Tag: bigbulldogs

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We welcome you to visit our puppies.

 

  • One of the best days I can recall as a child was the day my Dad and I went to the breeders and chose our very first Bulldog, Dynomite. I was 8 years old and have been fascinated with the little monsters ever since. My Dad & Dynomite have since passed but every time a customer stands before me and chooses his new forever friend, I can’t help but relive that awesome moment of my life that my Dad created for me.
     
    Therefore we prefer not to ship our babies. We want to meet you face to face so you can be sure you feel comfortable with us and vice versa. It’s important for us to find a forever home for our babies, not just a buyer.  And when you leave hopefully you will feel the same way I felt over 4 decades ago when I first met Dynomite. 

  • For more information on the Bulldog Puppies for sale at BigBulldogs.com call (760) 580-6084 or visit us at www.BigBulldogs.com. Also Visit us on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/bigbulldogs.
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United States Marine Corps Bulldog Mascot History & BigBulldogs.com

It is our honor to provide the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego California with their newest Bulldog Mascot, Private Manny. As a former U.S. Marine, I have always enjoyed Marine Corps history. As a Bulldog lover, the story of how the Bulldog mascot came to be has always been one of my favorites. Since the first Chesty there have been only a handful of United States Marine Corp Bulldog Mascots. Little Manny from BigBulldogs.com is named after Sgt. Johnny R. Manuelito, a Navajo Code Talker who served as a U.S. Marine during World War II. To have an opportunity to participate in Marine Corps history and have one of our baby bullies named after this  great American patriot is awesome. 
Todd Howard Cpl, USMC 1983-1987 aka, “THE BigBulldog”

Continue reading “United States Marine Corps Bulldog Mascot History & BigBulldogs.com”
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Male vs Female ? Which gender makes the best dog?

Question: I have heard many differing opinions of which gender is better in the English Bulldog breed. What is your opinion?

The BigBulldog: Better is a strong word. But finally someone asks the question that allows me to vindicate my gender. Why of course everyone knows that MALES are for sure make the best of everything. In fact every time you think of the phrase “TOP DAWG” what comes to mind? A female right? Not a chance . Sorry, once in a while I allow my chauvinism get the best of me. (just kidding)

Anyhow the question of which gender of a Bulldog makes a better pet is completely subjective. I do not believe the mannerisms, habits or drive of a Bulldog is at all indicitive of his or her gender. Many people are quick to give you their opinions, but often these opinions are based on their experience. Rarely do people have experience with more than a handfull of Bulldogs at best. If they have owned 5 Bulldogs over a 20 year period then the truth is, they have very little experience. 

When you choose a English Bulldog or a French Bulldog you should NOT make a decision based on the gender in my opinion. I tell every customer to allow the dog to choose them. Take your time, and never be in a rush to choose your new companion. When its the right fit, you will both know.

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Spaying and Neutering your Bulldog.

Question: At what age should I have my Bulldog fixed? My Vet said that it was very important to have them fixed so that they don’t have a high cancer risk, but not to do it until he is at least 1 year old so that he grows to full size. Do you agree with this?

The BigBulldog: I have heard many Veterinarians state that altering the pet early in life will help prevent certain types of cancers, and the pet will live longer. I agree that if a male dog does not have his testicles then his chances of contracting testicular cancer goes to zero….. But then again if I have my liver removed, then you can bet 100% that I will not have liver cancer. Right? 

I do believe in spaying and neutering. It makes for a much better more peaceful/ calm less anxious pet. All of our dogs are sold as pets and we do not sell to breeders. However if you want to breed back within my organization, then I always guarantee to take the puppies and find them a home should the owner of the Mom Bulldog not be successful in doing so.

Years ago I was told the same thing regarding waiting until the dog was 1 year old so that he grows to his full size before getting him neutered. I assure you that this is one of those wives tales that has been passed from generation to generation and is entirely untrue. I have seen some of the biggest most muscular English Bulldogs and French Bulldogs that were neutered at 6 months as I recommend and other small lanky thin Bulldogs that was neutered at 1 year of age or more. The bottom line is genetics, not testicles.

In my opinion if you want a great dog, neuter or spay at 6 months. Its more important in Males to neuter at this age before he develops all of those embarrassingly disgusting male habits like humping your stuffed animals, lipstick display and lifting his leg and doing the pee pee dance everywhere.

