English Bulldog
THE ENGLISH BULLDOG IS A GENTLE MUSCLE MACHINE
The English Bulldog is a relatively large bundle of fun. This breed usually weighs about 60-65 pounds and is solid as an ox! The English Bulldog is the typical dog seen in many of Warner Brothers cartoons. The big, strong English Bulldog that lumbers out of his doghouse being annoyed that he was being bothered by Sylvester the cat! Deep down, the English Bulldog is a big baby. It may be a big baby but this dog is a muscle machine and I would wager it could pull a VW Beetle if parked in neutral! Years ago, the breed was actually used to take down bulls! Hence, its name. The breed is very good with children and is very durable with young children since it is built like a Sherman Tank.
WHAT DID YOU SAY NORTON?
Like the Boston Terrier, the English Bulldog makes all types of sounds such as wheezing, snoring and the like. I have always loved working on them. To me, they have always come off as being half human. In a practice in Florida, where I used to work, I had the pleasure of taking care of Norton. I used to call him Snortin’ Norton. He actually would sit on the bench next to the owner and I would sit to his right. I would talk to Norton and ask him: “What brings you in today Norton!”
EXPENSIVE BREED TO OWN
English Bulldogs need a reasonable amount of exercise and should probably not be confined to small apartments. The English Bulldog loves being outdoors so the better environment would be a property where the dog has space to run and burn off some of its abundant energy. This breed has a bracheocephalic type skull like many other breeds. This skull type pushes the nose and sinus cavities almost flat to the eyes giving the English Bulldog a “flat face” look. Taking care of an English Bulldog requires a lot of work and financial resources. The English Bulldog is the most expensive breed of dog to take care of, from a medical point of view. Almost everything seems to go wrong! Due to the head structure this breed is highly susceptible to heat stroke.
Breathing is made very difficult by the tortuous sinus tracts plus all of them have a longer than normal (elongated) soft palate. This sometimes has to be resected by laser surgery. The English Bulldog has more skin folds than almost any other breed of dog; particularly around the head. Owners have to insure that they use specially formulated wipes to get into the folds and clean them out on a daily basis. If you do not do this, you will be dealing with chronic bacterial and yeast infections. A lot of the spayed females I have seen are overweight. This condition can lead to back and other orthopedic ailments.
DIFFICULT BIRTHS
Breeding English Bulldog animals is not easy either. Just look at that gigantic head of theirs! That means it is very difficult for a baby English Bulldog to pass through the birth canal. The majority of EnglishBulldogs are delivered by Cesarean Section. I have done this many a time. Because of their head structure, they can develop sinus infections and other respiratory diseases. The English Bulldog is not the most glamorous dog! As they get older, and if they are overweight, they often have problems just standing up and will use their elbows to help them get up. This leads to thick, calloused skin and also hygromas; which is fluid contained inside a joint and or around it that has to be drained/excised. For all the health deficiencies, the English Bulldog makes up for it with its spirit, strength and love of human companionship. A great dog! Learn more about the English Bulldog at Animal Planet’s® Dog Breed Selector.