Common Bulldog Health Issues

People often see me walking my bulldog and comment on how they’ve always wanted one. I encourage them to do two things before they get one. First, do your homework! Bulldogs can have many health issues and be very expensive to own. Second, I encourage them to check their local bulldog rescue and consider adoption. Most rescues spend thousands of dollars getting the bulldog healthy before it’s adoptable, and you will have insight into what you can expect going forward.

Many of the dogs that come into the rescue I foster with require expensive medical care such as:  

• Critical airway intervention, including soft palate and nares can cost in excess of $5,000
• ACL repair can run $1,000 – $5,000 per knee
• Cherry eye and/or entropic correction can start at $300 and exceed $2,500+
• Dental work $1,000+
• Tail amputation $4,000+
• Dermatological assessment can start at $1,000 and then treatment can be a lifelong cost
• MRI $3,000+

In my almost 30 years of being owned by a bulldog, I have dealt with a lot of health issues. Below you will find a list of the common bulldog health issue that my bulldogs experienced. I can’t stress it enough, it is a financial commitment to be owned by a bulldog!

The common health issues my English Bulldogs experienced:

Breathing issues:

Bulldogs are brachycephalic breeds (flat-faced) and often have difficulty breathing due to an elongated soft palate, pinched nostrils, laryngeal collapse, and other breathing complications. Most of my bulldogs required soft palate and nares surgery to correct their breathing issues.

One of my bulldogs was diagnosed with laryngeal collapse, which is a loss of rigidity in the laryngeal cartilage, causing the larynx to fold and collapse. This prevents normal movement of the airflow and for this bulldog, it limited her activities, and eventually, we had to use a stroller to take her on walks.

Food Allergies:

All of my bulldogs experienced food allergies and went through a lot of trial and error to get to the right food for their individual needs. All of them had to be on special diets and their food cost between $80 and $125+ a bag.

All bulldogs should be on a grain-free diet, and you may have to stay away from proteins such as chicken, beef, and fish. In my opinion, you need to get them on the right food for their needs, and it will save you a lot of money on vet visits and medications for skin and ear issues.

Skin issues:

Bulldogs can have many skin issues. Some of these can be caused by the food they eat, the folds in their skin, and environmental allergies, along with a host of other bulldog challenges. Skin issues I’ve had to contend with include dermatitis, skin allergies from food and environmental, cysts between the toes, and yeast infections in the paws and skin folds.

Ear infections:

I don’t think I’ve had a bulldog that didn’t have some form of an ear infection at one time or another. Typically, ear infections are caused by food and environmental allergies, so once you get the allergy issues figured out, the ear issues become manageable.

Some of the ways that my dogs have alerted me to ear issues are scratching at their ears, rolling on their backs trying to rub their heads into the carpet, and excessive shaking of the head. When ear infections are left untreated, they can lead to ear hematomas (blood build-up in the ear flap caused by excessive head shaking). Please seek veterinary care if you notice an ear hematoma.

You should clean your dog’s ears regularly, and some bulldogs may require prescription eardrops for an extended period.

Tail pockets:

You will need to make sure you keep your bulldog’s tail pocket clean and dry to prevent infections. Use a moist clean towel or cleaning wipes to wipe away dirt and debris from their tail pocket and then make sure you blot it dry. In addition to regular tail pocket cleaning, one of my bulldogs required a tail amputation.

Eye issues:

Eye issues are very common for bulldogs and can include Cherry Eyes (a disorder of the third eyelid), Entropion (rolled inward eyelids), and dry eye. Cherry Eye and Entropion may require surgery, and some of the conditions may require lifelong eye drops.  

Hip dysplasia, spinal deformities, and arthritis:  

Hip dysplasia is a deformity of the hip that occurs during growth and could eventually result in degenerative joint disease and arthritis. I’ve also had a bulldog with a congenital spinal malformation that had to be managed by daily pain medication. All of my bulldogs had to take some form of arthritis medicine as they aged.

Idiopathic head tremor syndrome:

An idiopathic head tremor is when the dog’s head starts uncontrollably shaking. This is a common issue with bulldogs and is scary when you first see it happen. There is no known cause for this. I have found that if I give them some plain yogurt or a treat to redirect their attention, the tremor stops.  

Cancer:

Two of my bulldogs were diagnosed with cancer. One had a brain tumor that caused regular seizures, and the other had a tumor on their heart. All we could do is give them lots of love and the necessary medications.  

This information is based on my experiences with my bulldogs. I do not have any medical/veterinary experience. You should consult with your vet if you have any questions and seek veterinary care if your bulldog has any of these conditions.

Sources:

Laryngeal Collapse in Dogs (petplace.com)