When I first saw a picture of a cream French Bulldog I couldn’t help but admire their golden, shiny coat. I’ve written so many articles about the different coat colors in dogs, but no color has stuck with me like this. It’s truly the most beautiful coat color I have ever seen. And I am sure, you’ll think the same!
But, is there anything else that’s different about the cream Frenchie, except their color? That’s what we’ll answer today. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the cream French Bulldog and everything that is interesting about them.
You can also learn more about other beautiful French Bulldog colors:
- Fawn French Bulldog: The classic beauty
- White French Bulldog: What To Expect
- Blue Fawn French Bulldog and its health issues
- Lilac French Bulldog or the Isabella Frenchie
- Brindle French Bulldog: The dog with tiger stripes
- Merle French Bulldog: The unusual Frenchie
Cream French Bulldog – What’s special about them
To better understand the cream color, let’s compare white Frenchies, fawn Frenchies, and cream Frenchies. A cream French Bulldog has a solid, warm creamy coat color.
The difference between them and white and fawn Frenchies is that they are a bit darker than white Frenchies but much paler than fawn Frenchies. It will be easier to understand the difference in pictures.
As you can see, there is an obvious difference between these three colors. The cream is one of the standard colors of Frenchies and it is recognized by the AKC. Other standard colors are:
- Brindle
- Cream
- Fawn
- Black
- Any mix of all above + Pied
But, the fact is that the cream Frenchie is rarest out of all these colors. You’re more likely to see the fawn Frenchie than the cream-colored.
A cream French Bulldog has a solid light cream color, but when they are born they look white. Cream Frenchies have no markings on their coat as other Frenchies do. They can however have a black nose, paws, eye rims, and lips.
It’s also important to mention that cream Frenchies are born with solid coat color, but within 24 hours after birth, they will develop plack paw pads and a black nose.
How rare are they?
We’ve already said that a true cream Frenchie is rare, but how rare are they?
To answer that question we have to take a look at how the cream color even happens.
As you probably already know there are two pigments that determine a dog’s coat color, eumelanin, and pheomelanin. Eumelanin is basically the black pigment, while pheomelanin is the red pigment.
Both of these pigments have default colors, but those colors can be changed by genes. Basically, a certain gene can change, or dilute, that color. That dilution gene is called the D locus.
So, basically, in the case of the cream Frenchie the pheomelanin, the red color, gets diluted to a cream color.
That dilution gene is recessive, which means that both parents need to carry it for the puppies to have a cream coat.
So, that is why the cream color is in fact a rare color. If the puppies don’t carry the pheomelanin pigment, and if they don’t get the dilution gene from both parents, their coats won’t be cream, but a different color.
Can breeders intentionally breed cream Frenchies?
Now that we know how the cream coat color happens, the next question we have to answer is if breeders can intentionally breed cream Frenchies?
Basically, if puppies need both parents to carry the dilution gene, can breeders purposefully breed two Frenchies with that gene?
Well, theoretically that could work, but it’s very risky. There is a lot more to coat color genetics than we can explain in one article, and there is so much more that hasn’t been explained. Breeders can increase the chance of getting cream puppies, but breeding for a specific color can be risky. It can affect a dog’s health majorly!
So usually reputable breeders won’t do that. For them, it’s more important to have a healthy litter, than a liter that is a specific color. Let’s be honest, why would a breeder purposefully breed dogs to get a litter with rare coat colors other than to get more money?
A good breeder will prioritize health over coat color and money. So, to get a cream French Bulldog from a good breeder, you’ll usually have to pay a lot and go on a waiting list.
Are they healthy dogs?
Lighter coat colors are usually linked to different health problems. Even though experts don’t know exactly why that is, it’s believed that the dilution gene has something to do with that. Basically, the lighter the dog’s coat, the more diluted it is, the more it is likely that the dog will be sick. This gene is even linked to alopecia in canines.
Cream French Bulldogs are very likely to develop alopecia and start to lose their coat in patches or completely. Their coat could also thin over time.
Besides that, cream Frenchies can suffer from the same health problems as other French Bulldogs.
The most common problem is related to their face shape. French Bulldogs belong to Brachycephalic breeds. This means that they have a short muzzle with a flat face.
This happens because of a genetic mutation that alters the way the bones in their skull grow and develop. Because of this, their skull will end up being wide and short. But, French Bulldogs aren’t the only breed affected, other Brachycephalic breeds are:
- Boxer
- Pug
- English Bulldog
- Pekingese
- Shih Tzu
Because of the way their skull is shaped these dos can develop two health problems:
- Brachycephalic Ocular Syndrome – Different eye problems and corneal diseases such as ulceration and pigmentation. Their eyes are also more prone to proptosis.
- Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome – A set of upper airway abnormalities such as stenotic nares, extended nasopharyngeal turbinates, an elongated soft palate, laryngeal collapse, a hypoplastic trachea, and everted laryngeal saccules.
Other common health issues in French Bulldogs are:
- Overheating
- Trouble giving birth, usually it will hapen via C-section
- Hip dysplasia
- Patellar Luxation
- Heart problems
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis
- Tracheal Hypoplasia
- Different skin problems
Conclusion
Cream French Bulldogs are beautiful dogs, They are basically just like any other Frenchie but with rare coat color. But, their coat color also means more health problems. In addition to the usual health problems Frenchies have, the cream French Bulldog also has many skin problems, allergies and can even experience alopecia.
Lastly, we didn’t cover the traits and characteristics of French Bulldogs in this article, but you can check out our “French Bulldog: Size, personality, and health“. There you can find a lot of information on this breed.
Also, feel free to read our other articles on French Bulldogs: