English bulldog puppy six week still not walking on hind legs.

by Ba
(Maine)

I was wondering. I am in the process of getting an english bulldog puppy, He is currently 6 weeks old, however I have been told by the breeder that he is still not able to walk on his hind legs.

He is a little behind developmentally but the vet has told the breeder she sees it a lot in bulldog puppies and he should be fine.

I am concerned. Is this normal for English Bulldog puppies? Is it a sign of a future problem?

Hi Ba
You're right to be concerned. A puppy who can't walk properly at 6 weeks of age and is showing signs of developmental delay definitely has some problems. Hip dysplasia is a possibility, as is nerve or neurological problems.

I am not very familiar with English Bulldogs in terms of their development, but I would be very cautious about taking the breeders' word for the 'normality' of developmental issues.

I can't tell you what to do, but this is what I would do if I were in your shoes....

First, do not buy this puppy until you are totally satisfied that he is healthy. If the breeder is close to you and you are able to visit them, I would recommend getting her permission to pick up the puppy and take it to your own vet (or one of your choice) for a full examination. That way you have an independent evaluation to rely on.

If this isn't possible, then I would ask the breeder for the name and telephone number of the veterinarian who treats her dogs and puppies, and call them yourself. Ask specifically about this puppy, and his problems. This isn't as good a choice as the first option, but is better than taking her word at face value.

I breed dogs myself, and I don't mean to imply that the person you're buying this puppy from isn't 'on the level'. I know there are all kinds of issues that arise with puppies, and generally the breeder knows 'her breed' and her dogs better than anyone else. However, when health concerns are involved it's much better to be cautious.

If the second veterinary opinion is satisfactory, and you're happy that the puppy is generally healthy, then you can go ahead and purchase it if you want to. I would try to get a proper, written health contract from the breeder though, to guard against any other genetic/hereditary defects.

I also think in that case you would have to be aware of the fact that this puppy may develop other health issues and could be one that will cost you in vets bills, and possibly worry or heartache.

I'm sorry to be so negative about this, but buying a puppy is a big commitment and although you may already be in love with this little guy, it's vital that you know what you're taking on if you buy him.

I hope this helps you come to a decision, or at least move forward, and I wish you all the best. I hope it works out well for you.

Comments for
English bulldog puppy six week still not walking on hind legs.

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American Bulldogs NEW
by: Anonymous

I bought an American bulldog for £900 and he was a belter to look at then at 16 weeks he started to limp and I took him to the vet and to cut along story short the poor wee guy (22kgs) was put to sleep on the advice of my vet, totally broke my heart, I still think something could have been done for him, he lost the power in his back legs totally within a week. I was carrying him out to the toilet and actually holding him up by his hips, I already have a 4 year old AB but she is fine, this broke my heart and put me right off buying another AB.

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Age to buy/bring home a puppy NEW
by: Anonymous

You should never buy or bring home a puppy under 8 weeks of age! 10-12 weeks is even better! At 8 weeks a puppy should be able to do everything on their own and if they are not then there is issues with it. Also from 6-12 weeks old is when they learn so many things from their Momma and siblings on how to act, sharing, socialization, manners, etc... Taking dogs at 6 weeks old can lead to problems such as seperation anxiety, aggression, possessiveness, etc. I breed English Bulldogs and mine do not leave this house before 10 weeks old!

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no need to be rude NEW
by: Heather Carolan

Not every person gets a "deformed " dog of this breed just based on the look, yeah hes a handsome son of a b*tch, but one of the sweetest, friendliest dogs with such a personality. There is no need to be so negative and nasty about it. Yeah if you don't do the research on ANY dog you get, you are just plain stupid, but not every bulldog has issues. Every breed of dog is bound to have something wrong about it, no dog is perfect. So theres no need to basically sit there and slam the breed and the person asking the question. Its not a perfect breed, and one is forcing you to get one. A little courtesy goes a long way.

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Research NEW
by: Anonymous

83% of English Bulldogs have hip dysplasia, if you own an english bulldog chances are it has some form of hip dysplacia. They are a man made bread, deformed past what a healthy dog should be because humans like the look. Did you research the breed at all before you bought it? They are the money pit of dogdom and yet people keep buying because they love the look. You want a mutated dog, you pay the price. Next time do your research on the breed before you buy. Buying an EB with all the breeds KNOWN problems makes you as much to blame as the breeder.

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Re: Follow up NEW
by: Anonymous

My last post (Follow up) was about the breeders at www.peltobulldogges.com/. They have a live cam you check out for yourself. I am not sure if they are the ones with "swimmer puppies" or not but I would not be surprised...

