Elbow Dysplasia, and Patellar Dysplasia: Elbow Dysplasia, and Patellar Dysplasia should be screened for before breeding. Very few Bulldogs have ever been OFA rated (for hip displasia) and a good Bulldog hip is generally poorly rated by OFA. Only a tiny tiny number of Bulldogs have ever been OFA rated, and none have been considered excellent.

Cherry Eye or "Haw": Cherry eye (or "haw"), entropian and extropian, is common in Bulldogs and surgery may be required to fix the problem. Breeding stock should be screened. Cherry Eye is a swelling of a gland in the inner eye lid. We suggest that the gland be tacked down instead of removed as removal can later lead to dry eye.

Elongated Palate: This comes with being a Bulldog. A lot of brachycephalic breeds have this problem. Along with the elongated palate is blown laryngeal sacks. These sacks turn hard like tonsils and block the dog's airway. Both of these problems can be corrected with surgery.

Entropian / Dermatitis: The Bulldog is prone to both of these conditions due to the heavy rope like wrinkles on their faces.

Entropian: Entropian/extropian is the folding in or out of the eye lids, which bring the eyelashes in contact with the eye lense. This causes scratching, ulcers and eventually blindness. It is surgically corrected by putting a "tuck" (ask someone who sews) in the offending eye lid. Requires a delicate touch and experience not to put too much tuck and distort the look of the eye. As always, any surgery should be a last resort, and find a veterinarian with experience with Bulldogs.

Dermatitis: The Bulldogs can be prone to this under the heavy rope like wrinkles on their faces. This does occur when the wrinle is not kept clean or when moisture gets under those wrinkles.

Screw Tail Problems: You need to keep an eye on your Bulldog's tail and make sure that dermatitis does not develop, or that the tail does not grow to close to the buttocks or even into the buttocks.

Demodectic Skin Mites: This is the cause of mange and some Bulldogs can get this disease.

C-Section Birth: Most, if not all, Bulldog puppies are delivered by C- section .

AKC once described this as trying to get the Circus Fat Lady into the Tightrope Walkers leotards. Bitches do have a difficult time free whelping their puppies. This isbecause of their narrow pelvis and the fact that they are higher in the rear. Also, puppies have a wide flat skull and muzzle. The puppies' shoulders are also very wide.

Bulldogs, also, have a higher than normal record of producing "Anasarca" puppies. These are fetuses that retain fluid in their tissues, and end up as water filled puppies, often weighing two or three times what a normal puppy would weigh. They become so large that they can not fit through the birth canal.

Skin Allergies: Bulldogs can have a variety of skin allergies.

The Breeder: If you decide to buy a Bulldog, make sure you purchase from a reputable breeder with a history of producing healthy dogs. Saving a few hundred dollars on the purchase of your dog could cost you A LOT of money later. The Bulldog, however, can be a high maintenance breed. They are a man made breed.

No, not all Bulldogs have all of these health problems. We have been fortunate to have an excellent health history for our Bulldogs and most of these conditions have been very rare.