Breed English Bulldogs

Breeding bulldogs is not something to do on a whim. Producing a litter of pups places considerable strain on the bitch (female bulldog) and also carries potentially life-threatening risks. In addition, the bulldog breed is associated with a high complication rate, especially at whelping. Indeed many bulldogs require a caesarian section (C-section) to produce the puppies, so unless you have the financial means to cover all eventualities, do not consider breeding.

Steps

Choosing Suitable English Bulldogs to Breed

1. Understand the responsibility of breeding. Do not breed unless you have plans that include the proper long-term commitment to the breed, the health and safety of the bitch and puppies, and the willingness to completely understand the bulldog and its needs. There are too many backyard breeders trying to jump in and breed dogs with almost no experience or understanding of this unique breed. They see the prices they sell for and try to get in and fill their pockets with money. The sad part about this is the end result is not good for the bulldog.
2. Do not breed dogs with underlying health issues. Many bulldogs suffer from breathing difficulties because of a combination of flat faces, large tongues, and small windpipes. If either of the mating pair of bulldogs has had to have surgery in order to open up their nostrils, trim back parts of their soft palates, or remove their tonsils, do not breed them. The genetics for a crowded throat will be passed onto the pups and will perpetuate these distressing problems.
   • Even if your bulldogs haven’t required surgery, you should still avoid breeding them if they struggle to breathe.
   • Especially do not breed the female during summer months if she has breathing troubles. The hot weather will compound the issue during pregnancy and cause the bitch undue distress.
3. Consider the female’s temperament. Evidence suggests that the character of the mother is passed onto her puppies. If she is excessively nervous or she is aggressive, her puppies are likely to have similar non ideal behavior patterns. The best bitch to breed from is a calm, friendly, and gentle dog.
   • A calmer female will also make a better mother who is less likely to be snappy or insecure when it comes to her puppies.
4. Check her for mites. It is vital to ensure that she has healthy skin and is free from skin parasites. A form of mange caused by the demodex mite can be made much worse by the stress of pregnancy, and she could lose her fur and develop a rhino-like skin. In addition, the demodex mite can be transferred to the pups at whelping, which means they are born with the mite and will go on to have poor coats and skin. Not only is this undesirable but it can make the pups harder to sell, so you are more likely to be left with them on your hands.
5. Have a vet perform a physical. One full month before you want to breed your English bulldogs, you should have your veterinarian perform a full physical examination of the female. Ensure that she is up to date on all vaccinations, that she’s free of any worms, and that she does not test positive for brucellosis, a bacterial disease that can cause spontaneous abortion.
   • You should also have the veterinarian perform a genetic screening. Even healthy bulldogs can still pass on undesirable genetic traits. Responsible breeding should always seek to weed out traits that can lead to health complications associated with the breed.
   • The stud (male bulldog) you choose should also be tested for brucellosis.
6. Do not breed her before her second cycle. Your bulldog will have her first heat sometime after six months of age, but you should never breed a bitch before her second heat, which she will have every six months after her first one.

