Choosing a Vet for a Bulldog
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- Published on Friday, 15 April 2011 17:26
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Can THE VET be your BULLDOG & your WALLET’S worst nightmare?
Though what I am about to write is merely my opinion, these opinions were derived based on actual occurrences that I have been privy to in my many years as a lover and breeder of the mighty BULLDOG.
After carefully researching Bulldogs, you must conclude that they are high priced, high maintenance, and, of course highly esteemed as a wonderful part of any family.
To successfully raise a litter of Bulldog pups to 8 weeks old is a miracle in itself. For starters, Bulldogs must be artificially inseminated, C-Sectioned and the moms can and will accidentally crush and kill the babies in the first few weeks unless around the clock supervision is not maintained. Often times as a precaution we take the pups away from mom completely in the first few days and hand-raise them.
Here is how it works. First, a Bully goes to his new home. Ahhhh, sooooo cute. Then the Bully goes to get puppy wellness physical at the veterinarian. The doctor usually assures the new owner that he or she has lots of experience with Bulldogs and scares them to death by parroting back what they learned in vet school about possible health concerns attributed to the breed. In The vet’s defense, a person only knows what they have been taught or have experienced. Many of these vets are very nice and wonderful people that I would happily socialize with. But, most simply lack the experience in treating this breed. A good bedside manner does not mean that the vet is competent.
I have literally 100 or more stories, a few of which I summarize below. After reading you will get the idea.
REAL STORY: A customer once called and told me that I would be happy to know that her vet was quite experienced with Bulldogs. I found out that the vet’s special credentials consisted of attending the University of Georgia and acting as the primary veterinarian caretaker for Uga, the school’s Mascott…Are you kidding? You’ve go to be joking. One Bulldog and she is experienced? My vet sees approximately 50 or more Bulldogs per day and performs almost any general and sometimes specialized surgeries that a Bulldog needs. I consider that to be experience.
REAL STORY: Last year, there were three occurrences of the following story. All were unrelated, took place in different cities and were obviously with different vets.
Symptoms: A Bully has a green snotty nose and becomes lethargic. A customer would call me frantic from the vet’s office stating that the doctor told them their Bulldog had Distemper that they must return it immediately to the breeder. All three times I spoke the Vet on the telephone in the presence of the customer and told them that the dog had a simple upper respiratory infection requiring antibiotics and so forth. None of the vets would concede so I made each of them this wager. I told them I would give them $10,000 cash that if the dog has Distemper and if it does not he must waive the vet fee for the customer.
What do you think happened? Yeah, you got it. I still have my 10 Grand and the customer did not pay the bill. On all three occurrences, I picked up the dog from the customer, treated it, and returned a completely healthy dog to its owner 5-7 days later. By the way, Distemper is usually a death sentence for any pup that contracts it and is contagious to siblings. Distemper is also extremely rare these days.
REAL STORY: My good friend and partner breeder told me this story several years ago. There was a Bully approximately 12 weeks old whose front right leg near the paw was becoming twisted causing the dog to hobble. The customer did not call him first, but instead took the dog to the vet. This doctor from UC Davis, which is a very prominent vet school, sent her to a specialist (a word that makes me cringe). My experience has been that many specialists specialize in taking your money. Anyhow, the specialist concluded that the Bully had a genetic birth defect that caused one bone to be longer than the other in the lower leg. The recommended treatment was to break the shorter bone and put a pin in it. Price tag $3300. Luckily after scheduling the procedure, the lady called my partner to convey the information. To make a long story short, he told her the vet was smoking crack and to leave the leg alone and it would straighten out in about a month. What do you think happened? Yeah you got it. He dog had no surgery and grew a perfectly formed Bully leg. Cost of the tests …800 bucks.
REAL STORY: My good friends’ Mom purchases a pup. The pup was totally healthy for several years, then one day becomes lethargic and is throwing up. The mom, who loves the dog more than herself, hurries over to a well-known veterinarian specialist hospital located in Escondido, California. After several days, my friend called to ask my opinion because they had performed test after test and had no diagnosis. I told him to get the dog and go to see Dirk Butchko. He did not take my advice but finally removed the dog from the hospital eight days later. What do you think happened? The dog was no better than when he first went in. The dog went home, went outside and ate some grass and has been 100% ever since. Price tag $9800. I know this for sure because I have a copy of the bill.
The BIGBULLDOG WARNS you to choose your vet carefully. Most all Vets will tell you that they are experienced with Bulldogs but sadly some of these poor Bulldogs have found this to be far from the truth. Here is a checklist of things to consider.
1. When you ask the vet what they use to sedate a Bulldog, if it is anything other than Propofol with Iso Fluorine gas and full intubation, MOVE ON. English Bulldogs and French Bulldogs are different than other dogs when it comes to anesthetizing, so be certain your vet is knowledgeable in what is safe and effective specifically for this breed. Too many Bulldogs die unnecessarily each year while under anesthetic for simple procedures.
2. Ask how experienced your potential vet is in Bulldog anesthesia. If he or she performs less than ten per week, MOVE ON.
3. Find out if the vet does his or her own surgeries for the following; Cherry Eye, Bladder Stones, Elongated Soft Pallet, Hernias (Inguinal & Umbilical), C-Sections, Progesterone Tests, Basic Knee Surgeries. These are just a few, but if he or she does not do the basics often, then MOVE ON.
4. Does the vet read and interpret his or her own X-Rays or do they send them out to a Radiologist? If a doctor cannot read and accurately interpret their own X-Rays, MOVE ON.
5. Does the facility appear clean and sanitary? If not, MOVE ON.
I will continue to update these stories when I have time to do so. Once again they are not meant to bash vets or imply anything other than to give you information on my experiences so that you may have adequate information when choosing the right vet for your Bully. Remember, the VET can be your Bulldog’s best friend or worst nightmare.