English bulldogs should have c-sections. No matter what you do, you are putting your bitch at risk by ever breeding her in the first place. This is why it is so important to fully educate yourself, because even the most experienced breeders can lose their female due to complications in pregnancy or delivery. There are English Bulldogs who can naturally whelp litters, but this usually occurs by accident! This is due to several factors, like the fact that English bulldogs are prone to have water puppies (also known as walrus puppies). They cannot push them through the birth canal, and the puppy could get stuck there, which will require an emergency c-section, and at this point anything can go wrong. Also, because of their large heads and body width, this also makes it very difficult on the mother to do natural labor. Exhaustion is a huge problem, if she has more than just a few pups. C-sections pose less of a risk for the mother, and the litter, but you must choose the right veterinarian to perform this task! I cannot even stress the importance of finding a veterinarian who has experience with the delivery, complications, and c-section of English Bulldogs.

The main decision maker: You will need to invest a serious amount of time. If you work full time or even part time for that matter, you probably will not have the time available that it takes to raise the litter. Once the puppies are born you will be taking on the role of the dam's maid.

Finally! The day has come. You have taken your bulldogs temperature every four hours in the last week of her pregnancy. A good indicator (but not always the key indicator) of labor is for her temperature to drop 2 degrees or more than what is her regular temperature. The regular temperature should be around 101 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit. You rush her to the vet, and now you have a beautiful litter of English bulldog puppies. Now your work has just begun, dam's maid!

For the first ten days you will be putting the puppies on the mother to nurse. DO NOT EVER LEAVE your dog unattended when she is nursing her puppies. Our bullies are clumsy, tired and just had a c-section so they are unfortunately not the best moms at first. They just woke up from a deep, deep sleep and now these little things are crawling all over her! The dam could easily step on or roll on a puppy and suffocate it, or even worse-kill it. You must put them on the dam EVERY TWO HOURS for the first ten days. That's right! Every two hours! Hopefully you have someone to help you and take a "shift", because if you don't, you will be running tired and it becomes hard with the lack of sleep. If you miss a feeding or forget to set your alarm clock, your puppies will fade and possibly die. You will need a scale to weigh them. I personally weigh them before and after each feeding, to make sure they got something while they were on mom.

After they are done nursing mom, you must stimulate each puppy to use the bathroom. This may sound difficult, but it really is not. You can use a warm wet washcloth or cotton balls, and you rub their genital area back and forth gently until they defecate. Put a smudge of Vaseline on their bum and around their tail to help prevent dried stool blocking their anal passage, and make it easy for you to clean off if that is the case. You must do this after every nursing.

You must keep a clean environment for your puppies. They are prone to bacterial infections, fading puppy syndrome, parvo and other puppy diseases. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling them, and keep everyone OUT of their area! You should have a good whelping box, heating pad and a good heat lamp to keep your puppies warm. They cannot regulate their body temperature, so you want their area to stay between 84-89 degrees F. You will constantly need to monitor their areas temperature to make sure you are maintaining a warm environment for your puppies.

You should also stock yourself with plenty of supplies. Cotton balls, vaccinations, towels, rags, alcohol, disinfectant, peroxide, Vaseline, rugs, gloves, syringes, needles, dewormer, ect. The more things you can get at your disposal, the better. If you administer your own vaccinations you will protect your pups from animal diseases at the vet's hospital. Remember, their immune system is really bad, so if they come in contact with anything they will get it. Better to keep them at home and give the vaccinations until they are protected! You can get vaccinations from A to Z vet supply for really good prices, and save yourself at least 75% compared to taking your pups to the vet.

Don't forget about mom!!! She will need extra calories while she is nursing. You will have to increase her daily intake by at least 3, so if she normally eats two meals a day you will want to give her 6. To entice her to eat, you will need some yummy canned dog mush. Top it with some powdered milk for additional calories. MMMMM DELICIOUS!

Here is a basic analysis of costs to raise an English bulldog puppy litter:

Health screen & blood tests: $400-$800
Stud fee: $500
Progesterone test: $100
Additional dog food for duration of pregnancy/nursing: $100
NuVet vitamins, 90 day supply: $55
Whelping box, heat lamp, heat pad: $100 (minimum)
X-rays, c-section, vet care: minimum of $1000, could be much higher
Vaccinations, safeguard, dewormer, supplies, ect. $150, probably more.
Advertising to sell your litter: $100
Your hourly rate: 10 cents per hour!
Minimum investment: $2500.00 up to $4000.00 or even higher if you have sick puppies that need care, ect.