British bulldogs health

Al 25

Hey can you guys help me out my pal is a proud bulldog owner and he reckons that when he bought his British bulldog and he paid 3000+ euro and he did so in the belief was that the breeding was so good that he would have a far healthier dog and that bulldogs that are sold for around a 1000 euro would not be as healthy as his dog and he reckons that bulldogs like his do have healthier lives and have little to none health problems , hence he had no problem paying that much .
So is it a myth that ALL bulldogs have serious health problems

andreac

Hi Al. What can we help you with?

English Bulldogs in general wouldn't have the best reputation health wise and do suffer quite a bit.

Is your friend having issues even though he paid big money or what's wrong?

Al 25

andreac wrote: »

Hi Al. What can we help you with?

English Bulldogs in general wouldn't have the best reputation health wise and do suffer quite a bit.

Is your friend having issues even though he paid big money or what's wrong?

Hi no just wondering the more money you pay from a reputable breeder is there a lower risk of health issues in this breed is that the reason for the high price .Are breeders striving for the best healthiest pups.

Nody

Al 25 wrote: »

Hi no just wondering the more money you pay from a reputable breeder is there a lower risk of health issues in this breed is that the reason for the high price .Are breeders striving for the best healthiest pups.

Responsible breeders strive for the best healthiest pups by matching appropriate lines (rather than just mating their dog "because she's the bestest dog ever!" with a random dog so they can get a pup), looking at genetic diseases in the lines and parents etc. but that only reduces the chance but in no way removes the risk that a pup will develop issues down the line anyway.

kylith

I'm assuming that your friend asked to see the results of the parents' screenings, x-rays, etc. rather than just saying 'expensive is better'. A higher price is generally to cover these screenings and tests but are no guarantee that the pup won't have health problems down the line, just that they're less likely to (assuming that all the parents' scores were good).

borderlinemeath

The problem with breeds like the bulldog and other brachycephalic breeds is the breed conformation. While reputable breeders will health test for the most common genetic problems such as hip dysplasia, cancer and heart problems and only breed from the healthiest of stock, there is always going to be the risk of the pups being affected. Hip Dysplasia affects over 70% of bulldogs tested and again this is related back to conformation - the bulldog of 100 years ago is barely recognisable compared to the bulldog of today, the original bulldog had less folds of skin on the face, a longer snout and was a far more lean and taller dog, which undoubtedly had far less issues than the current dog - which along with the problems mentioned above is also badly affected by breathing, heat regulation (again due to conformation), skin and digestive issues.

Until the likes of the worldwide kennel clubs change the breed standard, the dog will be bred to the standard they require with short snouts, underbites, huge folds of skin and a far too stocky body for it's legs and hips to carry. Breeders can only do so much when the stock is as mutated as it has become.

DerTierarzt

Nody wrote: »

Responsible breeders strive for the best healthiest pups by matching appropriate lines (rather than just mating their dog "because she's the bestest dog ever!" with a random dog so they can get a pup), looking at genetic diseases in the lines and parents etc. but that only reduces the chance but in no way removes the risk that a pup will develop issues down the line anyway.

There is nothing responsible about it, it depends what breed characeristics are desired. Often times it is the characteristic "look", which inherently increases the risk of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome.