English Bulldog Health

English Bulldog health information is vital to all owners and wanna-be owners of the breed. This material can both extend the life of your bully and improve quality of life. If you are curious, the average life expectancy of this dog is 8 years although many live much longer.

While the Bulldog is considered a relatively healthy breed, there are some medical and genetic issues that need to be addressed. Please keep in mind, all this information is only meant to serve as a helpful guide and is not meant to replace the advice or diagnosis of a licensed veterinarian.

What Can You Do?

Some of the more common health issues are allergies, eye problems, breathing ailments and skeletal issues. You will find more detailed information on these conditions on the health problems pages in the yellow box.

There are many practical steps you can take on your own to help and maintain your English Bulldog's health.

• Take your bully in for regular, yearly medical examinations and shots.
• Make sure your bully is getting at least the minimum amount of exercise required for his age.
• Feed your bully a safe, nutritious dog food.
• Provide your bully with daily, fresh water, preferably filtered.
• Brush daily to eliminate possible allergens.
• Clean wrinkles and tail area daily.

Besides these steps above, one of the most important things you can do regarding English Bulldog health, is to always purchase a bully from a responsible, reputable breeder. By doing this, you stand a much greater chance of raising a healthy dog with less probability of severe health issues.

These breeders have a deep love, respect and care for the Bulldog and are always striving to improve the quality of the breed. This is done by health screening, blood tests and by breeding only those dogs which meet certain criteria. Responsible, reputable breeders are not just into this for the money but rather, like we said earlier, to see an improved quality in the breed and much of this has to do with better health standards.

While we do advocate adopting English Bulldogs from rescue groups and shelters, doing so can be risky if you aren't informed of who the breeder is and in many cases, this information is not available. These bullies can make great pets but the hereditary health traits are unknown.

Finally, never purchase a Bulldog from a pet store. More than likely, most of these dogs came from a puppy mill. Learn more about puppy mills and the outrageous atrocities committed in them.

In conclusion, the English Bulldog is in general, a healthy dog but there are some health conditions more common than others. We hope that with the information on this page as well as throughout the site, you will become better informed about these issues.

Anytime you feel that your English Bulldog health might be at risk, please contact your local qualified vet for further advice and/or treatment. If you want professional, veterinary advice - and you'd like to get it from the comfort of your own home at a price you can afford, check out our Ask A Vet page.