Heck come to think of it, I would have been much better off if my parents had neutered me at 6 months old. How about you???

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Demodex Mange

Do I have a poorly bred dog because he has DEMODEX?

Many veterinarians believe that all dogs have small numbers of Demodex mites residing in the skin and that having a few mites is normal and common. It is when immune related, or nutritional or environmental stresses impact the dog that visible skin lesions from mite infestations become noticeable.

Can Demodex mites be inherited?

ANSWER: No. The mites are not present on the fetus while the fetus is developing from an embryo in the uterus. However, if the mother has Demodex mites present in/on her skin, the mites can invade the new fetus’ skin immediately after birth. Since many dogs have Demodex mites present in their skin, and never actually develop noticeable skin lesions, the mother may not even be showing any signs of mites and yet transmit mites to the newborn pups. The pups may or may not develop a clinical case of mites

What are the accepted Treatments for Demodex in the dog?
Mitaban was a commonly used treatment for Demodex and had a proven record of successes. This prescription-only product is diluted with water and applied to the dog’s skin according to the product directions. Repeated applications are almost always required. This product may no longer be available. On occasion a veterinarian may decide to use a product called Ivermectin. This product must be very carefully calculated regarding dosages that are effective and not toxic. The use of Ivermectin in treating Demodex needs to be discussed with the owner prior to use since it has not been labeled for use against Demodex. Another treatment that is sometimes used is oral milbemycin given daily for six to eight weeks. Lime-Sulphur dips have been used in the past and some veterinarians continue to prefer this therapy for demodex. Ivermectin in fairly high doses is also used… with owner’s consent and with caution!

frank-mange1   1-25-6
2-24-6

Frank:

We rescued Frank from his owner who was at her wits end in his treatment. They no longer had the time or willingness to help him. Two months later he has recovered 100% and currently lives with a wonderful family in Southern CA. We have been able to keep his Demodex suppressed and he has had no further outbreaks. Franks new family absolutely adores him. Can you tell? Fank has been free from symptoms for more than a year now and is doing awesome. We love you Frank.

Hi Todd & Family,

It’s the Brooks Family here in Yorba Linda, CA. We adopted the Magnificant Frank back in June 2006. You had resuced him from a prior owner when he was suffering from Mange. Well….he is GORGEOUS!! Fat & happy. (he’s on a bit of diet right now). We thought we would send some photos taken yesterday at the lake right down the street from our house.

Hope all is well with you & your family.
Dow, Megan, Daniella & Frank “The Tank” Brooks
xoxoxoxo 7-27-08

Drucilla:

A year or so ago, one of our associate rescue groups, Animal Pals in Temecula called us to rescue Drucilla. She was found walking the streets with a terrible case of Demodex. After 2 months of treatment she was totally cured and has been mange free since.

This picture does not show the real magnatude of the Demodex. It is my belief that her owners, put her out instead of spending the money to fix her. What a shame. She is a great dog. We spayed her and she currently lives with my friend in Riverside County, CA. I will get a picture of her soon and post her NOW picture. She is gorgeous.

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Cherry Eye

Unlike you and I the dog has a third eyelid. Cherry eye is the herniation of the gland behind this third eyelid. This herniated gland will hang out of the corner of the eye appearing like a large cherry, thus called a cherry eye.

Bulldogs in general have a genetic weakness of this glands normal attachments. Usually this condition occurs in pups from 8-16 weeks of age. Often times if a Bulldog has a cherry eye, within a few months, the second eye will likely become affected. 

Recent studies show that this gland is responsible for producing 20-30% of the tear volume to the eye. Therefore removal of the gland is not recommended. Many vets argue that Bulldogs have dry eyes by nature and they will remove the gland in its entirety and see no future problems in doing so. I personally do not recommend removal. BigBulldogs.com believes the gland serves a function and should be repositioned to its original location. It is a very simple procedure and can be done very quickly with few complications. Cherry eye has a recurrence rate of less than 10% when done by an experienced vet. 

It looks much worse than it is and contrary to what you think, he is not in pain. They can develope them with no warning. If your Bully develops a cherry eye, you may be able to push it back in temporarily. Normally it will reappear within a short period of time, so we usually recommend having them repaired. It is not an emergency so you do not need to rush him in and pay emergency bills. However our advice is to get him in within a week so no further damage may occur. 

