We got tired of Googling the same questions and getting twelve different answers — none of them about diet, none of them about prevention, all of them about which medication to ask your vet for. So we went and found the actual research. Turns out there’s a lot of it. Turns out it changes everything. That’s what this site is.
How This Started
If you’ve ever posted in a Frenchie Facebook group asking why your dog keeps getting ear infections, you know the experience. Forty-seven replies. Someone says grain-free. Someone says chicken allergy. Someone says their vet recommended this specific kibble. Someone sends a link to a product. Nobody mentions the gut. Nobody mentions the immune system. Nobody mentions the fact that 52% of French Bulldogs are affected by allergies because of a specific set of genetic mutations they were born with.
That’s the gap BFB was built to fill. Not because we’re veterinarians — we’re not. But because we’re dog owners who got frustrated enough to actually go find the peer-reviewed research, read it, and figure out what it means for how we take care of our dogs. And once you read it, you can’t go back to giving generic advice in Facebook groups.
The science on this breed is genuinely fascinating. And genuinely actionable. Most Frenchie owners never see it because it lives in academic journals behind paywalls with titles no normal person would click on. That’s the only thing standing between your dog and better health outcomes. We’re here to close that gap.
Who We Are
Brandine Strand
Brandine has loved dogs for as long as she can remember. Not just in a casual way — the kind of love that ends up shaping everything. Dogs eventually became her work, too. She’s spent years in the pet space and in pet nutrition, and she’s the first to admit she’s a total nerd about health, both her dogs’ and her own.
In 2021 that stopped being a hobby and got real. Brandine went through some life-changing health challenges of her own, and it sent her searching for answers in a way she never had before. She didn’t want to just cover up symptoms. She wanted to know why. And when she finally got to the bottom of her own health crisis, the answer was something she’d never thought to look at: specific genetic variants that were quietly driving the whole thing.
Once she understood that about herself, she couldn’t help but wonder about her French Bulldog. So she researched his genetics the same way she’d researched her own. What she found connected so many dots — and nobody seemed to be talking about it. Everyone talks about French Bulldog health problems — the allergies, the breathing, the bad backs, the skin issues. Almost nobody talks about what’s actually underneath all of it. That gap is the whole reason she built this resource.
Brandine is a lifelong student. She’s curious to a fault and always chasing the next thing to learn. The deeper she got into French Bulldog genetics, the more obvious it became that this breed is dealt a tough genetic hand — and that owners deserve to actually understand it. Not so they feel doomed about it, but the opposite. Knowing what you’re working with changes what you can do about it. Genetics aren’t destiny.
Her own Frenchie, Bodhi, is proof of that. He’s been raw-fed since she brought him home at thirteen weeks old. His food, his exercise, his routine, the supplements he takes specific to mitigate the variants common in this breed — she’s got all of it dialed in. And he’s thriving at 8 years old.
Here’s the part that gives Brandine a perspective most people don’t have. Prior to her own health crisis, she founded and operated a raw dog food company, and through it she got to know hundreds of French Bulldogs personally. She watched what happened when they came off processed food and switched to raw and fresh. The change in them was hard to argue with. After seeing that play out countless times, with this breed specifically, she came away convinced: French Bulldogs just don’t tolerate processed diets. Their genetics make them more vulnerable to the problems that processed food creates, and she believes fresh, real food is one of the best things we can give them.
So that’s her mission with BestFrenchBulldog.com. Brandine wants to help French Bulldog parents understand the genetic roots of their dog’s health. She wants to be honest about raw and fresh feeding and why she believes in it. And she wants this to be a place you can actually trust for real information on how to help your dog live a longer, healthier life.
But if she’s being fully transparent, the reason any of this matters so much to her is simpler than genetics. French Bulldogs bring a ridiculous amount of joy into the world. They love hard, they’re funny, and they give everything they’ve got. Brandine really does think of them as a gift. And she wants to do whatever she can to help as many of them as possible live healthy and happy lives, for as long as possible. The longer they’re here, the more joy they bring to this world.
Jack Riordan
Jack is a lifelong dog owner who spent way too much time reading bad advice online before deciding to just go find the actual studies that would help his pets live longer, more meaningful lives. A longtime creative counterpart to BFB Co-Founder Brandine Strand, Jack caught his curiosity in the French Bulldog breed from her (and Bodhi!), and now writes every health guide on BFB, holding every claim to a peer-reviewed source standard, as well as his own award-winning journalistic standard. Not because it sounds impressive, but because this breed’s health is too important to get wrong. When he’s not writing about Frenchies, he’s farmin’, fishin’, or trying to keep up with his own rescue dogs, Tater Tot (16 y.o. Chihuahua) and Sky (9 y.o. Viszla/Pit mix). 8x San Diego Press Club ‘Excellence in Journalism Award’ winner.
What We Actually Believe
A few things we’ve landed on after going deep on the research — and after watching what actually works for our own dogs:
The research on ultra-processed kibble and what it does to the gut microbiome of a breed already predisposed to allergies and immune dysfunction is not subtle. Fresh food and raw diets aren’t a trend — they’re what the science supports. We’ll say that plainly even though it’s not the popular opinion in every corner of the pet world.
The conditions Frenchies develop aren’t random. They’re predictable consequences of six specific genetic mutations. Which means they’re manageable — if you know about them early enough and take the right steps. That’s what this whole site is about. Prevention first, every time.
We love good vets. We have strong opinions about what makes a good vet for this breed specifically. But a 15-minute appointment twice a year isn’t enough to manage the health complexity of a French Bulldog. The more you know going in, the better that partnership works.
Teaching your Frenchie to use a ramp, wait before jumping, and walk on a harness instead of a collar isn’t just obedience — it’s spinal injury prevention. We only cover positive reinforcement training because it’s the only kind that makes sense, full stop.
Look, I’m a French Bulldog. I have all six of the mutations these guides talk about. The stuff on this site isn’t theoretical to me. It’s Tuesday.
About Bodhi
Bodhi is our French Bulldog and the site’s mascot. He carries all six of the genetic mutations covered in our health guides — because every Frenchie does. He didn’t write any of the guides. He did, however, review them in the sense that everything we recommend is something we’ve applied to his care. He’s doing great, which we think counts for something.
What We’re Not Going to Do
We’re not going to recommend a product because someone paid us to. We’re not going to soften what the science says because it’s inconvenient for a commercial relationship. We’re not going to publish something we haven’t sourced. And we’re not going to pretend that every question about Frenchie health has an easy answer — some of it is genuinely complicated, and we’d rather say that than oversimplify it.
We do participate in affiliate programs including Amazon Associates. When we link to a product and you buy it, we may earn a small commission. That never changes what we write — but we think you should know about it. Full details in our Editorial Standards.
Free. Instant. Vet-informed.
Science-backed guides updated with current research
Integrative vet insights — prevention first, always
Trusted directories: vets, breeders, trainers & rescues
Deals from brands we actually believe in
We treat your inbox like we treat our Frenchies.