What Is Pet Insurance for a French Bulldog?
Pet insurance can help cover the cost of veterinary care if your pet falls sick or suddenly gets hurt. Given the French bulldog’s susceptibility to certain health issues, such as respiratory and genetic conditions, insurance can provide financial protection against unexpected medical expenses.
Pet insurance usually covers major medical treatments, surgeries, medications and even routine veterinary care in some cases. Having pet insurance can offer peace of mind to you as the owner, allowing you to focus on your pet’s well-being without the worry of financial constraints if your pet requires emergency care.
5,534 pet owners requested and received a free no-obligation quote from one of the above companies in the last 30 days.
Is French Bulldog Pet Insurance Worth It?
Overall, we recommend French bulldog owners purchase some level of pet insurance coverage. French bulldogs are a pedigree breed, and the structure of their nasal area can lead to a multitude of health problems. Without pet insurance, you could be left to cover medical bills costing thousands of dollars on your own if your dog is suddenly injured or gets sick.
If you’ve recently adopted a French bulldog, it can be a good idea to get your furry friend insured sooner rather than later. Pet insurance providers usually allow you to purchase coverage beginning at 8 weeks of age, and you may be able to access lower premiums by purchasing insurance earlier in your dog’s life. Getting your pet insured earlier also lessens the likelihood your insurer will deny coverage for a pre-existing condition, which tends to become more common as your pet ages.
Top 6 Pet Insurance Companies for French Bulldogs
Frenchies are a special breed, meaning you might need a special insurance provider to protect your furry friend. The following are our top six choices for pet insurance coverage for French bulldogs.
- Lemonade: Our top pick for French bulldogs
- Spot: Most customizable coverage
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Our pick for older pets
- Fetch: Our pick for comprehensive coverage
- Embrace: Our pick for bulldog puppies
- Healthy Paws: Most affordable unlimited coverage
All quotes in this article are for a 4-year-old French bulldog in Dallas, Texas. Each quote we gathered is for a French bulldog pet insurance plan with an annual limit of $5,000, a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate unless stated otherwise.
Lemonade
Cheapest plans for dogs
Spot Pet Insurance
Most Customizable Coverage
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
Our Pick for Older pets
Fetch Pet Insurance
Our Pick for Comprehensive Coverage
Embrace
Our Pick for Savings
Healthy Paws
Most Affordable Unlimited Coverage
Why Does Your French Bulldog Need Pet Insurance?
French bulldogs are prone to many breed-specific health issues, and these are even more common for purebred Frenchies. You may not have many veterinary expenses when your Frenchie is young, but bills can quickly add up as your dog ages and begins experiencing health problems. The right pet insurance covers you and will help keep these costs to a minimum.
The average cost of pet insurance for dogs is $30 to $50 per month. Compared to the expenses of ongoing treatment for your French bulldog’s respiratory system, eyes, and bones, a pet insurance plan can save you thousands of dollars.
How Much Does Pet Insurance for a Bulldogs Cost?
In our review, we found that pet owners insuring a French bulldog can expect to pay about $63 per month for insurance. This is a bit more expensive than average, as Frenchies tend to be more susceptible to hereditary health conditions. The table below summarizes our top recommended coverage options for French bulldogs.
*Lemonade may offer shorter waiting periods depending on where you live.
What Are Common French Bulldog Health Issues?
French bulldogs may experience various health complications throughout their lives. Some of these specific conditions are genetic, while others are common among small dogs.
- Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS): Due to their flat faces and short snouts, Frenchies are at risk for BOAS. This is an upper airway issue that causes shortness of breath, breathing troubles, heat intolerance and sleeping difficulties. It most often occurs during exercise and warmer seasons.
- Conjunctivitis: Because French bulldogs are a short-nosed breed (also known as a brachycephalic breed), they commonly experience conjunctivitis, a.k.a. pink eye. Symptoms include pink or red eyes, excessive blinking and/or mucus, pus or other eye discharge. Conjunctivitis is typically caused by bacterial and viral infections or allergic reactions.