If your vet chooses to snip instead of tuck, don’t get too wigged out. Remember that many Bulldogs who have both of these glands in tact and never had a cherry eye, often develope a blockage resulting in dry eye. I guess it’s just a Bully Thang.

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Elongated Soft Palate

Because of their Brachycephalic nature (short noses) every bulldog has an elongated soft palate to some extent. This is the most common breathing disorder. The soft palate is the flap of skin at the back of the throat. If the palate is too long and thick, it blocks the airway making it difficult for the dog to breathe. The dog can also choke on or spit up pieces of kibble and even pass out from lack of air. Signs are excessive panting, unable to calm down quickly when excited, making a weed eater starting type sound, and possibly vomiting frequently. Loud snoring and/or loud, raspy breathing when overheated is another symptom. Heat and exercise will cause loud, gurgly breathing, (aka “roaring”). The severity can range from loud breathing when excited, during/after exercise to total exercise intolerance.

An experienced Bulldog breeder or experienced Bulldog vet can check the palate by looking down the dog’s throat, many times while the dog is awake if he/she is calm and will allow it. Otherwise, a mild sedative can be given so that the vet can do a thorough check.

Surgery can be performed but is not suggested until the dog is about a year old as the palate may still grow. Earlier surgery is only recommended in a very severe case. In these cases a second surgery is usually necessary at a later date. Sometimes the dog may need to have laryngeal saccules or tonsils removed also, and the vet will do this during the palate clip if required.

Laser surgery is now the most common way to shorten the palate. It cauterizes as it cuts, which cuts down the bleeding and swelling, and lessens recovery time. During post-op recovery, only soft food should be given to allow the throat time to heal. Hard kibble can be irritating. Rice/ground beef or chicken, soft dog food, eggs, oatmeal and even baby food are some of the meals that can be fed. Kibble can also be softened with hot water.

Most people are searching for the stereotypical Bully with a really pushed in nose. Remember the more pushed in the nose, the more likelihood of an elongated pallet. I have seen these surgeries cost as much as $1500. My group cost is around $400 bucks out the door. Healing time varies by dog but normal time is between 2-3 weeks.

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Heat Exhaustion

Bigulldogs.com warns that Bulldogs are extremely prone to heat exhaustion. These are a few recommendations from The BIGBULLDOG that will keep your Bully, fat and happy as the summer temperatures soar.

__ We live in a climate of southern California where the average low winter temps fall to 30 F in the winter and climbs to the mid to upper 90’s in the summer. Many of our Bully’s prefer to live outside. They live, run and play over our acreage. These Bully’s are acclimated to the hot weather as well as the cold. The do not undergo extreme changes daily from an air conditioned environment to the hot yard. They remain consistent. Therefore they are able to regulate their metabolism and can withstand heat far greater than the average Bully. This is not true to the average spoiled, coddled, house dwelling Bulldog. They will not withstand the heat and will die if overly exposed.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends that you have fresh cool water available to Bully at all times. ½ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in his water will help to keep the phlegm levels down on really hot days.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends the uses of common sense. If it is comfortable for you it is comfortable for him. If you are hot, he’s hotter. Typically 85 degrees F and above are considered hazardous to Bully.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends that when its hot, if you are not home DON’T let him have free access to the yard. Bulldogs love the sun. He will sun bathe and overheat before he realizes it and you won’t be there to save him.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends that you provide a cool shaded place inside with a fan blowing to circulate air in the room. Do not give him direct access to air condition vent blowing directly on him. This could cause him to get sick. Bully’s love cool floors.

__ If he needs to go outside – BigBulldogs.com recommends that you monitor him, don’t let him lay out in the sun and bring him straight back in again once he has gone potty. Spray him with cold water from a water bottle if necessary to keep his skin cool.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends to NEVER leave your Bulldog in the car. It only takes 2 minutes for him to suffer heat exhaustion if the conditions are right.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends that you never walk your Bully in Hot weather. Bulldogs often walk out but expect to be carried back. If you must, do it at times of the day that are comfortable. Also the roads can be very hot. Always place the backside of your hand in the road to test the heat. If it burns your hand, just think what it is doing to Bully’s feet.

What to do if Bully is overheated.

