View more
nology has changed the landscape for breeding bulldogs. Back in the 80s-90's, I didn't even have so much as a heating pad for the newborn pups......it was all up to momma to keep them warm.
Across a half dozen litters, we lost one pup......a singleton pup who didn't stimulate milk production.
Fast forward to the present, we have incubators, oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, and respiratory suction devices to improve the viability of the newborns.
As well, we've moved from simple artificial insemination to trans cervical and surgical insemination backed up with progesterone and reverse progesterone testing to hit the right dates for insemination and cesarean delivery of the pups.
With the current emphasis on DNA and coat colors, it's pretty common to see $5,000 stud fees and semen being shipped not only domestically but internationally to turn the breeder's canine image into reality.
Apart from the out-of-pocket expenses, there's also a significant investment in time to care for these pups for the first 3-4 weeks. In fact, the first two weeks is pretty much 24/7 to minimize/avoid puppy mortality.