register for free
View our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
Dobermonkey
Almost a Veteran
Dobermonkey is offline  
Location: Leicestershire
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,402
Female 
 
07-01-2010, 02:20 PM

English Bull terrier - Health tests etc..

Hi

try as I might I dont think I am going to have any joy talking my friend out of having a litter from her EBT.

her reasons - cause shes beautiful and such a lovely temperament (her brother has said he will have a pup as has her dad so far but to be honest i can see her having a house full as she wont want to let them go to just anyone)

Have pointed out that there are rescues full to bursting with bull types as well as EBT specific rescues but she has her heart set

To be fair she is doing a lot of background work and it wont be for about another 8 months or so as she isnt 2 yet.

Her parents werent shown from what i can gather and she is a pet. Apart from not having 'full dentition' (lower tooth missing) i wouldnt really have a clue confirmation wise whether she was 'quality' or not.

She has mentioned that she has been looking at studs and they are about £250? that sounded cheap to me but I dont have any experience of breeding so i wouldnt know.

Could someone tell me what health tests an EBT should have? Do they have hips done? If so what is a good score?

I will continue in my efforts to change her mind but im doubtful
Reply With Quote
Mother*ship
Dogsey Veteran
Mother*ship is offline  
Location: West London, UK
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,753
Female 
 
07-01-2010, 07:04 PM
I know very little about them but I would have thought her best bet would be to check with the English Bull Terrier Club...

www.thebullterrierclub.com

They have a health page and just maybe if she spoke to someone they could convince her not to go ahead.

J.
Reply With Quote
Dobermonkey
Almost a Veteran
Dobermonkey is offline  
Location: Leicestershire
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,402
Female 
 
08-01-2010, 09:47 AM
Thankyou! Ive had a look and it appears Baer hearing test heart testing and kidneys are the main one also a patella one which isnt so much a test but an assessment.

I shall pass on the link to her and see how it goes!
Reply With Quote
Cassius
Dogsey Veteran
Cassius is offline  
Location: B'ham (nr the airport)
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,963
Female 
 
01-02-2010, 12:30 AM
Hi,

The good thing is that your friend is trying to do her homework. She should read texts such as "The Book Of The Bitch" from cover to cover several times, and then read it sme more. She should get to know other EBT breeders and ask if one will mentor her and offer support or help her and he bitch through the whelping process from start to finish.
She should also ensure she has enough homes for the pups to go to and accept that she may possibly get one or more of them back should the new owners not be able to keep them. Any reputable breeder will accept full and unconditional responsibility for their pups for the duration of the pups lives.

Some of the drawbacks of allowing a bitch to whelp is that it can cause many health problems for the bitch and pups alike, sometimes ending in death for one or more of them. Of course this is a worst case scenario but she needs to be aware that it does happen.
She should also make a list of costs and possible vets fees should there be problems, not just at the birth but throughout the pregnancy. Would she be able to afford it? Of course these costs will be on top of the costs of the health testing which can vary from test to test, breed to breed and vet to vet.
There are also costs such as the first set of vaccinations, etc before the pups go to their new homes.
Additionally, has your friend thought of what she'll do if the bitch rejects the pups? Does she work full time? Will she be able to hold her job down whilst getting up every 2 hours to feed newborn pups?
Also, the stud dog should be a proven stud dog with experience but there will always be a fee. Can she afford this fee to begin with? Some stud dog owners may accept a pup but if the bitch isn't of decent enough quality they will most likely refuse that option. Also, she may find that reputable breeders won't allow their stud dogs to mate with a dog without any history, any defects/faults or unknown pedigree.

I hope your friend doesn't go ahead with mating her bitch, but if she does, I hope she'll have all the relevant info to hand and does her homework properly - for the sake of the dogs. She should also know that there's a high chance she won't make any money (just in case she was hoping to). If she's lucky, she may break even.

I can't really offer any more than that. There are breeders on here who can advise better than I regarding what she should do, plan for, look out for and how to prepare fully to get her bitch through the pregnancy as healthily as possible.

If as you say she's going to wait 8 months as her dog isn't get 2 years old, then this gives you 8 months to put her off!

Laura xx
Reply With Quote
Dobermonkey
Almost a Veteran
Dobermonkey is offline  
Location: Leicestershire
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,402
Female 
 
01-02-2010, 11:41 AM
thanks laura! i think i shall get her a copy of the the book of the bitch as homework!

can guarantee they would want for nothing and she is more likely to keep them all or give to family (her dad wants one as does her brother) than sell them

i shall keep working on her (am sending her links to all the ebts in rescues i can find!)
Reply With Quote
inkliveeva
Dogsey Veteran
inkliveeva is offline  
Location: Stirlingshire
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,203
Female 
 
24-02-2010, 11:49 AM
A lot of Bull Terrier bitches do not make good mothers and pups have to be hand reared, could you imagine her having 10 puppies and having to hand rear them herself, my Toro was hand reared...I really hope your friend doesn't breed, they aren't an easy dog to have, my Toros just over 2 now and still an attention seeking wee madam, she has been very hard work, atm there is a lot of Bullies in rescue, ranging from 9/10 months - 6yrs, get her to look at the rescue sites for Bullies, its heart breaking, she really wouldn't want to add to the statistics...all the best Elaine x
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools


© Copyright 2016, Dogsey   Contact Us - Dogsey - Top Contact us | Archive | Privacy | Terms of use | Top