- Diarrhea: French bulldogs experience diarrhea frequently because they’re sensitive to E. coli, parasites, and viruses. Though you can tell if your dog is experiencing diarrhea from its stool, other signs include appetite and weight loss, fevers, or vomiting.
- Ear infections: Frenchies have narrow ear canals and large, bat-like ears that make it easy for debris and bacteria to enter and collect. French bulldogs are also susceptible to allergies, which can cause ear infections. These problems cause your dog’s ear glands to swell and produce more wax than usual. Excessive ear scratching and redness inside the ear are warning signs.
- Pyoderma: This bacterial skin infection occurs when your French bulldog has a cut or scratch that becomes infected. It tends to occur in Frenchies with many skin folds. Common symptoms include itching, red skin, pus and hair loss.
- Skin fold dermatitis: French bulldogs’ skin folds can also cause dermatitis. Signs include itching, biting, redness and sores on the affected skin. Keep your Frenchie’s skin folds dry and clean to prevent this problem.
- URT infection: French bulldogs‘ short noses make them prone to upper respiratory tract (URT) infections. Symptoms include coughing, congestion and lethargy. These infections are highly contagious and typically occur when your dog spends more time with other dogs.
How Pet Insurance Can Save Frenchie Owners Money
Pedigree breeds like French bulldogs can be susceptible to more expensive health conditions due to factors like their short, flat face, which often causes breathing issues. Common problems like hip dysplasia, skin allergies and joint problems are also common with this breed.
Pet insurance can help cover the expenses associated with managing and treating these conditions, which can save hundreds of dollars. The table below summarizes a few examples of what you might save by insuring a French bulldog with a health condition.
| Health Condition | Treatment Cost | Savings with Pet Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) | $3,000 | $2,478 |
| Major ear infection | $1,000 | $488 |
| Back injuries | $6,000 | $5,478 |
| Cataracts | $3,500 | $2,978 |
| Retinal dysplasia | $4,000 | $3,478 |
Note: Pricing for treatment costs is based on market research into pet expenses. We calculated savings by subtracting the annual average cost of pet insurance from the treatment cost.
On average, pet insurance could save you an average of $2,986 if your French bulldog suffers a major illness or other medical condition.
How To Choose a Pet Insurance Plan for a French Bulldog
While the number of pet insurance policies available can make shopping for coverage feel overwhelming, knowing what to look for can help you quickly narrow down your options.
Respiratory-oriented coverage: French bulldogs are “brachycephalic” or bred to have a short nose and flat face. This facial structure lends itself to a wide range of respiratory, sleep and nasal-related conditions. Look for pet insurance that treats these illnesses and conditions as standard under coverage.
Coverage for hereditary conditions: While many breeds suffer from hereditary conditions, pedigrees like the French bulldog are at a greater risk for conditions like hip dysplasia. Look for pet insurance that includes coverage for hip dysplasia, and check for any special waiting periods required before you can file a claim for related conditions.
Higher coverage limits: French bulldogs are susceptible to certain conditions that often require expensive surgery to correct, which can result in expenses that exceed your pet insurance coverage limit. Consider choosing a higher covered percentage or dollar limit for your French bulldog’s insurance.
How Does French Bulldog Pet Insurance Work?
Pet insurance is a type of financial protection that can help cover or offset veterinary bills. When your pet is sick or injured, you may need to take it to a veterinarian to receive care, potentially leading to a high treatment bill. Depending on your policy, pet insurance reimburses you for a percentage of covered veterinary and pet health expenses up to your coverage maximum.
Unlike human health insurance, pet insurance works on a reimbursement-based model. You will pay for the care your pet receives upfront and submit a claim to the insurance provider later. Your insurance provider will review your claim and then send you a reimbursement for your treatment, minus your plan deductible and based on your reimbursement rate. Be sure to keep careful documentation of your pet’s illness or injury and request vet records to improve your chances of making a successful claim.
