Welcome
Hello from Angelica McLoughlin, I am the founders of Frenchie Kiss Inc. I was born and raised in Alberta. I now reside in Southern Alberta.
A little bit about my background, first off I am a huge lover of animals! I have devoted much of my time to a local rescue society over the last few years in hopes of making a difference to each and every animal that I have had the privilege of fostering and rehabilitating. I have been a pet owner all of my life. I believe that all animals should be raised in a loving environment and treated with the utmost respect.
Because of this deep rooted passion I have always had, it was only natural that when I met my first French Bulldog I fell in love! After learning a bit about that specific breed I took the initiative and decided to further educate myself on all things French Bulldog. I was truly fascinated with their unique personality, unlike any breed I had ever owned prior.
With the beginning stages of pursuing our dream of owning and operating our very own business I felt it necessary to educate myself even further in animal behavior. I am currently an animal behaviorist apprentice and am truly loving this aspect of the process. We not only want to be able to offer a reliable service but ensure people that any animal in our care are in good hands.
Goals
I want to offer a breeding program that will break the stereotype and go against other breeders standards. Especially with the French Bulldog, I aspire to improve known health issues with the breed. My business and morals are held to the highest standards. Im here to show you just that.
I want to be able to help people better understand dogs and their behavior. I am here to provide any advice, questions or concerns with your puppies and adult dogs as I continue my force free education with dog training.
What Testing we do here at Frenchie Kiss
All the health testing we do is to allow us to make better choices in our pairings to try and breed healthier puppies in the future.
OFA & inherited genetic testing is so important to us. I use these as a tool to make sure we are only breeding the healthiest dogs. Frenchie’s are known for their health issues, and we are using ever tool possible at our finger tips to try and do our best to breed healthier pups. As we know even with the most rigorous testing, we can never guarantee to produce perfect puppies.
OFA
OFA stands for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.
Our dogs are examined by a veterinary professional and those results are submitted via an application form to OFA.
Breeders can share information about their own dogs and research potential breeding mates.
Prospective owners can research breeds and common health risks, as well as potential parents, in order to pursue the healthiest offspring possible.
OFAS for me requires to go to the vet to get many sets of x-rays. I do spine top/side views, Trachea, Hips/elbows then we get a practitioners exam of the heart and patella. During these x-rays our dogs must be sedated to ensure they are getting the clearest radiographs possible. OFAS can start preliminaries at 1 years old.
Before blood-based genetic testing became readily available, one of the main ways to track orthopedic issues in dogs was through x-rays. Instead of just testing individual dogs with owners, the OFA Certification process began building a database. The dog's information, including the breeder, birth location, and family connections, was a part of the database.
The program is run exclusively through the University of Missouri, with several connections to vets around the world.
What Genetic Diseases Does It Cover?
Originally, the OFA Certification was established to discover hip dysplasia in dogs and is still a primary source to track any hip issues. Over the years, the expansion of DNA testing has led to several other genetic disease tracking. Dogs with bad knees could have a condition known as Patellar Luxations, which the OFA Certification tracks.
The OFA Certification also tracks the transmission of various heart diseases, and early discovery can help prevent major problems in the future.
I also test Elbows, Spine & Trachea through OFA.
*Below are test results from OFA*
Then through Canine Health Check, a inherited genetic disease Lab, I test for French Bulldog specific inherited genetic diseases.
Cystinuria Type 3 (Bulldog Type Risk Factor, Variants 1 and 2)
Common Symptoms
Cystinuria type 3 is an inherited disease affecting kidney function in dogs. Dogs with cystinuria are deficient in a specific protein that is essential for the transport of cystine and other amino acids from urine. Normal kidneys reabsorb cystine so that only small amounts pass into the urine. However, dogs with cystinuria fail to reabsorb cystine, allowing large amounts to pass into the urine. Excessive cystine can form crystals and/or stones in the urinary tract, which can block the ureters or urethra and stop the normal flow of urine. Symptoms of disease include straining to urinate, blood in the urine, frequent urination of small volumes or inability to urinate. Dogs with cystinuria often have recurrent inflammation of the urinary tract and if not treated, urinary stones can cause urinary tract infections, kidney failure and even death.
