helsonwheels

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2016
13,064
2,367
Alberta
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
Came across a great page on Bulldog Care. Great all bully owners.


General Bulldog Care*

The Bulldog is a very unique breed, the symbol of all things British. However, owning a bulldog is not as*straight forward as you might think. He is a totally man made breed and needs human company.

General Appearance
Smooth-coated, thick set, rather low in stature, broad, powerful and compact. Head massive, fairly large inproportion to size but no point so much in excess of others as to destroy the general symmetry,*or make the dog appear deformed, or interfere with its powers of motion. Face short, muzzle*broad, blunt and inclined upwards. Body short, well knit, limbs stout, well muscled and in hard*condition. Hindquarters high and strong but somewhat lighter in comparison with heavy foreparts.*Bitches not so grand or well developed as dogs.*

Characteristic*
Conveys impression of determination, strength and activity.*

Temperament
Alert, bold, loyal, dependable, courageous, fierce in appearance, but possessed of affectionate nature.*

Coat*
Fine texture, short, close and smooth (hard only from shortness and closeness, not wiry).*

Colour*
Whole or smut, (i.e. whole colour with black mask or muzzle). Only whole colours (which should be brilliant*and pure of their sort) viz., brindles, reds with their various shades, fawns, fallows etc., white and pied (i.e.*combination of white with any of the foregoing colours).*

Size*Dogs:
25 kgs (55 lbs); bitches: 22.7 kgs (50 lbs).*

READ THE FOLLOWING AND FIND OUT IF A BULLDOG IS RIGHT FOR YOU

Why does he look so funny?*

Over 100 years ago the Bulldog was created to participate in the so called sport of ā€œBull Baitingā€. Everything*about the bulldog was bred purely so he could carry out that function, the entire head and body shape*allowed him to do the job he was intended for, his undershot jaw allowed him to grip the bull tightly, his flat*nose allowed him to breath whilst doing so, the folds in his face took the bulls blood away from his eyes, his*massive chest and short front legs gave him the strength required to keep the bull pinned, his shallow joints*allowed him to spring the bull from a standing position. He still possesses these qualities today, except the*aggression that had taken over 100 years to breed out, todayā€™s bulldogs are one of the gentlest breeds of*dog known to man and are an ideal companion for our children. He is not designed to be athletic and*therefore if you are looking for a dog that you can enjoy long walks with then this isnā€™t the*breed for you. He is no couch potato either and therefore does require a daily half hour walk.*

Health?*
As a general rule todayā€™s bulldog is pretty healthy, some do have breathing difficulties due to the*shape of their head(i.e. brachycephalic- short nosed) and occasionally they may develop*structural faults due to their shallow joints, for this reason you need to keep an eye on young pups*(under 9 months) so as they donā€™t damage their green bones. The shape of his head does make it*difficult for some to cope with hot weather, but providing you are sensible and appreciate that*the this breed is totally unique, problems will be few and far between.*

Maintenance?*
For the same reasons that you wouldnā€™t buy a long haired breed and never brush it, donā€™t by a bulldog*and never expect to have to wash his face. The bulldog will require daily attention to his face*and maybe under his tail too. Wipe his face over daily, ensuring that you wipe out the wrinkles*(especially the one that goes over his nose) with a damp cloth or baby wipes, make sure you dry*thoroughly and if any soreness is present wipe a little Sudocrem into the folds. A dab of Vaseline*on his nose will keep it soft and prevent it from drying out and becoming flaky. Make sure that*the ears are clean and that his eyes are bright and clear, tear stains can be combated with a daily*wipe over with Optrex Eye Lotion and cotton wool, not only is this safe for his eyes but Optrex contains*Boric Acid that will lessen the stain. His coat should be brushed on a weekly basis which will also give you*the opportunity to check for any skin soreness and fleas ā€“ and during the summer for ticks! All this may*sound like hard work, but for the time and energy he will request from you, in return he will love you*unconditionally and be loyal to you and your family no matter what. Owning a Bulldog is something that*should never be taken lightly, they are a high maintenance breed, so before purchasing that cute little*puppy read as much about the breed as you can and itā€™s also a good idea to attend a breed*show where you will be able to watch the bulldogs in the ring and have the opportunity to talk to*breeders and other bulldog owners.*

WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR CALL TO THE BREEDER REMEMBER THIS!*

