English bulldogs are one of the exclusive dog breeds known for their cuteness and sturdiness at the same time. This bulldog breed is one of the ideal choices to have as a pet. Belonging to the brachycephalic dog breeds, English bulldog puppies often requires additional care. As a pet lover who owns an English bulldog puppy, there are certain factors you need to consider to ensure optimum health of your pooch, continue reading to get an insight about some of the important factors.
Diet schedule
As puppies require additional nutrient supplement when compared to the adult bulldogs, you can start feeding your puppy thrice a day, at least for the first four months. From the fifth month, you can cut back to feeding him twice a day and once he is a year old, you are good to feed him only once a day.
What not to feed your bulldog
As an English bulldog owner, it is imperative for you to understand that, your puppy’s system doesn’t accept all the food items that you eat. Even though, he will happily accept all the anything edible item that you give him, it can be dangerous to his system. Always restrain your dog from ingesting the following food items, which can be toxic to his system.
- Chocolate: can have adverse affect on his heart and nervous system
- Avocado : can cause diarrhea or vomiting
- Alcohol: can cause intoxication
- Walnuts: known to affect the nervous system of English bulldog puppies and even cause muscle damage
- Caffeine: can induce diarrhea and vomiting
Monitoring health
Once you have bought your English bulldog puppy home, it is crucial to have a close eye on him for the first couple of weeks. It is during this period, he will be experiencing several changes from diet to medications. English bulldog puppies are active eaters and are also known to gain weight easily; therefore, it is your duty to monitor his weight on a regular basis to ensure that he doesn’t get overweight. Keep him hydrated by giving him plenty of fresh water; the strategy can also help you to prevent him from eating a lot than necessary.
Health checkup and treatment against pests
Your new guest can easily fall prey to different pests like ticks, fleas, lice etc. Closely monitor your puppy, scan his skin for any irritations caused by excessive scratching and also look for redness in skin. If you find any abnormal skin issues, you need to take him to a local veterinarian. While you are at the veterinary clinic, you can subject your puppy for a complete checkup to sort out any issues pertaining to ear, heart, lung etc. It is important to get the ear of your bulldog inspected by the veterinarian; pests like tick and mites can easily find their way through to his ears to make a living out of the dirt and debris. Therefore, while you are at home with him, always give special attention if he seems to scratch his ears or shake his head excessively.
English bulldog puppies are always an ideal choice as pets, as a caring pet owner, it is your duty to spend some time with your pooch, train and let him socialize at a very young age.