English Bulldog puppies - colostrum the important first food

Immediately after birth, English Bulldog females produce a special type of milk
called colostrum. Newborn English Bulldog puppies, through a process we do
not fully understand, are able to absorb the large maternal antibodies into their
blood system through their intestinal wall.
Colostrum offers protection from a number of infectious diseases, and can only
be absorbed for the first 18 hours of life ( or less )
It is not uncommon to bring your English Bulldog female home from her c-section
and there is no colostrum. You can talk with your veterinarian, and have them
draw blood from your female ( or any well vaccinated dog ) Your veterinarian
will spin the blood down and collect the serum. Each puppy should receive about
1 cc of serum either by SQ injection or by giving it slowly by mouth. It is best if
you can repeat the serum in 12 hours. Giving serum to each puppy ensures that
they will be protected, just as thou they received colostrum.

Sudden Death in pregnant Bulldogs

By Terri Cook & Michelle Peres

As long time breeders of Bulldogs, together with years of experience it can be devastating to lose a pregnant female Bulldog just days before they are due to have their puppies. Breeding Bulldogs is a task that should not be taken lightly and should be well thought out in advance.

In some of our past experiences pregnancy in a Bulldog that is carrying a large litter or carrying excess fluid during their pregnancies can be dangerous, even life threatening. You should always consult with your veterinarian about their care, proper diagnosis and course of treatment of your pregnant Bulldog.

It is not uncommon for Bulldogs to carry some extra fluid when they are pregnant, some will carry more fluid than others. Bulldogs that are carrying larger litters or carrying excess fluid can put tremendous pressure on their lungs; with all this pressure on their lungs carbon dioxide builds up causing respiratory acidosis. The build up of acid in the Bulldogs body causes large amounts of potassium to be released from the cells into the blood and sodium levels to drop. High potassium levels can cause heart arrhythmias and if the potassium levels are not controlled it can lead to cardiac arrest. Some signs of high potassium levels are nausea; some pregnant females will stop eating, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness or muscle tremors. Please note in the final last week of a Bulldogs pregnancy it is not uncommon for some Bulldogs to experience some of the above symptoms due to the pressure of carrying growing puppies. In the final days of a normal Bulldog pregnancy without any complications some Bulldogs may stop eating, feel nausea or vomiting and some may experience some loose stools or diarrhea. Experienced Bulldog breeders know their female Bulldogs normal behavior, you know your female, our advice if you feel your female Bulldog is over stressed during her pregnancy by carrying a large litter or excess fluid you should seek the advice of your veterinarian. We have found from our own past experiences that having your pregnant female Bulldog who is showing signs of stress from carrying a large litter, excess fluid or complications during her pregnancy be evaluated by your Veterinarian. In our own past experiences our Veterinarians evaluated our pregnant females and have done blood work/blood panels checking their potassium, sodium, calcium and glucose levels. Depending on what their blood work/panels results were determined the course of treatment for high potassium levels administered by our veterinarian which were IV fluids of sodium chloride, sodium chloride which has electrolytes and sodium i.e. salt, IV fluids may need to be given over several days in small amounts by your veterinarian depending on results of their blood work/panels, also depending on their blood work/panels your veterinarian may add glucose and calcium to their sodium chloride. Raising the level of sodium, glucose and if needed according to their blood panels calcium will help bring down the high potassium levels back into balance. If your pregnant Bulldog is carrying excess fluid, more excessive than normal some veterinarians may also give a diuretic such as Lasix to increase urination, potassium is also eliminated from the body through urine. Only Veterinarians should determine after evaluating your pregnant female if a diuretic should be administered giving the proper dosage and duration it should be used.

In conclusion from our own past experiences in breeding Bulldogs this is some of the complications we have experienced. We always seek the advice of our veterinarians, taking our pregnant females who are showing to be stressed or having complications during their pregnancy to our veterinarian to be evaluated for proper diagnosis and what course of treatment should be preformed.

Staph skin infections in bulldogs

Staphylococcus bacteria ( staph ) are normally present on the skin of
all dogs as well as humans.Usually staph infections are secondary
infections caused by something else. What this means is, that
something must be compromising the dogs skin's ability to fight off
infection to allow a staph infection to occur. The most common
reason for recurring or chronic staph infections in dogs are allergies.
Your vet may recommend that your dog also be checked for
parasites or low thyroid ( these can also weaken the immune system )
In dogs staph infections can look like red bumps/ pimples, or round
areas that look like ringworm. Treatment involves medicated
shampoo's, such as a shampoo that contains chlorhexidine or
benzoyl peroxide, oral antibiotics ( sometimes for as long as 6 to 8
weeks ) and if allergies are the cause,  also giving an antihistimine
such as benadryl.