Testing Tips
We have delt with stones in one of our own dogs. I recommend if any of these above symptoms arise to not wait to go to your vet. If you do find out your dog has stones please send the stones away to get a UROLITH ANALYSIS REPORT. This way you and your vet can come up with a treatment plan. In the case if Cystine stones, we had to neuter our boy.
Common Symptoms
Hyperuricosuria is an inherited condition of the urinary system affecting several breeds of dog. The SLC2A9 gene codes for a protein that allows the kidneys to transport uric acid from the urine. Dogs with mutations in both copies of the SLC2A9 gene are predisposed to have elevated levels of uric acid in the urine, hence the name hyperuricosuria. Uric acid can form crystals and/or stones (uroliths) in the urinary tract. Dogs with hyperuricosuria most commonly present with symptoms of recurrent urinary tract inflammation, which include frequent urination, blood in the urine, and straining to urinate. They may also have loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness, vomiting and pain.
Testing Tips
We have delt with stones in one of our own dogs. I recommend if any of these above symptoms arise to not wait to go to your vet. If you do find out your dog has stones please send the stones away to get a UROLITH ANALYSIS REPORT. This way you and your vet can come up with a treatment plan.
Common Symptoms
Multifocal retinopathy 1 is an inherited disorder of the retina affecting several breeds of dog. Affected dogs typically present between 11 and 16 weeks of age with multiple discrete circular areas of retinal detachment with underlying fluid accumulation that are visible on an eye exam performed by a veterinarian. These blister-like lesions are typically found in both eyes and can appear gray, tan, orange or pink and vary in number, size and location. Progression of retinal changes is usually slow and new lesions are not noted after 6 to 12 months of age. Occasionally as affected dogs age, lesions appear to heal and are no longer visible on an eye exam. Generally the dog’s vision is not affected although vision loss has been described in some cases of multifocal retinopathy 1.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Cone-Rod Dystrophy 4 (crd4/cord1)
Common Symptoms
Progressive retinal atrophy, cone-rod dystrophy 4 (PRA-crd4) is an inherited eye disease affecting dogs. PRA-crd4 occurs as a result of degeneration of both rod and cone type photoreceptor cells of the retina, which are important for vision in dim and bright light, respectively. Affected dogs can show symptoms of vision loss or have signs of retinal disease on veterinary ophthalmologic exam by 3 years of age. However, age of onset varies significantly in PRA-crd4 affected dogs, and has been reported from 1 to 15 years of age.
Common Symptoms
Hereditary cataracts is an inherited eye disease in dogs. Cataracts are opacities in the lens of the eye caused by structural changes in lens proteins. A normal lens allows light to pass through it to the retina in the back of the eye. Light cannot pass through the parts of the lens affected by cataracts and vision becomes blurry. Dogs with Hereditary cataracts most commonly present within a few weeks to months after birth with small cataracts that are visible on a veterinary eye exam. Cataracts from this disease will eventually affect the whole lens in both eyes leading to complete blindness between 2-3 years of age. Of note, not all forms of cataracts are inherited and environmental factors such as UV damage can also play a role in the severity of disease.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM, SOD1A)
Common Symptoms
Affected dogs usually present in adulthood with gradual muscle atrophy and loss of coordination typically beginning in the hind limbs due to degeneration of the nerves. The condition is not typically painful for the dog but will progress until the dog is no longer able to walk. The gait of dogs affected with degenerative myelopathy can be difficult to distinguish from the gait of dogs with hip dysplasia, arthritis of other joints of the hind limbs, or intervertebral disc disease. Late in the progression of disease, dogs may lose fecal and urinary continence and the forelimbs may be affected. Affected dogs may fully lose the ability to walk 6 months to 2 years after the onset of symptoms.
When it comes to DM (Degenerative Myelopathy) there isn’t any scientifically known and checked cases in French Bulldogs. Even though this is said we will always test and not breed 2 carriers together ever.
*below is an article explaining*
