After years of dreaming about owning a Bulldog I recently bought my first Bulldog bitch unfortunately after having her a week she has developed Cherry eye. I have mixed emotions as I was keen on showing her and hopefully in the future breeding her and keeping one or two pups to continue to show. I feel disappointed and at the same time annoyed with myself for feeling this way as I have quickly grown to love her and developed a bond. My enthusiasm for the breed is also at a low ebb. I have been contemplating buying another puppy in the near future to start showing but I feel that the same could happen again and I would be left feeling the same. I am at the vets tomorrow for her check up and 2nd vaccination so I will also find out what needs to be done regarding her prolapsed gland and cost.
Do you think I have just been unfortunate with the breed or is it actually quite difficult and luck of the draw with regards to purchasing a healthy bulldog worthy of showing?
Thank you in advance for your replies

Bulldogs do suffer with Cherry eye and it's hereditary.   By all means get it treated, depending on your vet's advice, and show her if she's otherwise good, but please don't breed from her.   Her breeder should be told so she doesn't repeat this mating either.

http://www.canidae.com/blog/2010/06/what-causes-cherry-eye-in-dogs-and-how-to-correct-it.html

By all means get it treated, depending on your vet's advice, and show her if she's otherwise good,

KC permission to show would have to be sought first, and I'm not sure whether cherry eye is something they would accept or not, would suspect not, so showing might not be possible after surgery.

Don't give up hope of showing your puppy because of the Cherry Eye. Have it corrected if needs be, you will need to ask the KC for permission to show, but there are applications now on the online KC Journal which have been approved. So that's a good indication that your's would be too.

Thank you. I understand about breeding from her which I wouldn't and I have accepted that. I am a person who always wants to live honest and rightful and if I did that then I would never become a responsible breeder which Is something I hope to achieve in the future. The breeder has never had cherry eye in their lines and as I was traveling down to collect my pup I had a phone call halfway and a picture of her eye which the breeder said it had developed on the morning and they weren't sure if it was cherry eye or she had taken a knock off her siblings. I then had doubt about purchasing her and told the breeder my concerns. They were going take her to vet and I was welcome to go along with them. So I decided to travel there still and when I arrived over an hour later her eye was fine. I was again happy and decided to take her after seeing her. But unfortunately her gland prolapsed again a week later and then went back to normal again a few hours later I was hoping she had just knocked it but it's since appeared and stayed that way since Sunday. I am now visiting the vets tonight at 6pm.

That's good news to hear thank you. I am trying to remain positive and this is my first experience with the breed so maybe regarding breeding it would be for the best for me not to have a litter anyway with this bitch. Hopefully in the future I get another opportunity after gaining more experience. Also I can gain more knowledge in showing. :-)

Should u decide in the future to get a butch and then show he'd and possibly breed make sure u have a good mentor as bulldogs are not easy to breed. They often need caesarean and having money put aside for large bills will be a necessity. You may also decide risking the health of you dog is not worth it.its a not something g to be taken lightly and with out a lit of research

My sheltie was born with back dew claws and were not removed by the breeder. We have been told that we would have to have them removed if we wish to show, our question is, is this reAly necessary. We are reluctant to put the dog through surgery for what is after all just cosmetic.

Personally I'd not say rear dewclaws were NOT just cosmetic as I have known problems to occur in breeds where they are not meant to be. I get them in both my breeds and always have them removed. The BSD breed standard USED to say that rear dewclaws were not acceptable (can't remember exact wording) but this was changed along with many other breed standards to it being allowed for them to be kept on. It's not mentioned in the Papillon breed standard (my other breed). I'm sure you could give showing a try but it would probably be seen as a fault like any other, so if you have two equally good dogs and one has rear dewclaws and one not, you'd have a disadvantage.

I agree rear dewclaws are the ones most likely to cause problems.

They can vary from proper toes to skin tags with just a claw.

We don't get them in our breed, but I fostered an Elkhound Husky  crossbreed of around 18 months. 

On homing with her new owner he hadn't got his Insurance set up before she tore one and needed surgery, he could have kicked himself not getting the Insurance in time.

Traumatised one took longer to heal than the one removed at same time.

Stupid thing is it's perfectly legal fro a breeder or anyone else to dewclaw a puppy before it's eyes open, yet a vet has to d tails, in situations where it's still allowed..