__ Remember time is of the essence, but you must Remain Calm. Bully gets excited when you get excited. The more excited he gets, causes his throat to close up and become more restrictive. Pet him and speak to him calmly.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends that you DON’T force an overheating dog to drink water. Offer the water, but if refused don’t force the issue. You may use a syringe or a water bottle with a squeeze cap to place water, Gatorade or a glucose (sugar) solution in his mouth, but DO NOT SQUIRT IT DOWN HIS THROAT. He could suck it down the wrong tube, get it into his lungs and choke to death. He must lick it. Place it in the corner of his mouth/ on his tongue and ensure that he licks it.

__ Panting is a good thing. This is how they release body heat. However if he has that abnormal roaring sound like he is having an asthma attack then you should assume that he is overheating and you must cool him down fast.

__ BigBulldogs.com recommends keeping on hand a couple bottles of Isopropyl Alcohol. Should overheating occur, pour over Bully’s back to saturate his whole body. The alcohol will cool him down fast. (DO NOT GET INTO EYES.) I once got alcohol into my eyes and it burns worse than fire. 

__ If possible, stand him in a tub of cold water and pour/ shower the cold water over his body, especially his head until his breathing is much calmer. Dogs expell heat from their foot pads, therefore standing him in cool water will enhance overall cooling. 

__ You should keep a 60 ml syringe on hand. A 60 ml cold water enema can assist in getting his temp down as well. This actually works great.

__ If you cannot calm the dog in the bath GO STRAIGHT TO THE VET!!!! Keep him as cool as possible on the trip. Apply wet towels, ice packs, put ice in a plastic bag, frozen veggies or whatever is necessary. If you have air conditioning in your car, keep it on high directly on Bully.

BigBulldogs.com wants you the enjoy the summertime with your Bully. Please therefore take the necessary precautions so that he will be around for you to take snowboarding this winter as well.

Warm Regards,

The BIGBULLDOG
www.bigbulldogs.com

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English Bulldog Pneumonia and French Bulldog Pneumonia

Coming Soon!

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Hypoplastic Tracheas in English Bulldogs and French Bulldogs

Q- BigBulldog my 12 week old Bulldog puppy has been coughing and wheezing for the past few days so we took him to the Vet. He was diagnosed with a Hypoplastic Trachea. The Vet told us that he would continue to get worse and we will probably have to put him to sleep. This really concerns us because we love him so much. He still eats well and plays, but coughs at night and seems to get tired rather quickly. When we contacted the breeder, they said not to worry about it that he would most likely grow out of it! Does this make any sense? Even though we love him to pieces, I cannot bear to have my kids become more attached to a pup that we will have to put down. Do you have any advice or knowledge on this subject? Thank you Jackie.

The BigBulldog: Jackie, Thank You for your question, This really strikes a nerve with me, so get ready cause here it comes.“ DO NOT PUT YOUR DOG TO SLEEP.” If this is your desire, bring him to me and I will take him off your hands. Wanna know what I’ll do? I’ll treat him with antibiotics and gentamicin for 10 days or so, wait a month for him to have a growth spurt, then I will sell him to a wonderful family for full price and give a 1 year health guarantee. These half cocked Vets make me furious. I have heard these types of stories over and over again as well as experienced it personally at least 100 times. In fact over 75% of the time when some “Specialist Vet” diagnosis a severe hypoplastic trachea on a Bulldog pup, he’s wrong.

“IT IS COMMON FOR BULLDOGS TO HAVE A SMALLER THAT NORMAL SIZE TRACHEA.……ESPECIALLY AS PUPPIES.

NORMAL SIZE TRACHEA – A normal size trachea is about the thickness of the spine. Rarely will you ever see this in Bulldogs.

LESS THAN ADEQUATE SIZE TRACHEA – 50-80% less than the spine thickness. This you often see in Bulldogs and most of the time they grow out of it. 

SEVERLY HYPOPLASTIC TRACHEA – 20% or less than the size of their spine. Most of the time the pup will die.

All Bulldogs have a degree of what is referred to as Brachycephalic Syndrome. This simply means that they have a pushed in nose. This characteristic is what makes a Bulldog a Bulldog as well as what makes a Bulldog prone to several respiratory issues. (Breathing Problems)

The severity of the issue is determined by what genetic degree of narrowing has actually occurred. Here are a few symptomatic examples that I have experienced;

1. SEVERELY HYPOPLASTIC TRACHEA- Puppy is small, thin and lethargic. He has chronic respiratory infections as well as pneumonia. He cannot seem to get comfortable irregardless of what he does. He cannot play with the litter mates and he sits with his head tilted straight back, nose pointing to the sky so that it straightens out his trachea in order for him to breathe. This is a very sad condition and nothing currently can be done to remedy this problem. I have NEVER seen this degree of Hypoplastic Trachea become better. The only humane thing to do here is to euthanize him.