Mating the Bulldogs at the Right Time in the Female’s Reproductive Cycle

1. Know your bulldog. Heat cycles can vary in duration and length between cycles. In general, you can expect your bitch to go into heat around once every six months and for the season to last roughly three weeks. However, you still need to know the ideal time to mate the dogs while she is in heat.
2. Recognize when she goes into heat. The initial portion of the bitch’s heat cycle is called proestrus. During this period, her vulva will appear swollen, and you will notice bloody vaginal discharge. However, she will not allow the stud to mate with her during this period so don’t try. Treat this simply as a signal to be ready to breed in the coming weeks.
   • On average, this part of the heat cycle will last around nine days.
3. Test for ovulation. If you would prefer to identify when the female ovulates more specifically, you can see your vet for a couple of different test options. These options include:
   • Slide cytology - This is a painless procedure where the vet harvests a sample of cells form the bitch's vulva, smears them onto a microscope slide, and examines them under the microscope. The sample is obtained simply by rolling a cotton bud over the mucous membrane of the vulva. A certain cell type will be more prevalent just prior to ovulation.
   • Blood testing - The most common test looks at blood levels of the hormone progestogen. Testing starts about five days into the heat and once the blood levels reach 2.5 ng/ml, the bitch should be mated three days later (by which time the levels should be around 5 ng /ml when ovulation occurs). If necessary, repeat tests are run every two to three days to pick up this rise in hormone levels.
4. Mate the bulldogs after the female finishes the proestrus portion of her cycle. The next part of the female’s heat cycle is called estrus. This is the ideal time to mate the dogs. The female dog will now return the attention of the stud and will often stand to be mated. If you rub the base of her tail she may hold the tail to one side and present her backside to you as if ready to be mated.
   • Ovulation usually occurs within forty-eight hours of the bitch starting estrus. This ideal mating time can last anywhere from five to nine days.
5. Inseminate artificially if necessary. Due to their short legs and stout bodies, many English bulldogs have trouble mating naturally. If you’ve noticed that the stud has clear problems mounting the female, then ask your veterinarian about artificial insemination. The technique for artificial insemination requires the depositing of semen (taken directly from the dog) into the bitch's vagina, past the cervix, and into the uterus by syringe.
   • The correct temperature of the semen is vital, and there is no guarantee. Methods include fresh semen, cooled extended and frozen semen.
6. Diagnose the pregnancy. The average length of pregnancy is 65-67 days but can vary by as much as a week either way. You have different options for properly diagnosing the pregnancy starting several weeks after the hopeful conception. These options include:
   • Ultrasound - Ultrasound exams can detect pregnancy from around day twenty-three. This involves clipping a little fur from the bitch's belly and lubricating the area with water soluble gel. The vet places the probe against the belly and can often pick up the jellybean-like fluid swelling in the uterus that is the early pregnancy.
   • Palpation - It is usually possible for a veterinarian to feel distinct lumps in the uterus representing individual embryos between days 28-35 of the pregnancy. Before and after that, it can be hard to identify a pregnant uterus easily.
   • Blood testing - The levels of progesterone in a pregnant bitch will continue to rise instead of subsiding. Starting after twenty-eight days, a veterinarian can predict the difference Progesterone levels can be used to confirm pregnancy at or after day 28 after mating. If between pregnancy and residual levels of progesterone from the heat cycle.
   • Radiography - If other options have proven inconclusive for any reason, then your vet can use an x-ray machine to verify pregnancy starting around day forty-five of the pregnancy.

