Health Information

I would like to ask prospective buyers to research the English Bulldog Breed before making any purchases. In order to take great care of your bulldog, it is important to know how to react to different situations. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Finding a Veterinarian

Finding a Vet that is specialized in Bulldogs is important as they have issues other dogs don’t have. Especially if your dog needs surgery! When a Bulldog has surgery, there are things they have to do different than they do with most dogs. This includes what anesthesia they use, keeping the tube in their throat after surgery until the dog starts to wake up and pushes it out on their own. So please, DO NOT have a vet that does not know the breed do surgery on your Bulldog! One thing to do is ask the vet how many clients of theirs are Bulldogs (you want this number to be in the hundreds)

English Bulldogs are not natural swimmers!!

Most English Bulldogs will sink if they go in a pool, pond, Lake, etc. Please use a lifevest on your English Bulldog if they will be around water that they can fall in! Some people have worked with their dogs as puppies and stay right with them until they learn to swim and keep their head up while swimming!! As they get older though and put weight on, they may not be able to keep themselves afloat anymore, so be very, very careful with them at all times around the water.

Temperature Extremes

English Bulldogs do not handle the heat or cold well. In the summer, they need to be in an air conditioned house. Anything above 80 or if the humidity is bad, only let them out to go the bathroom and let them right back in. Some dogs enjoy the water, so I put a baby pool in the back yard for them to play in. Dump it everyday and put fresh water in it or you will have mosquitoes breeding in it! Mosquitoes cause heart worm which can kill your dog unless you get it detected early and treated! In the Winter months, they don’t do well under 50 degrees, there again, put them out to go the bathroom and let them right back in!

Overheating

It is very important NOT to let your bulldog stay out in the heat for extended periods of time, as bulldogs can overheat easily. To help remedy this, you can put a baby pool in the yard. Simply make sure you dump it every day or add a small amount of chlorine to prevent mosquitoes. If your English Bulldog is panting heavily (sounds raspy like they have Asthma), quickly get the bulldog indoors to a cool environment and spray rubbing alcohol in the groin area and arm pits first, rub it in behind the ears and on the pads of their feet. If you’re home, throw them in the bathtub in tepid water, not ice cold, you don’t want to cool them down too quickly as it could cause a heart attack. Go ahead and put some rubbing alcohol on them as well to cool them down faster. If this is not possible, find a hose and wet him down immediately! Take their temperature ASAP so you know what you’re dealing with. A normal temperature is 101-102, anything above 103.5 is when you get them to the vet! If they are overheating, it may be 105 to 107, try cooling them down immediately while you are calling the vet because if your vet is a ways away, they may not make it. Do not try to force the bulldog to drink! The water may go down the wrong pipe. Give him a bowl of water, and let him drink on his own!

Have rubbing alcohol and a thermometer close by at all times, especially when travelling in a car. Over excited dogs can cause themselves to overheat even if the temperature is not hot outside.

Blockages

Please make sure your dog does not chew on blankets, socks, underwear, bras, wood, etc. Anything a dog shouldn’t chew on as it can cause a blockage and if not caught in time, the dog can die. We don’t want anything happening to your puppy/dog!
Signs of a blockage in their intestines

• Projectile Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Lack of Appetite
• Laziness or Not Wanting to Play

Get your dog to the vet immediately if your dog is showing the above signs. If your dog throws up a couple days and then acts OK, then starts not eating and maybe throws up again, then acts OK, still take it to the vet as it might be a partial blockage and still needs the vet to make sure they aren’t in any danger.

FOODS TO NEVER GIVE YOUR DOG

ABSOLUTELY NO XYLITOL (a newer artificial sweetener) 1 piece of Trident Sugar Free gum (has xylitol in it) can kill a 20 lb dog, that’s how toxic it is to our pets, GUM, MUSHROOMS (all Mushrooms are toxic to dogs so make sure you get rid of the ones that grow in your yard), ALCOHOL, GRAPES, CHOCOLATE, RAISINS, AVOCADOS, MACADAMIA NUTS AND WALNUTS, COFFEE, ONIONS, APRICOT, CHERRY, PEACH PITS, RHUBARB, MILK, BACON, GARLIC, APPLE CORES, and CAFFEINE! This is not all of the foods so make sure you do your own research when giving food to your dog. People food is great for your dog as long as you know what they are allowed and what can harm them!!

