Cost of an English Bulldog
Why Bulldogs Cost so much
Bulldog puppies can cost anywhere from $2000 to $4000 depending on their color and bloodlines of the parents. You want to look for champion blood because best of the breed is always a good place to start. Whether or not you plan to show or breed your puppy, you will still be getting a higher quality dog and a healthier bully if you look for champion lines. It might cost more in the beginning but it will be well worth it in the end when you save money on vet bills and have a bulldog that lives longer and is happier. Most of the high cost is because of the great expense and risk a good breeder goes to just to have a litter of pups. It’s literally a miracle when all goes well and everyone survives the experience. When a female bulldog goes into heat, she needs up to three progesterone tests (blood tests), to determine when she ovulates so that the breeding with the male will have a better chance of taking. There is only a 72 hour window where the female can get pregnant. If you miss it, you’re out of luck until she goes into heat again six to eight months later. A successful mating is achieved through artificial insemination by a vet. The female cannot support the weight of the male for normal mating without risking serious damage to one or both of the dogs. If you don't own a male, you pay a stud fee anywhere from $700 to $2500. The cost of the fee depends on the pedigree and color of the male. After the mating, the female has an ultrasound usually at four weeks to determine pregnancy.
At seven weeks, she has a safe x-ray to determine how many babies there are and if all are developing normally. Usually, a second ultrasound is done at this time. A due date is determined and a c-section is scheduled. Bulldogs don't have the stamina to complete a birth experience. Most females will give birth to a couple of babies and "quit". Also, the babies are born large and risk the lives of themselves and their mother if they get stuck in the birth canal. They can also have what is called a water puppy. These are babies that are twice the size of a normal infant because their bodies are full of water. They will certainly become stuck in the birth canal because they are much too big to be born naturally. Bulldogs are so valuable it's not worth the risk to have anything go wrong. This is one reason why a c-section is scheduled but physically it’s safer for the babies and the mother to do it this way. The birth can cost in the thousands depending on your vet pricing. If complications arise it can be even more costly. Underdeveloped litters can require incubators and oxygen. Some puppies are born with cleft palate which is a condition where the roof of the mouth is not developed and there is a hole in it, they drown when they try and nurse. It is typical to lose at least one or two to this condition. Puppies can “fade” and for no reason fail to thrive and just die. They can develop infections and just like newborn babies they can’t fight it when they are so young. You have to have a tough skin to raise bulldog puppies.
Once the babies are born and home from the hospital, they nurse every two hours and must be brought to the mother to feed and supervised at all times so they aren't accidentally smothered by the mom. She is so large and heavy that a slight shift in her weight can kill an infant. So round the clock care is required which means it takes more than one person to responsibly raise a litter, usually three or four. If both owners work during the day, a nurse/nanny must be hired to come in and care for the babies while the owners are gone. Everyone takes shifts. It is a huge undertaking. If the mother can’t nurse for some reason the puppies are bottle fed. just like human babies.
Many things can go wrong and the cost of a litter can be more than the money the puppies are sold for if there are health issues and complications especially if there are only a few puppies born to the mother. Mother nature gives you what you get, but the bottom line is it's expensive just to get a litter of puppies born and properly raised. The two months it takes to raise the babies requires many hands and long hours. Most of the time it's a labor of love. On the first litter my Mugsy had, I barely broke even with all the expenses because she only had two babies. There are also the supplies you need, unexpected vet visits and normal care of the babies such as shots, worming treatments, well-puppy health check ups and follow-up visits for both mom and the babies.
Please be careful of low cost bulldogs that are advertised in the newspaper or online!!!! It's just not possible to sell them for low amounts without losing money so it's most likely an inferior dog or a SCAM. Never send money to an out of state breeder who offers a low cost bulldog. IF you get the puppy you'll most likely inherit health issues. It's not worth it to try and find a "deal" on a puppy. As in life you get what you pay for and a top quality dog is going to cost what it's worth. We recently had a potential customer email us with a sad story when she lost $2000 sending money to a breeder online. It ended up being a scam. This kind of thing happens, so please don't let it happen to YOU!!
Even though raising a litter of puppies is expensive, it's worth it. I was once asked why I do this. It's because I love my dogs and want to share their magnificent personalities with others. I've owned many breeds of dogs in my lifetime but I've never owned an animal like this before. They are as close to a human child as you will ever find. Snub nose breeds "see" the same way we humans do. They read our facial expressions, "know" our moods and our emotions. They connect with us in ways that defy description. They are comical fuzzy lovable kids. That is why they cost so much, and why they are priceless. If you have a bulldog, you're part of a secret club that knows something the rest of the world doesn't. That no matter what the cost, you are lucky to be "owned" by and English Bulldog!