Interdigital Pyoderma/ Cysts in English Bulldogs

Interdigital pyoderma is a common problem in bulldogs. The
most common cause is a deep bacterial infection caused by
staph bacteria. Bulldogs have short bristly hairs between
the toes on the bottom of there foot. The short hairs are
easily forced backwards into the hair follicles as the dog
walks. Hair is very inflammatory to the skin, and a secondary
bacterial infection is very common. Allergic dermatitis is also
a common cause of cysts that keep coming back.
Treatment   
1. foot soaks with "Epsom salts " and warm water. Epsom salt 
    will bring the cyst to a head so that it will drain. 
2. foot soaks with " chlorhexiderm " Chlorhexiderm is an
    antibacterial solution that will kill bacteria.
    Foot soaks should last for about 10 minutes.
3. dry the foot
4. after drying apply panalog ointment or preparation H.
5. repeat the foot soaks daily until the swelling is gone.
Sometimes the interdigital pyoderma keeps coming back.
In these cases a combination of topical ( foot soaks ) and
systemic ( antibiotics ) therapy is needed. It may be difficult
for antibiotics to reach all the way to the source of the
infection, sometimes treatment for 3 to 8 weeks may be
needed.

Crate training your English Bulldog puppy

Crate training your English Bulldog puppy has many benefits,
it creates a den-like enclosure, it will help you house break
your puppy, and it will prevent destructive chewing.
For English bulldogs we recommend a wire crate ( they have
better air circulation, so your puppy will not get to warm, in
the winter you can cover the crate with a blanket or crate
cover ) As long as you keep a few rules in mind, crate
training can be wonderful. Puppies under 4 months old have
little bladder or sphincter control. Puppies under 3 months
have even less. Very young puppies under 9 weeks old should
not be crated, they need to eliminate very frequently ( usually
8 to 12 times a day or more ) 
Crate Duration guidelines
9-10 weeks  approx. 30 - 60 minutes
11-14 weeks  approx. 1 - 3 hours
15-16 weeks  approx. 3 - 4 hours
17+ weeks  approx. 4 + ( 6 hours maximum )
Except for overnight, neither a puppy or adult dog should be
crated for more than 5 hours at a time ( 6 hours maximum )
NEVER use the crate as a form of punishment for your puppy
or dog. This simply makes the dog fear and resent the crate.
Your puppy should be happy to go into his crate at anytime.
You can use the crate as a brief time-out for your bulldog
puppy as a way to discourage nipping or excessive rowdiness.
Do not allow children to play or handle your dog while they
are in the crate. The crate is your dogs sanctuary, and they
need to be able to have a place to go if they need to get away
from something, and know they are safe when they are in it.
Important reminders
If your bulldog puppy has an accident in the crate while you
are out, do not punish him when you return, simply wash out the
crate.
Always remove your bulldogs collar before confining them in
the crate, even buckle collars can get stuck on the bars of the
crate. If you leave a collar on your puppy or dog use the
"breakaway" safety collars.
Be certain your puppy has eliminated before being crated.
Introducing your bulldog puppy to the crate
Drop small pieces of kibble or dog treats in the crate, when
your puppy goes in to investigate the crate they will find edible
treasures. You can also feed your puppy inside the crate.
In the beginning praise and pet your puppy when they go into
the crate. Do not push, pull or force the puppy into the crate.
It is helpful to first crate your puppy for short periods of time
while you are home.
Alternative methods of confining your puppy
If your puppy is to young or you need to leave for an
extended time ( longer than the recommended time ) use a
small to medium sized area with a non-porous floor. Set
the crate with food and water at one end with some news
papers several feet away. Confine your puppy to this area
with a child gate. Your puppy will feel less isolated if you
use a child gate rather than a solid door.

Tough toys for your English Bulldog !

Buying toys that can stand up to the chewing ability of bulldogs
can be pretty daunting. Cute stuffed toys and squeak toys don't
stand a chance! Here are some good toys for bulldogs that can
take a bulldogs chewing.
Nylabones - they last forever !
Deer Antlers - my dogs love these, just be sure to buy the large
size.
Please don't give your bulldog rawhides, pigs ears or greenies.
Besides upsetting your bulldogs stomach they get rawhides
and pigs ears soggy from chewing on them and will try to
swallow them whole !
Kongs - these are great toys, you can stuff them with all kinds
of things..
stuff them with peanut butter and freeze them
mix peanut butter and some dry dog food and freeze
small pieces of apple ( skin removed )
put some peanut butter ( or something gooey ) into the small
hole on the top of the kong, mix some canned dog food and
water and pour into the kong then freeze.
Kongs can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Balls - solid rubber ( make sure to buy a large size, so your
bulldog won't try to swallow them )

Pinched nostrils in Bulldogs

Stenotic nares ( also called pinched nostrils ) can be seen
in bulldogs, or any breed of dog bred for short noses.
Stenotic nares are relatively simple to diagnose by
looking at the size of the opening of the nostril. You will
see your dog breathing threw there mouth more than
normal, and they will also make wheezing sounds when
there mouth is closed. The narrowing restricts the
amount of air that can flow into the nostrils. I have
seen pinched nostrils in young puppies, but as they
grow a lot of times the nostrils will get wider. You
should have your bulldog puppy looked at by your
veterinarian and if the nostrils are still pinched when
the puppy is around 6 months old then have them
surgically corrected. The surgery is quite simple, a
wedge of tissue is removed and then sutured. Some
veterinarians are now using laser surgery to correct
stenotic nares.