If the Bulldog has a prefix in front of his name then he is NOT a genuine pure bred Bulldog. The ONLY*exception to this is the French Bulldog and in some parts of the World our Bulldog is known as the English*or British Bulldog. Olde English / Victorian / American or any other prefix is a cross breed and totally*unrecognised by the Canadian Kennel Club. Some of these dogs are being sold as ā€œOriginalā€ Bulldogs,*by original they mean before the bulldog looked like he does today because originally ā€œbulldogā€ was a*word used to describe any dog of ā€œMastiff Appearanceā€ and who was vicious enough to require*chaining up. Bull Baiting began by using Mastiff Dogs, when it became popular they began to*breed a dog that could do that job efficiently, over time they*created a dog that looks similar to what we have today, except maybe a little leaner and a*little taller and a lot meaner!

Common Ailments*Itchy skin:
Probably an allergy, possibly the food you are feeding ā€“ If this cannot be*controlled by diet then you may need to see your vet.

Cherry Eye:*
Where the gland under the third eyelid protrudes and looks rather like a cherry in*the corner of the eye. Your vet will need to remove the gland (some prefer to tuck). Occasionally*removal of the gland causes dry eye.

Entropian:*
Where the eyelashes have turned inwards and are rubbing against the eye,*again surgery may be required. Donā€™t confuse this with stray eyelashes that are just growing astray,*these can be plucked with tweezers (you may prefer your vet to do this).*Entropian needs surgery ā€“ if left the in-turned lashes will scratch the cornea and the*result will be a severely damaged eye, at worst blindness or loss of eye.*

Conjunctivitis:*
You will need to obtain a cream from your vet to apply to the*affected eye, repeated bouts of conjunctivitis can cause the dog to retract the*eyeball which in severe cases can lead to entropian.

Head Shakes:*
Rather like a fit, but affecting just the head, which will involuntary shake*from side to side, sometimes violently enough to cause their lips to flap about. We have always*found them to be linked to stress which may cause the blood sugar level*to drop enough to trigger the head shake. Giving some glucose or runny honey to bring the*blood sugar level back up should help although distraction often stops the shaking. If you are unable to link the attack to a specific stressful incident then your bulldog may be suffering in some way and*it is advisable that you get your vet to check him over. Note, many vets are unfamiliar with this*breed specific condition and some breeders attribute them to a lack of calcium as they are common in the*pregnant or nursing bitch. However please do not give calcium under normal circumstances as this could*affect the bone formation of your puppy,

*Development Problems:*
Because of the bulldogā€™s rapid growth it is very important that you*keep play and exercise properly managed in the first 9 months, early joint damage could be permanent*and may lead to osteoarthritis, irregular growth in the bones could lead to joint deformities.*Hip/elbow dysplasia is genetic but can be encouraged via environmental factors (i.e.: slippery floors,*jumping etc). Fairly often puppy limping will disappear at maturity and is usually due to the*rapid growth spurts or an incorrect diet. Diet plays a large role in bone development;*because of the rapid growth it is wise to take puppy off of puppy food at 5 months to lower*the protein intake. Many dog food manufactures recommend that puppy stays on the puppy mix for the*first year, but the bulldogs bones donā€™t need such a high protein intake as it speeds up an already*rapid growth and can lead to development deformities in some cases. The same*applies to calcium, donā€™t give puppy any extra calcium ā€“ find a good well balanced dog food and stick*to it. You can help your dog through his puppy limping or Arthritis with a natural product called*ā€œSeaToneā€ (Extract of Green Lipped Mussel).These can be bought at any human chemist or via the*web site link below. Buy the super strength and give 1 or 2 casuals per day depending on the severity*of the limping, you can either hide the casual in a treat or sprinkle over their food (it smells fishy,so they love it). SeaTone is a natural anti-inflammatory and will help rebuild any*defects in the bone. We give this product to our adult arthritic dogs and have never had the need to*use a prescribed arthritis drug yet. We have also given it to young pups going through their ā€œstiffā€ stages*and always give it to any dog that is recovering from joint surgery (i.e.: *Ruptured Cruciate Ligament).*Remember though, that any form of limping should be checked out by your vet, there are many things*that can cause limping (see above) although in most cases ā€œSeaToneā€ will help.

