Should I Breed?

[Bryan4Bella7]

I've had Bella for over 3 years now and I have yet to spade. The reason being is I have always considered breeding and I know now is the time and I've held off spading her because of this. I don't want to hold it off any further as I know it could lead to problems if they are not spaded with certain health issues. My vet for 3 years has told me she's a great looking and healthy dog and this is important. She gave me some contact information of a guy that breeds English bulldogs about two years ago and I could get his information from her again I believe. I'm really wanting to do this just because I would like to always have a piece Bella around even when she's gone. She's a great dog and I believe with her size she would just need to be put together with another small EB as she is only about 45 pounds. If anybody could share their experiences with first time breeding and perhaps the costs as well as the smoothness or problems with it that would be great. I just have many concerns as I don't want to lose her or give her health issues in the process but I know this year or next year is the time to make a decision. We see her vet in about a week or so for her updated rabies vaccine and I know this will be brought once again. Thanks.

Bryan

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[ZeusCsmommy]

Definitely personal choice I haven't been on this forum that long this time. I'm in a couple of Facebook pages and these people are brutal I can't believe how mean some people are. To the point of bashing on the dog. She's a great looking dog and if she has no health problems I think that would be great for you guys. I've never been too interested in breeding but seeing all the videos and pic of the itty bitty chubby babies it's something that I want to atleast experience once in my life. I want to take care and cuddle the babies. I'd say do the specific blood works needed and find a good male to breed with.


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[2BullyMama]

[MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION] [MENTION=3354]RiiSi[/MENTION] [MENTION=9157]ddnene[/MENTION] [MENTION=1950]goobers mom[/MENTION] [MENTION=2]bullmama[/MENTION]


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[goobers mom]

If your female has a good pedigree. And you have found a good stud who also has a great pedigree. And can improve the breed,then go for it. But if you can take acouple wks off work to take care of newborns, and can afford to do the AI 's or Implants, then the C-section. There is always the risk of losing your girl and or puppies. This happened to me about 4yrs ago, you never get over the guilt. Do you have a safe place to raise these babies where they cannot destroy your house until they leave for their new homes? Do you need alot of sleep? You wont get it the first couple wks. And oh the luandry is never ending. But then when you see the smile on the new family face when they see their new baby for the first time is priceless. Sometimes its worth all the work and sometimes not. But thats life and there are never any guarantees. Just think about it. If you need help I am always here for you.

 

[RiiSi]

I don't think "random" people should start breeding their pets. If your bitch is an excellent sample of the breed and healthy, tested for health also, why not contact her breeder and ask if he/she willing to breed her. The breeder most likely has more connections and expertise to choose the right dog and take care of the whelping and litter. At least in Finland the normal compensation for the bitches owner is a puppy or the price of a puppy.

 

[Bryan4Bella7]

This is great input from everybody. See my main concern is adding health problems or even losing Bella. I couldn't imagine the guilt I would feel and it's just too much of a gamble I think. But then again I know someday my special girl will have a place in heaven and then I'll be lost without her. English Bulldogs are an amazing breed and I don't want to lose that companionship. It would be awesome to have that reminder of Bella in my life when she's gone. I'm hoping I get at least another solid seven or eight years out of her (or more!) because I love her so much. But then again I know this is costly and time-consuming and I'm asking, is it worth it. I wish you could just ask the dog and see if they want to and get a straight answer. I honestly don't know what to do here... ughhh... more pondering...


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[TyTysmom]

I think if you are second guessing it alot, or not sure if you can handle the risks... I would say no. It can be a risky thing, especially with bulldogs. I say enjoy your Bella girl all you can!! There will always be other bullies later down the years that need a good home. Bulldogs are living longer & longer these days with good care. My boy is about to be 11, some days I can't believe it. But he is in the best of health, I thank God so much for him only have some arthritis in 2 legs. Hugs to Bella!

 

[oscarmayer]

On the one hand you want to do what's right by Bella...not putting her through the birth and the chore of mothering the pups or the risks involved.

On the other hand you want to do what's right by you..."just because I would like to always have a piece Bella around even when she's gone".

IMO, there is only one good choice here.

 

[Manydogs]

Before I had Maude spayed, I was thinking about having her bred to my veterinarian's EBD, as he is a really nice boy. The more I thought about it, since I love puppies so much-I knew that it would be oh so hard for me to give them up,and I would probably have kept them all! Couldn't afford it, and knowing the weird stuff that I encountered with animals over the years-I reconsidered,and had her spayed!

 

[ddnene]

I will tell your our breeding story... my hubby like you wanted to breed our Bella, it was something on his bucket list. He thought it would be fun for all of us, and we would have a piece of Bella to carry on. I wasn't on EBN at the time unfortunately, but Bella had 8 puppies and I did as much research as I could online. Her puppies CONSUMED our lives for 8 weeks, we were getting up to feed them every 2 hours and we had a runt that we were extremely worried about. Little Wellie ended up having hydrocephalus and spina bifida... I have posted his story on here, but basically we were hand feeding him food and water for weeks. We ended up having to put him to sleep at 4 months old, and it was one of the worst moments of my life. Little did I know that the sadness wouldn't end there for our family... Bella died after her spay which was barely 5 months after her puppies were born. Winston was the one puppy that we kept, and as if things couldn't possibly get worse he died after his entropion surgery from complications to anesthesia.

Knowing what I know right now I would of NEVER let Bella have puppies... I can't tell you how sorry I am for what happened to her, and not to mention what this put my family thru. It even killed me to give her puppies away, and then after all the deaths... I just personally can't handle the losses. That being said, like most challenges in life I believe that things happen for a reason. I have learned SO much about the mistakes that I made w/our bulldogs, and the fact that I can share my story w/others now... if it wasn't for the members of EBN I would of NEVER owned another one.

I'm NOT trying to scare you from breeding your Bella, I just want you to know that sometimes things can go horribly wrong. And you need to be aware of all the complications of breeding bulldogs. At that time I didn't have a great vet who knew how to handle bulldogs and anesthesia... and we didn't really have a backup plan. I wish that we would of had a breeder available to help us if we needed... so many things that I learned after the fact.

 

[My Otis]

I would say no. I believe it is so Sad that most Female Bulldogs have to have a cesarean because the puppies heads are so big, If I had a female bulldog no way would I put her through this. You would not know if the person that adopted one of Bella's puppies would be good to them, there are so many horrible Idiot animal abusers. This world has too many dogs waiting to be adopted. Give Bella a Kiss from me and Elmo

 

[Davidh]

Breeding is a lot of work and expensive, plus you take a chance on loosing your bitch and pups. It cost an average of $3000.00 to have a litter. Progesterone testing, AI, and surgical implants, and then the C-section. Plus you need a good bully vet who does a lot of C-sections, and they need to use the right anesthesia. Once pups are home you can not let them stay with mama like you can with other breeds. The mama might accidentally smother or crush a pup. You need to take them away from her when they are finished eating. They eat every four hours for the first two weeks, and every three hours the next week. You don't get much sleep for the first three weeks. They need to stay warm too. Keep the room warm, at least 85 deg. F. If a pup gets too cold they die. You really need help with them. Weight them every day to make sure they are gaining weight. Keep them clean and make them pee and poop if the mom doesn't help with that. There are other things to consider too. This is just to have a litter. As others have said, your bitch needs to be a good bitch fro a good bloodline, and then find a good sire. There are too many poor bred bullies out there already, with health problems, and usually end up in a shelter or dead. If you still want to bres, get some help, and a good mentor.