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Follow up NEW
by: Anonymous

I just went to his web site and it is no wonder why he has swimmer puppies. He has nothing in their box but carpet. He needs to put thick blakets and stuffed toys in there!

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Purchased From Larry's NEW
by: Heather Carolan

My Husband and I got a little boy bully from Larrys in Elkton Ky, a little over 2 years ago, and we have had ZERO problems with ours. Hes been such a joy to our home, I felt like i had to come to his defense. I know not everyone is going to be happy with him, thats just how it goes. Our little guy, well not so little anymore, never had any issues like this AT ALL. Larry was a pleasure to do business with in our situation. Jax was in a cage with his sister when we picked him up, he was 7-8 weeks old, something along those lines. The place was extremely clean. (Now like i said this was over 2 years ago so i cant say recently how things are) Our vet bills for Jax, arent any more then a normal dog. Hes never had any issues with his hips or anything like ive been reading, and i feel so horrible for you all that have had problems. Jax is our only pet, and is pretty much our child, because we dont have any kids, i cant imagine going through all that. I dont know if hes still breeding or not, as i tried to go to his page to look at pups, and was unable to get to the page, but i wish you luck in dealing with these issues, and i truly do hope its not bad breeding or anything like that! :(

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Swimmer Puppy NEW
by: Anonymous

This is usually a sign of a syndrome that is called "swimmer puppy". It is caused by breeders not putting enough cushioning in their whelping bow for them to crawl around on. They need bulky things in there to help get the up and moving. You need to force the puppy to use the rear legs by taping the legs, using a chute, and using a rolled towel under their stomach. It can be corrected and the dog can live a normal life. I know this thread is old but this info is for someone looking at it now. There are also neuro things it could be also. Always take you dog to a vet within the first three days and see what the vet says. You should never buy one without a health guarantee in writing and signed! That way if it is going to be problematic you can return the dog.

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Get rehab for your dog to walk
by: Sharon

Check out the breeder www.peltobulldogges.com/ We bought our olde english bulldogge there (and will never buy anywhere else). =)
....They had a singleton puppy born in another litter that couldn't walk and they were told by many vets to put the puppy down. DON'T GIVE UP! They finally came across a vet willing to help, and after it went through channel therapy, water therapy and braces, the puppy is absolutely beautiful and happy and walks completely normal! A really wonderful story.

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puppies not using their back legs very well
by: Tee

I ask a question on this forum over a year ago. I had bought an American Bulldog, she was 8 weeks old. She didn't have very much control of her back legs. She couldn't go up or down steps and couldn't run and play like a normally puppy.
The breader that I bought her from told me to give her a suppliment called Glucosamine Chondroitin. He said it would help her legs. She is now a year and 8 months old. She has a huge yard to run in which I believe has helped strengthen her legs also. I just wanted to let people know of our exsperience on this matter. I have also heard that American and English bulldogs can have alot of leg problems. I hope my exsperience helps other bulldogs with same problem.

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bulldog
by: Anonymous

hi to the couple who purchased the bulldog from larrys i almost purchased one from him and decided against it. i bought my bulldog else where he is 5 months old and was doing great until 1 week ago he also can hardly walk in his back legs and we were told to take him to a specialist the cost just for the testing is 1500 for one test and 4500 for another just to diagnose the problem with no guarantees that he can be helped, not to mention what it would cost for the surgery iam also carrying my bull in and out of the house,the breeders are willing to take him back but iam so in love with him i am torn up about it.

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walking at 6wks?
by: Lindsay

Did your puppy eventually start walking with his hind legs? I have one who is 6 weeks old and he is doing the same thing. He "scoots" around and doesn't use his hing legs. I'm concerned that it isn't going to get better, but I was told that sometimes it takes puppys longer than others. Any advice would be great!

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correcting puppy's rear legs
by: Anonymous

I've seen this and corrected it before. You have to force the dog to use his hind legs. Bulldog puppies scoot around on their stomach with their legs behind them and kick with their feet, pushing the ground behind them in order to move. if theyre legs arent developing fast enough, they don't learn to stand up. one solution my father came up with, and it worked, was to tape the feet together. this sounds cruel but it forces the puppy to start to use the muscles in a way that he is not used to. now the important part is how to tape them. you have to stand the puppy up and see at which point he is able to stand and at which point his legs sprawl. you should tape them so that they are about hip width apart, but be careful that it is not too narrow. this is similar to making a person wear a braces on their legs when they don't develop correctly. taping the legs just above the feet will force the puppy's right foot to move when he moves his left and he will be able to prop himself up.

i've seen it work. the pupy developed and is good today. (that was about 5 years ago). i we started that treatment when we noticed all the other puppies in the litter were walkign and this one was still scooting. i am unsure as to what age would be too old to try this. definately wouldn't reccommend this with an adult dog as it could cause more harm than good.

hope it helps.

