The acuity of your French bulldog’s hearing far surpasses that of humans. Hearing is a critical sense to French bulldogs, and when diminished, will increase his dependency on the sense of smell. When a dog hears something, he can hear it without moving his head. Many muscles surrounding the ears help French bulldogs get premium sound reception.Unlike humans, French bulldogs dogs are able to change the position of their outer ear so they can focus on a specific sound. When a French bulldog perks his ears or turns them, the outer ear allows him to magnify incoming sounds.
Domestication of French bulldogs as household pets hasn’t changed their excellent hearing abilities. Because our French bulldogs seem to hear sounds before we do, they often seem to warn us of impending danger. Heroic stories are often shared about pets saving their owners or family members from fire, earthquake, predators and intruders.
Hearing loss in French bulldogs is often caused by many of the same things that cause hearing loss in humans. Hearing loss may be the result of a variety of causes including infection, trauma, noise, aging, drug toxicity or injury.
How can we preserve this wondrous hearing capacity our furry family members have? Five tips below will help you ensure your French bulldog’s clear, unimpeded hearing:
- Prevent your Frenchies’ exposure to sharp, unexpected noises. This includes loud, repetitive noises that can cause trauma in dogs and humans.
- Shield or protect your French bulldog’s ears from contributors to noise induced hearing loss including: party noise makers, fireworks, explosive devices, fire and police sirens, hammering, jackhammers, always-on loud music, construction site activities, race car engines, airplane engines, and gunfire.
- Have your French bulldogs’ ears checked regularly and cleaned as necessary by your family veterinarian.
- Monitor children and toddlers in your French bulldog’s presence so that their bat ears (like a child’s ears) are not used to stash crayons, marbles, coins or other foreign objects.
- Provide well balanced meals containing the nutritional components your vet specifically recommends for your French bulldog’s good health and wellbeing.
Your French bulldog will feel and perform his best when you work with your veterinarian to do all possible to preserve his health, wellbeing and excellent sense of hearing.