As you shop for pet insurance, you will notice a range of reimbursement and deductible options. Your policy deductible is the amount that you owe towards your pet’s claim, which is usually deducted from your final reimbursement. After your deductible is met, pet insurance will reimburse you for your selected reimbursement percentage up to your total coverage limit.
Let’s look at an example of how pet insurance could help you cover your pet’s bills. Imagine you own a French bulldog that is injured by a car one day. After taking your pet to the veterinarian, you leave with a $5,000 bill for care. You submit a claim to your pet insurance company based on a plan that has a $500 deductible and 80% reimbursement rate.
Your pet insurance provider would process your claim by first subtracting the $500 deductible from the total bill, leaving you with $4,500 eligible for reimbursement. With an 80% reimbursement rate, your insurance provider would cover $3,600 of this total bill — that’s 80% of $4,500. You would be left to cover the remaining 20% out-of-pocket.
Our Recommendation on the Best Pet Insurance Providers for French Bulldogs
Pet insurance plans are valuable to any pet owner, especially for Frenchie parents. French bulldogs are prone to many mobility issues and genetic illnesses that can lead to costly vet bills as they age. We recommend enrolling your Frenchie in an accident-and-illness plan to ensure it will get the necessary care without stressing your finances.
Lemonade offers affordable, comprehensive plans that cover many common issues Frenchies may experience. In some states, Lemonage doesn’t have a waiting period to ensure you’ll start getting reimbursed for vet bills quickly. Spot is another great option if you want more customizable coverage.
We recommend getting quotes from at least three reputable pet insurance providers to compare pricing and coverage for your French bulldog. Use our tool below to quickly get free quotes from reliable pet insurers.
Frequently Asked Questions About French Bulldog Pet Insurance
French bulldogs live 10 to 14 years on average.
French bulldogs can be more medically expensive than comparative small breeds due to their predisposition to certain health issues, including respiratory problems and hip dysplasia. Routine veterinary care and potential treatment for these breed-specific concerns can contribute to overall healthcare costs. We recommend pet insurance for French bulldogs to help mitigate these expenses over your pet’s lifespan.
French bulldogs can be expensive due to their arduous breeding process. Breeding French bulldogs is challenging because they often require artificial insemination and Cesarean sections due to their compact size. Additionally, their unique physical characteristics, including the distinctive bat ear and compact build, contribute to their overall desirability, driving up demand and prices in the pet market.
We recommend getting an accident-and-illness plan for a French bulldog, considering how prone they are to health problems. This type of pet insurance plan costs $50 to $80 per month. You may also want to consider adding a wellness plan to cover your Frenchie’s checkups and other routine care.
How We Ranked the Best Pet Insurance for French Bulldogs
There are dozens of pet insurance providers offering dog insurance options. To inform our review, we pulled a sample quote from each provider, specifically focusing on coverage options, endorsements and limitations for French bulldogs.
When determining a rating for each provider, we considered the following factors:
- Monthly premium cost: We requested a quote for each insurance provider, specifically for a French bulldog. Companies with the most affordable premiums earned the highest scores.
- Multiple plan options: Insurers offering multiple plan options, including accident-only, accident and illness, and preventative care plans, scored higher than those offering only a single policy choice.
- Shorter waiting periods: We prioritized companies with the shortest waiting periods, allowing pet owners to access coverage benefits more quickly.
- Broad condition coverage: After pulling a sample contract from each pet insurance provider, we compared individual items and conditions included and excluded from coverage. Companies earned the most points for offering a range of coverage for various conditions.
- Multi-pet discount: We awarded companies that offered multi-pet discounts slightly higher scores than those without.
- Televet Healthline: Pet insurance providers supporting reimbursements for telehealth options scored higher than those not offering this coverage.
- Our rating: Our full methodology, which reflects each provider’s coverage, cost, and added benefits, summarizes all of these factors.
For more information on how we review and score pet insurance providers, review our editorial guidelines.
