Bull Terrier Health

Bull Terriers on the whole are a fairly healthy breed.

There are however a few health problems as with most pedigree animals.

Kidney failure (Familial nephropathy) is a very serious condition which sadly always leads to a very painful death for the dog. This could affect your dog from a very young age!

Heart problems are very common in our breed, statistics show that around 30% of Bull Terriers suffer from heart conditions.

These could also kill your dog!

Deafness is more common in white than coloured Bull Terriers although both can be affected. Buying a BAER tested puppy is the only sure way of making sure your puppy has 100% of its hearing. Deaf Bull Terriers often have temperament problems..... breeders who belong to the Bull Terrier clubs must agree to never sell a deaf puppy.

Uni pups (can hear in one ear) however make very good pets but should never be bred from.

Patella problems also affect our breed, they are not normally as serious as the other conditions but it could make your dog very uncomfortable and he could require expensive surgery.

Skin problems can vary from mild to severe, treatment can again be very expensive and sometimes nothing can be done for the dog and they have to be put to sleep to end their

suffering.

Sadly our breed can also suffer from temperament problems.

Some breeders say that the breed does not have these problems or they say that health testing does not work........

However there are now more and more breeders choosing to test their breeding animals.

The best way to make sure you buy a healthy Bull Terrier is to buy from tested stock and make sure you see any test results, its no good just being told the sire and dam are tested clear, good breeders will be happy to show you all the results and probably give you copies to keep.

For more information of the above conditions and how to test your Bull Terrier visit Bull Terriers Health UK which is linked below.

''Olive'' an Icacia puppy being BAER tested at 6 weeks old.