send it to you via the mail at a fraction of the price that vets will charge – www.petceutics.com.au
- PetBarn – for many supplies you will have to purchase them from Pet Barn – www.petbarn.com.au/store-finder
- Dog Supplies Online Store – is also competitive on price and stocks a large range too. www.dogsuppliesonline.com.au
Vet and Health Services
- Our preferred Veterinarians:
- Dr Robert Zammit – Vineyard Veterinary Hospital – 703 Windsor Rd, Vineyard – 02 9627 1257
- Dr Karen Hedberg – North Richmond Veterinary Hospital – 36 Bells Line of Rd, North Richmond – 02 4571 2042
- K9 Muscle Manipulation & Physiotherapist:
- We have recommended Peter Schofield – from Bambooski Kennels however he has moved interstate and we are looking for a good physiotherapist at present. Keep posted and we will publish our findings.
- Alternative City Veterinarian:
- Be careful. Vet surgeries around Sydney (especially in affluent areas) are in the process of being transformed into large “businesses” and you can find yourself being suggested treatments that are unnecessary and sometimes harmful. If a Vet suggests a course of action and your gut is telling you their advice sounds excessive or feels like upselling aimed more at profit than good care – please seek a second opinion or speak to one of the Vets mentioned above who we have great confidence in.
A note about endorsements
Please note we receive no incentive for listing these products – we are not sponsored or aligned with the companies or marketing organisations behind them. Nor do not receive free or discounted products or kickbacks.
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