Caring for the Female during Pregnancy

1. Adjust her diet as necessary. For most of the pregnancy, the female should maintain the same well-balanced, high-quality diet as prior to the pregnancy. Once she begins putting on weight (around the final five weeks of the pregnancy), then adjust her diet according to the weight gain. This can mean up to 35-50 percent more daily food in the final days before whelping.
   • Introduce the increased food in the form of more frequent, smaller meals rather than simply adding more food at standard mealtimes.
2. Ask your veterinarian about a C-section. Problems with whelping are so common with English bulldogs that it's usually appropriate to plan an elective C-section. In fact, your veterinarian should provide a full examination of your bitch to clear her for free-whelping (natural birth) before you even consider foregoing a C-section. Consult with your vet about the ideal date to perform the C-section based on when you mated the bulldogs and schedule the procedure well in advance.
   • Also, check in advance that your vet will perform an elective C-section.
3. Provide a whelping box. You should start getting your bulldog accustomed to a whelping box several weeks before the expected due date of the litter. Provide a roomy box with low sides. Line it with plenty of newspaper and provide a small shelf that the puppies can roll under to avoid getting rolled on by the mother.
   • Place the box in an environment that is warm, dry, quiet, still, and away from other dogs.
   • It is entirely normal for the female to begin nesting in the lined newspaper as she becomes accustomed to the whelping box. Even if you have planned a C-section with your vet, it is beneficial to allow the female to nest in a whelping box.
4. Keep other necessary items on hand closer to the pregnancy. You should keep several other items on hand to prepare for when your bulldog goes into labor. Have a heat lamp or heating pad with a low setting, feeding bottles and puppy-suitable artificial milk (in case the mother rejects the puppies), and lots of clean towels and bedding. You should also keep clean scissors if you need to cut the umbilical cords, unwaxed dental floss to tie off the puppies’ umbilical cords, and iodine to clean each puppy’s abdomen after the cord is cut.
5. Know your veterinarian's emergency procedures before the delivery. If your vet refers emergencies to an emergency clinic, make sure you know where it is and how to call if you need help. If your veterinary hospital staff covers its own emergencies it is still important to know the procedure for contacting someone before the need arises. Providing a safe environment for the puppies is important.
6. Watch for the first signs of labor. First stage labor lasts an average of twenty-four hours and involves the bitch being restless, unable to settle, and going off her food. She may lie down and look at her flanks and then get up again.
7. Prepare for the arrival of the puppies. Second-stage labor is the pushing phase of labor when the pups should be born. Her water will break, and she will lie down and strain hard, pushing with her flanks, in order to try and expel the puppy. If she labors hard for two hours and no puppy appears, call the veterinarian.
   • The mother may rest after the delivery of each puppy. 20-30 minutes is acceptable. If you know she has lots of puppies and she rests for longer than half an hour, call the vet.
   • Bulldogs have large heads, and it is common for a puppy's head not to fit through the birth canal and get stuck. The only way to free the puppy is a C-section, which needs actioning urgently. If the bitch takes longer than an hour between pups call the vet.
   • Keep count of both the number of puppies as well as placentas to ensure that the mother delivers everything she needs to during the pregnancy. There should be a placenta for each and every puppy.
   • Keep your vet’s phone number as well as that of your local emergency pet clinic close by during the entire process.

Caring for the Puppies and Mother after Pregnancy

1. Ensure the mother performs the natural duties. Each puppy will come out in a placental membrane that the mother should tear open before she severs the umbilical cord. After this, she should begin licking the puppy to stimulate its breathing. If she neglects to perform these actions, then you’ll need to do it to save the puppy.
   • The membrane has enough oxygen for a few minutes, so you don’t have to act immediately, but pay close attention. If you must do it, tear the sac close to the puppy’s head and peel it until you can easily remove the puppy.
   • Fish any mucus or other fluids from the puppy’s mouth and nose, and then rub the puppy with a warm clean towel to stimulate breathing and circulation.
2. Tie off the umbilical cord. Use the unwaxed dental floss to tie off the umbilical cord roughly two inches from the puppy’s abdomen, and iodine along the cut to help avoid the puppy developing any infections.
3. Allow the puppies to nurse. Puppies should nurse from the mother very shortly after birth. Suckling at this point provides the puppies colostrum, which is like milk, but it also contains antibodies from the mother to help the puppies prevent any infections as their own immune systems develop.
4. Keep the puppies warm. Newborn pups cannot yet control their body temperatures, so you must provide a warm environment. Keep the space 85-90°F for the first five days.
   • After the first five days, you can slowly reduce the space to 80°F at day ten and then down to 75°F by the end of the puppies’ fourth week.
5. Watch the mother during nursing. Canine mastitis is always a possibility for nursing mothers in the first several weeks after whelping. The breasts should be warm and enlarged, but with canine mastitis, you may notice that they are red, dark, hot, or produce a painful reaction in the mother. Consult a vet immediately if this is the case.
6. Provide a postnatal diet to the mother. She may not eat much for several days after whelping. Once she starts eating again, ensure that you’re providing a diet high in calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D. This will prevent the possibility of eclampsia.
   • If you’re giving her a high-quality diet, then the necessary amounts should already be present in her current food.
   • Symptoms of eclampsia include nervousness, an unsteady gait, muscle spasms, and whimpering. A vet can easily intervene with the condition as long as you properly notice it and seek care for the mother.
7. Hand feed any orphaned puppies. If the mother rejects any of the puppies, then you will have to hand feed them. Consult your vet for a commercial puppy formula and follow the instructions closely for the recommended feeding amounts and times for the pup.
   • Do not simply try to use cow’s milk because this makes a very poor substitute, and the puppy will not receive the necessary nutrition from it.

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