General Appearance
Smooth-coated, thick set, rather low in stature, broad, powerful and compact. Head massive, fairly large in proportion 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.

Itchy skin: Probably an allergy, possibly the food you are feeding - If this cannot be controlled by diet then you may need to see your vet, we feed Nutro choice complete food which is renown for the benefits it gives the skin.

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. Don’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 - 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.

Development Problems: Because of the bulldog’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 displaysia is genetic but can be encouraged via environmental factors (ie: slidey 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 protien intake.  Many dog food manufactuers recommend that puppy stays on the puppy mix for the first year, but the bulldogs bones don'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, don't give puppy any extra calcium - find a good well balanced dog food and stick to it.

You can help your dog through his pupply limping or Arthritis with a natural product called "SeaTone" (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 capsuals per day depending on the severity of the limping, you can either hide the capsual 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 "stiff" stages and always give it to any dog that is recovering from joint surgery (ie: *Ruptured Cruciate Ligament). Remember though, that any form of limping should be checked out by your vet, there are many many things that can cause limping (see above) although in most cases "SeaTone" will help.

*For further information on Ruptured Cruciate Ligaments, See Amber's Page

I AM CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING A SPECIAL STUDY ON HEMI-VERTEBRAE IN BULLDOGS. IF YOU'RE BULLDOG HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY THIS SPINAL CONDITION PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO COMPLETE MY ANONYMOUS SURVERY. THE RESULTS WILL BE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY AS PART OF MY DIPLOMA COURSE. THANK YOU

Elongated Soft Palate and other airway disorders: Every bulldog has an elongated soft palate, this is because of the shape of their heads (ie: brachycephalic - short nosed). In most cases this causes nothing more than snoring, but in severe cases will cause your bulldog difficulty in breathing. Heat and exercise will cause loud, gurgly breathing, (commonly known as "roaring") and your bulldog may appear to be "lazy".  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 understand 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 he’s eating but this is not always the case, some bulldogs produce red tears and some don’t, those with white faces will have these stains more than dark coloured faces. A daily wipe with "Optrex" eye wash will help, Optrex contains boric acid and witch-hazel which will break up the stain and will not effect the dogs 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 straight spiked tail, moderate in length, that can be easily lifted away from the body - 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 I’m afraid, they will lay right at your feet and fart for England and be totally oblivious to what’s going on. We’ve found the Nutro food has almost totally eliminated the gas problem, but each dog is different. Charcoal Bonio biscuits are great for a windy dog as the charcoal will help soak up the internal gasses.

Temperature: Your dogs 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 mis-diagnose 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 sever cases it will restrict your bulldogs ability to breathe and will need surgery (see above) , but if your dog is comfortable then it’s best to leave it be, so be aware - 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.

If you have a question that's not covered here please feel free to ask us!

  Recommended Bulldog Reading:

Bulldogs Today - C Thomas (Kingrock Kennels)

Order your signed copy of "Bulldogs Today" by C Thomas direct from the author

Please send your cheque for £16.99 plus £2.00 for postage and packaging to .

Counthorpe House, Counthorpe, Little Bytham, Lincs NG33 4QF

or Tel/Fax: 01780 410140

Cheques made payable to Chris Thomas

Bulldogs - An Owners Companion - C Bruton (Kelloe Kennels)

Order your signed copy of "Bulldogs" by C Bruton direct from the author

Please send your cheque for £16.99 plus £2.50 for postage and packaging to .

1 Grosvenor House, 123 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 1DD

Cheques made payable to Chris Bruton

BULLDOG CLUBS:

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