2. LESS THAN ADEQUATE SIZE TRACHEA- Puppy is full size and healthy looking. He eats well, is energetic and plays. Often times there is no warning at all because the trachea is normal size until he is 8-10 weeks old. He then has a growth spurt but the trachea does not grow and remains the same. Then he develops an abnormal cough/ wheeze and or raspy throat sounds that often leads to an upper respiratory infection that is stubborn to get rid of. However he does improve little by little and eats well and remains reasonably energetic. (BEWARE not to confuse this with a basic cold or pneumonia. Baby Bulldogs can have a normal size trachea and still suffer from upper respiratory issuesas well as pneumonia quite frequently. We are specifically speaking of (Hypoplastic Tracheas) here. In some instances baby Bulldogs eat so fast that they actually choke on their food and can actually pass out because of lack of oxygen. In all cases when you suspect an abnormally small trachea, you should softened their kibble with warm water, or place a large rock in their bowl so that they actually have to work to get to the food rather than inhale it.

Years ago when the symptoms of LESS THAN ADEQUATE would prevail, I’d run Bully to the vet and get a chest X-Ray and most of the time Doc would say, “This pup has a less than adequate size trachea. Go home and treat him for upper respiratory for 14 days and wait a month or two. As you know he needs to have a big growth spurt so that his trachea can grow to adequate size.” I have seen or heard of this hundreds of times through the years. “It’s just a Bulldog Thang. “
Often times my client does absolutely opposite of what I recommend to them. They believe that ALL VETS ARE THE SAME. Every week I field a phone call or two where a Vet scares the heck out of my client by wowing them with their veterinary expertise and scholastic degrees making them believe that I’m nothing more than a stupid know nothing low rent white trash dumb breeder. (I love these guys.)

Hey folks……”ALL” Bulldogs have a smaller than average trachea. (Espicially when they are babies……) 

This happens so frequently that I have decided to dedicate a section to them on my website. Name to be determined.

I am not posting this information to make any person look bad. I have never met this vet below and know nothing of her character. However if she is going to give my client WRONG information and advise her to return the dog to me as well as KILL ONE OF MY SWEET BABY BULLDOGS because of her ignorance, then I choose to put the information out so you can become more educated and BEWARE of how uninformed a licensed vet can be.

Bottom line the vet stated in writing that the pup had a “SEVERLY HYPOPLASTIC TRACHEA AND SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE BREEDER.” SHE ALSO TOLD THEM VERBALLY THAT THE PUP SHOULD BE EUTHANIZED.

Fortunately for the Bulldog baby, the client called me and asked my opinion before they did anything drastic. They came up the next day to return the pup as their vet suggested. Instead, we took her to see Dr. Eaton who see’s hundreds of Bulldogs per month until she recently retired. As you see in the pdf file below according to Dr. Eaton, THE PUPS TRACHEA SIZE FOR HER AGE WAS NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY SMALL. NOT SEVERELY HYPOPLASTIC. I might also add that Dr. Eaton was 100% correct in her prognosis of this pup because we treated her with antibiotics for a couple of weeks and she was good to go thereafter. In fact it’s been over a two and a half years and she has had ZERO Trachea problems. 

Please note to pay special attention to the yellow highlighted areas. 
(A/O means Advice to Owner) and the trachea is the dark line that goes down the middle of the pups chest and dumps into the stomach. How would you judge it?

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VET RECORDS FROM A SEVERE MIS-DIAGNOSIS OF ONE OF MY BABIES.

So Miss Jackie with all that said it is my advice to you to get the professional opinion of someone who see’s hundreds of Bulldogs per month rather than your average run of the mill vet no matter what letters and or degrees they have after their name. A vet can be your Bulldogs BEST FRIEND or WORST NIGHTMARE. It is solely up to you to do your homework. I completely agree with your breeder. Keep an eye on him and give him time to grow. Most likely he will be fine in a month or so. Find yourself a Bulldog Vet and listen to him. Not someone who says they are a Bulldog vet. Someone that has seen thousands of Bulldogs. Let me know if I can point you towards one. I have counted over 80 Bulldogs in the waiting room at my vets office during a single 2 hour visit. Go figure.