Tag: english bulldog

Categories
FAQ's

Can Bulldogs Swim by Todd Howard BigBulldogs.com?

Todd Howard BigBulldogs.com: Hi, I have always been told and read on every Bulldog website that Bulldogs cannot swim. However I live here in Southern California and my neighbor has a nice pool and 2 Bulldogs that are great swimmers. Why does everyone say they can’t swim when its not true?

The better question to ask.  Is it safe for me to allow my Bulldog to swim? I have experienced many Bulldogs that love to swim and do a great job…..However I do not advise it. Why? Because Bulldogs do not have a good respiratory system and are cardio challenged. 

Every summer I receive phone calls from wonderful loving people who lost their Bulldog in a drowning accident that should not have happened. All it takes is for the temperature and humidity to be higher than normal and Bully to be a little more tired than normal and tragedy can strike.

BigBulldogs.com advice for people who teach their Bulldogs to swim.

1. Don’t teach them to swim in the first place….. but if you must.
2. Ensure that your pool is secured by a fence when you are absent.
3. Get Bully a life jacket and make him wear it. 
4. Make sure that he knows where the steps are so that he has a chance to get out should he accidentally fall in.
5. Do not use a soft pool cover. If Bully falls in, he will have no chance because the cover will swallow him up preventing him from swimming. 

All in all, I don’t think its a good idea to teach Bully to swim in the first place. I so hate to get those phone calls.

Categories
FAQ's

How often should I clean my Bulldogs Wrinkles?

Every Bulldog book that I read says that I must clean Bully’s face wrinkles daily. How often do you think that I should clean my Bulldogs Wrinkles?

Each week at least 3 people will call or email me, stating that their Bully has a rash or infection in his facial creases and ask me what they should do about it.

I always ask the following question. Are you cleaning them properly? They always respond, yes every day just like I am supposed to.

You might know by reading through my site that I am not the most conventional follow the rules, do what everyone else does kind of guy. You might say that I’m sort of a Rebel. In fact I teach my 13 year old son if everyone is moving to the left, then you may strongly consider moving to the right. haha 

Therefore when I research and read, I only use the information that I obtain as a tool, not always the gospel truth as many people do. I know every Bulldog book in print says that you must clean Bully’s wrinkles daily to prevent an infection. This never made sense to me. When you clean Bully’s Wrinkles daily, you are actually wiping away Bully’s good bacteria from under his folds. This good bacteria is necessary in fighting off bad bacteria and infections. In my mind that was a recipe for disaster to which has proven to be correct.

In response to your question:
1. I have never once cleaned a Bulldogs Wrinkles other than when bathing.
2. I have never once had a Bulldog that had an infection between the wrinkles.

So you may ask, what do I do if I already have a problem.
1. Wash area with warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly and dry.
2. Apply Betadine on the effected area with a cotton ball, completely saturating the area.
3. Ask your Veterinarian to place Bully on an antibiotic called Cephalexin for 14 days.
4. One week later, re-apply the Betadine.
5. Leave it alone.

I know it sounds simple, but remember you don’t have to believe everything that you hear or read. Much false information comes from very nice well meaning people who are merely passing on false information that they believe is true. The content on my site is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any health conditions. It is merely my opinions and many remedies that I have learned through my vast experience as a Bulldog breeder.  I hope this helps you. 

Categories
FAQ's

My Bulldog has been diagnosed with Severe Hip Dysplasia , Demodex Mange, Subluxating Pattellas and Cherry Eye. What do I do?

Question: We spoke to you in the past and you said if we had any questions or needed your advise about bulldogs to feel free to ask. We purchased a bully that is 6 months old now from what we now understand was a hobby breeder ;( From 2 months after we picked her up the Vet has been watching her patella’s and radiograph confirmed them grade 3 sub-luxation.  Radiograph also confirm moderate to severe hip dysplasia the balls are mushroom shape.  She has a case of Cherry Eye and is being treated for demodex mange.  Our English Bulldog is only six months old.  What would u do? What in ur opinion is the outlook for her?  We are so upset.

 

The BigBulldog: Don’t be upset. Sounds like a Bulldog thang to me. (haha)  First unless your BigBulldog is having real knee problems, I would not be concerned with her patellas. (If she is limping, it is often times growing pains, not her patellas taht causes her to limp, even if they show signs of subluxation.) Time and a good Vet that’s not trying to rip u off will tell the story. Even if she does have patella subluxation, many times it does not become problematic for the Bulldog for his or her whole life. Its not like your Bulldog is a marathon runner. Right?

Secondly MANY English Bulldogs are mis-diagnosed withe Severe Hip dysplasia. I have heard this a diagnosed hundred times and it not be the case. (see the article in www.BigBulldogs.com for (Growth Development / Hip & Joint Problems) The English Bulldog relies heavily on the muscles to hold his/her hips in place. Most ALL English Bulldogs have very shallow joints. Some Bulldogs hips are not even in the joint at all, and have zero problems. He is only 6 months old and going through all sorts of growth patterns, allow him time to grow until she’s at least 2 years old. (I would advise for you to keep him on Adult food, not puppy. I use IAMS Adult Mini Chunk.) Adult food has less protein and causes Bullie to grow slower, which is good. More times than not the problems will be non existant when he is full grown.

Thirdly the good old Cherry Eye. Complely normal, nothing to be upset about. (See the Cherry Eye article on my website www.BigBulldogs.com) it will help to explain it better.
Fourthly Demodex (see  the Demodex article on my website www.BigBulldogs.com). Completely normal and once again, nothing to get steamed over. (I’d guess that he had a Rabies Shot within a month of showing Demodex symptoms. Right? My dogs receive Ivermectin monthly to alleviate the possibilities of this normal problem.

Lastly…Why is you breeder not telling you this??? See you should have purchase your dog from me? Haha. If you had you would be 100% educated and you would not be upset. Remember, Most people want to blame the breeder first without having all of the facts. In my opinion, it sounds like you are in ok shape. So calm down and wait to see. I bet your Bulldog ends up just fine. Hope this helps.   

Todd Howard
“The Big Bulldog”