*Elongated Soft Palate and other airway disorders:*
Every bulldog has an*elongated soft palate, this is because of the shape of their heads (i.e.: brachycephalic ā€“ short nosed).*In most cases this causes nothing more than snoring, but in severe cases will cause your bulldog*difficulty inbreathing. Heat and exercise will cause loud, gurgly breathing, (commonly known as*ā€œroaringā€) and your bulldog may appear to be ā€œlazyā€. The severity can range from loud breathing when*excited, during/after exercise to total exercise intolerance, regurgitation*of food to permanent breathing difficulties. The condition can be corrected with surgery and you need to*be sure that the vet you chose to carry out this surgery totally understands brachycephalic breeds.

Tear Stains:*
If your dog has a white face you may find that over time the tears from his eyes*cause his face to stain red. This may be attributed to the red colouring in the food heā€™s eating but this is not*always the case, some bulldogs produce red tears and some donā€™t, those with white faces will have these stains*more than dark coloured faces. A daily wipe withā€Optrexā€ eye wash will help, Optrex contains boric acid and*witch-hazel which will break up the stain and will not affect the dogā€™s eyes as the*solution specifically for use in the eyes.*Sore Wrinkles: Looking after a bulldog involves daily care of the face and the deep folds.*Wash their faces on a daily basis with either a soft cloth and water or unscented baby wipes.*Be sure to dry the face properly and then apply Sudocrem*to the folds, extra care is needed to the nose roll which in some bulldogs can be very deep.*

Tail Problems:*A true bulldog tail is a dream to look after, ideally he should have a nice straightspiked tail, moderate in length, that can be easily lifted away from the body ā€“ however, screw tails in*bulldogs are not uncommon and this and/or an inverted tail (where the tail is growing back into the body)*can cause your bulldog a few problems. You should endeavour to keep tight tails clean and DRY,*but if this proves to be a problem you should consult your vet

Gas:*
Goes with the breed Iā€™m afraid, they will lay right at your feet and fart for*England and be totally oblivious to whatā€™s going on. Charcoal biscuits are great for a windy dog as the*charcoal will help soak up the internal gasses.

Temperature:*
Your dogā€™s temperature should be between 100 and 101 (approx. 38.6)**

Vets*
Please try to find a vet that understands the bulldog, this breed is a hard breed to anaesthetise so*be sure that the vet you have chosen is aware of this fact at least, try to only have your bulldog put*under when absolutely necessary. Bulldogs also have very shallow joint sockets and a vet that is*unfamiliar with the breed may not only misdiagnose joint problems but may also see you as a*licence to print money. Almost every Bulldog will have a slightly elongated soft palate*which is why they snore, this is because of the shape of their heads and because the entire throat is being*stuffed into a space that is too small in comparison to other breeds, in severe cases it will restrict your*bulldogs ability to breathe and will need surgery (see above) , but if your dog is comfortable then itā€™s best to*leave it be, so be aware ā€“ if your vet informs you that he needs to resection the soft palate this may not be the*case at all. Bulldogs with severe soft palate problems will overheat easily, find it very difficult to cope with*any form of exercise and may regurgitate their food. If there are other bulldog owners in your area ask them*who they go to and at least ask your vet what his bulldog experience is.
 

michaelsbroly

Member
Nov 20, 2015
48
3
Hempstead, Texas
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Broly
Wow! Very good information! I wish I would have seen this while looking for our boy! Would have helped to know what to expect! I have had dogs all of my life but our 6 month old bulldog is our first and I can say it is a very, very different and unique breed with different needs! But all of this makes us love him even more even if sometimes we have to clean his butt like a baby haha.
 
OP
helsonwheels

helsonwheels

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2016
13,064
2,367
Alberta
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Wow! Very good information! I wish I would have seen this while looking for our boy! Would have helped to know what to expect! I have had dogs all of my life but our 6 month old bulldog is our first and I can say it is a very, very different and unique breed with different needs! But all of this makes us love him even more even if sometimes we have to clean his butt like a baby haha.

I use to train dogs and this is my first bully too but I swear they are so unique. I see how easy it is to just laugh with this breed cause they look at you like you're a window. You call them, they stop, look at you and still thinking.... errrr should I go or should I stay...or maybe wait till she raises her voice. Or the best one is you call them, they look at you, turns around goes the other way! What are you going to do but laugh! That's why the are unique. If you get a good breeder, feed them well like proper grain free kibbles but if you can raw or home cooking is better, you shouldn't have more issues than other brreds. My neighbour has a retriever only 5yrs old already has hip issues, a few ive seen with skin issues, diabetes, bladder issue. Remember when our grandparents use to have dogs and fed the left over scraps? Dogs lived back then till 15, 17... Makes you think.
 

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