Skin Problems

It has been my experience that flea shampoos cause my dogs hot spots! English Bulldogs have sensitive skin and harsh topical medicated products can cause skin irritations on your dog. I use Regular Suave Shampoo or Baby Shampoo (any gentle shampoo) on my dog. If they develop skin issues, Coconut Oil is great!! Get the Cold Pressed or Organic Coconut Oil in the Cooking Oil section of the store. Bag Balm, Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Corona Multi-Purpose Ointment work good as well. Put on once or twice daily until the irritation goes away. Some skin problems require an antibiotic, so if it persists and doesn’t go away in a few weeks, contact your vet.

Cherry Eye

It has been my experience that cherry eye is caused by the puppy getting poked in the eye, whether it be from another animals claw/toe nail, a stick when they are playing, running into the corner of a door or other object. At the first sign of a red swelling on the dogs eye, put a ribbon of Terramycin eye ointment on it for a few days and Benedryl to help the swelling. Terramycin eye ointment is not a prescription, you can get it on the internet or Tractor Supply Carries it. You can also look up videos on youtube on how to rub the dogs eye to possibly get it to go back in. If after a few days it is still swollen and looks like a cherry, then get them to the vet they will probably have to have it tucked or lasered off. It is important not to wait too long to get the cherry eye surgery.

Coughing

If your dog has a persistent cough, be sure to get them to the vet as they may have heartworm. At my vet, I can call and ask for a heartworm test by a technician without an office call charge. If the test comes back negative and they still have a cough, get them in to see the vet, it may be something else they need treated for.

Supplies

• Baby Wipes or Eye Wipes for dogs – Useful for wrinkles. – DO NOT use wipes anywhere on the dog too frequently!! If you wipe them say, every day, it causes the natural flora to be out of balance and may cause an infection. The Douxo S3 PYO are best for tail pockets.
• Douxo S3 PYO Wipes – medicated wipes useful for tail pockets, in between pads of feet, wrinkles if you’re very careful not to get it near the eyes. DO NOT wipe tail pockets every day!! Once a week or every other week is good unless there is an infection and instructed by your vet!!
• Eye Wipes for Dogs – Use these to clean the crease by a bulldogs eyes.
• Thermometer – The normal temperature of an English Bulldog is 101-102.
• Rubbing Alcohol – I put it in a spray bottle for when they overheat
• Coconut Oil – Cold Pressed or Organic found in the cooking oil section

Immune System Builder Supplements

NuVet Supplements – It’s an immune system builder to keep your dog healthy! Please check out the NuVet Supplements as I have given them to my dogs and it helped eye problems, skin coat, yeast infections, etc. The website tells it all. They also have NuVet for joints!

If you would like to order some by phone, call (800) 474-7044 and use the code 51338!

Medications by Symptom

• Benedryl – 25 mg with only 1 active ingredient (Diphenhydramine)- Useful for Bee Stings, Allergies, Bug Bites, Hives, etc. 1 tablet per 20-25 lbs
• Your puppy can get allergies just like we do. If you notice they have watery eyes, sneezing, are trying to itch their ears/eyes by pawing at them, try giving them Benedryl. A 25 lb dog can have 1- 25 mg tablet of Benedryl. I buy the pill form, as it is easy to put in peanut butter (check label for xylitol, some natural peanut butter is putting xylitol in as a sweetener and that can kill your dog) or in a small piece of Kraft American single slice cheese to give it to them.
• Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Bag Balm – Use for cleaning wounds.
• NuVet Joint Supplements – for strong bones and joints!
• Omega 3-6-9 Tablets – Give one once a day for their coat and to get their omega vitamins.

Toy Restrictions

• NO RAWHIDE OR PIG EARS!
• NO GREENIES OR DISSOLVING BONES. They do not dissolve like the manufacturer claims and they can cause a blockage!
• WestPawDesign makes strong toys for dogs that last a very long time!! Try the Hurley!!
• Stuffed Animals are OK until they start shredding them
• Any toy designated for strong or powerful chewers
• Nylabone or KONG toys are good if labeled for Strong or Powerful Chewers – DO NOT BUY TOYS MADE IN CHINA
• Heavy Duty Rope Toys are fine to play tug of war or fetch, but don’t leave them with the dog to chew on as they will swallow pieces of the rope which can cause a partial or full blockage

Books

• Dog Owners Home Vet Handbook 3rd Edition – I recommend this book for new dog owners!
• The Bulldog Bible

Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose your pet or replace veterinarian care.