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American Bulldog
by: Tee

I wrote the problem above about the 4 month old bulldog with problems with her back legs. She is 14 months old now and doing exceptionally well. She still sits with her legs flat to the side, its the cutest thing. She has a huge fenced in back yard which I think has been a big part in helping with making her back legs strong. We gave her vitamins called Glucosamine Chondroitin which might have also helped. She seems to not have any problems getting around climbing stairs ex. She has progressed nicely. She is a part of our family.

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6 week old english bulldog
by: Anonymous

Hi. I am the breeder and I dont like how everyone is blaming the breeder for problems a puppy might have. This is my first litter of Old English Bulldogs and we had three males. The first two were walking by three weeks. At first we thought the last one might just need a little bit longer. Now he is 6 weeks old. We took him to vet yesterday because I was really starting to worry. The vet said that he has to see an orthepedic specialist that she couldnt tell us exactly what was wrong, but that he will infact be a special needs puppy and will probably never walk. She said that he has some kind of congenitail orthopedic malformation. I am very upset over this and we are not going to sell this puppy to anyone. He just drags his hind legs behind him. We are going to care for him the best that we can and pray that its nothing that will hold him back from living a somewhat normal fun dog life. ..

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Back Leg Issues
by: Anonymous

I have experience with English Bulldogs, Boxers and Beagles. I breed the bullies currently, and in the past had raised the other breeds. NEVER in over twenty years of raising dogs have I had one not walk by 6 weeks old. I would be concerned with a few things here... 1) is there a neurological disorder such as water on the brain or ? 2) Is there a skeletal disorder such as hip displaysia? 3) If the puppy has been in a kennel its whole life it has not been well cared for and should not be bought! It is cruel to leave dogs of any type in a crate their whole lives. My dogs are crate trained, but only go in one at night or while travelling! They need exercise to grow properly and develop their muscles, bones, coordination, etc. These things would be BIG red flags for me!

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7 Month old English Bulldog Hip dysplasia
by: Kitty Bird

I never thought I would be writing into one of these blogs but, in reading I find myself in the same situtation. We purchased a english bulldog for $1600.00 from Larrys English Bulldogs in Elkton Ky. She couldn't walk very well and we were told it was because she was in a cage from the time she ws born. This is our second bullie and I was very leary but my husband wanted her.Now,over a thousand dollars in vet bills later,we are trying to care for her as best as possible.She has grade 2 and 3 hip dysplasia. She is Beautiful and has the sweetest personality but,they vet says she will never be right.She also has a patellar luxation in her back left knee. DO NOT PURCHASE A PUPPY WITH ANY SIGNS OF WALKING PROBLEMS ITS NOT GOING TO BE A HAPPY ENDING.Our vet said it will be very costly for 4 operation that she needs and we just can't put her through that.The other option is unspeakable for us. We are carrying her in and out of the house to use the btroom.We have had her only 4 mths!! DO NOT PURCHASE A PUP WITH OUT A HEALTH CERTIFICATE AT LEAST. GOOD LUCK TO ALL DOG LOVERS OUT THERE!! :)

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Walking at 6 weeks for a Bulldog..
by: Anonymous

I would be very concerned I raise BullDogs & mine are walking at least by 3 weeks sooner if they are not a big puppy.. Watch the back ends when they walk out all mine I have whelped & raised only one has come up with a loose hind leg. But i am positive it was a mother accident she played a little rough with this certain puppy grabbed it by the hind leg & it was hurt in the process at 6 weeks of age.. It is now a year old & is doing good.. Be very leary only buy from someone you trust or have references from.. People will try to make a buck at the sake of some mis bred dogs..

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Almost four months old.
by: Tee

I have bought an American Bulldog, she was 13 weeks old when we got her.Her daddy is a champ. and her mother was on sight, she was beutiful. I only gave half price for her, the breader said with papers she would be another 300.00. We got her for a pet so I didn't see papers would be of real importance. She is showing signs of a possible problem with her back legs. Her back legs are not very strong and she can't climb stairs very well, or put her weight on them without falling. She sits down and her back legs just fall open. Its like she has problems controlling them. When we first got her we thought she had been in a kept in a cage and her back legs were just week from this., but know we are starting to feel differently. It breaks my heart she is such a good girl and so smart. I have not taken her to the vet yet but plan on doing so. Hip displasha really worries me. I am writting to you and any future bulldog owners to inform you to check their legs very closely, puppies are clumbsy but this is not just a clumsyness.

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