Bulldog

Priority health schemes and tests

The Kennel Club Assured Breeders must use the following (or equivalent) schemes, tests and advice. All other breeders are strongly advised to also use these.

• Respiratory function grading scheme (The Kennel Club and University of Cambridge)

Important health schemes and tests

We strongly recommend that all breeders, both assured breeders (ABs) and non ABs, use the following (or equivalent) schemes, tests and advice.

• DNA test - HUU - part of The Kennel Club’s DNA Testing Services* (see below). Find lists of tested dogs
• Check inbreeding calculators

*The Kennel Club’s DNA Testing Services - simple to use and easy to organise all-in-one DNA tests 

The DNA tests listed above marked with an asterisk (*) are included in our DNA Testing Services. This includes:

• HUU (Hyperuricosuria)

Kennel Club Assured breeders and Kennel Club Accredited Instructors receive a 10% discount.

Find out more about our DNA Testing Services.

Find out about a particular dog's results

Please visit our Health Test Results Finder to discover the DNA or screening scheme test results for any dog on The Kennel Club's Breed Register.

You can also view the inbreeding coefficient calculation for a puppy's parents, or for a dog you're thinking of breeding from.

Health issues in flat-faced dogs

Breathing difficulties

Skin problems

Teeth problems

Eye conditions

Want to buy a puppy responsibly?

Have any questions about health in your breed?

If you have any concerns about a particular health condition in your breed then you may wish to speak to your vet or you could contact your breed health co-ordinator.

Breed health co-ordinators are individuals working on behalf of breed clubs and councils who are advocates for the health and welfare of their chosen breed. They acts as a spokesperson on matters of health and will collaborate with The Kennel Club on any health concerns the breed may have.

To contact your breed health co-ordinator please email 

Health (The Kennel Club)

The Breed Health and Conservation Plans

Our breed health and conservations plans (BHCPs) use evidence and data to help us understand the health issues found in each pedigree dog breed. These plans help breeders and owners identify health and welfare problems and use information, health tests and health schemes to avoid passing on those problems to future puppies. They also support and provide breeders with tools and specialist expertise to help manage genetic diversity, understand the impacts of close breeding, and find the best ways to preserve the population of their breed.

Working together for the breed

We’ve worked with breed clubs and breed representatives to gather all available evidence to help us determine the priority concerns for the breed and decide how we can work together to manage and reduce these problems.

Breed priorities

The current key priorities for the breed are:

• Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS)
• Ocular conditions
• Cardiovascular conditions
• Skin conditions
• Obesity

How we plan to make improvements

We’ve agreed the following list of actions with the breed clubs to improve the health of the breed. Both parties are committed to working on these areas and will review these on a regular basis to ensure the actions remain focussed and relevant to the breed’s health.

Breed Club actions include:

• The Bulldog Breed Council and Breed Clubs to continue to actively encourage uptake of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme. – IN PROGRESS (the breed is included as one of the five brachycephalic breeds that a team from the Royal Veterinary College are researching, offering free eye testing as part of their project)
• The Bulldog Breed Council and Breed Clubs to continue to encourage members to make use of the breed health scheme. – ONGOING
• The Bulldog Breed Health Representatives to continue to participate in the Brachycephalic Working Group with The Kennel Club’s support. – ONGOING
• The breed clubs to attend Bulldog owner events and share information to pet owners with regard to Bulldog health. – ONGOING
• The breed clubs to conduct a survey at shows using the body condition score chart, once available. – IN PROGRESS (The Kennel Club are currently exploring opportunities with researchers at the University of Cambridge and Royal Veterinary College, to develop this tool for the breed)
• The breed clubs to continue to encourage uptake of the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme, with a target to increase the number of dogs participating in the scheme, and provide details of health testing sessions to The Kennel Club. – ONGOING

Our actions include:

• To progress and fund a Bulldog specific body condition score with the University of Cambridge, with the breed clubs to assist in sourcing dogs. – IN PROGRESS (see action above)
• To report on progress made with the Veterinary Cardiology Society with regard to a heart scheme for Bulldogs/ pulmonic stenosis – IN PROGRESS (we have been discussing heart scheme development and data collation with the Veterinary Cardiology Society, and hope to hold screening days for a number of breeds over the coming years)
• To investigate the feasibility of developing certification for Bulldogs as part of the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, with additional guidance to owners. – IN PROGRESS (see action above)
• To investigate research avenues for cherry eye with the Kennel Club Genetics Centre and BVA/KC/ISDS eye panel working party. – IN PROGRESS (see action above)
• To report back on the progress of the neurology development group. – IN PROGRESS (We are working with a specialist neurology working group to gain the expertise to determine the best way to develop a formal scheme to cover spinal problems in the breed)
• To assess the impact of current wording under the RFG Scheme for grade 2s – particularly with regard to the phrasing “clinically affected” – COMPLETE (this action was completed in 2020 and the guidance has been rephrased on The Kennel Club website)
• To develop a health survey, based on the Dachshund health & lifestyle survey, and disseminate to all registered owners of the breed – COMPLETE (this action was completed in 2022, with the survey results to be included in the next Breed Health and Conservation Plan update)
• To investigate research avenues for skin conditions that impact the Bulldog.

The full evidence base is available at the discretion of the breed clubs, however if you would like to seek access to the full report, please contact our health team here.

Health (The Kennel Club)

How do I use this information?

Breeders should be mindful of the top priorities in their breed and ensure they are working to reduce and eliminate the presence of these diseases when choosing to breed their dogs.

Puppy buyers should also be aware of these issues and be sure to ask their breeder how they are contributing towards the above actions, and whether any of these problems have been seen in their breeding lines.

The Kennel Club does not accept the registration, including any imported dogs, of any merle Bulldogs.

Merle patterning - patches of lighter colour appearing in the coat - is the result of the M gene in the dog. There are two alleles of this gene: M (merle) and m (non-merle), with merle (M) being dominant to non-merle (m). In some breeds, the effect of the merle allele (M) is termed ‘dapple’. Unfortunately, the effects of the merle allele (M) are not confined to coat patterning and it is known that there can be an increased risk of impaired hearing and sight associated with it, particularly in dogs that are homozygous for M (dogs that carry two copies of the M allele).

As the merle colour is not a naturally occurring colour in this breed, and in view of the health concerns relating to the merle gene, The Kennel Club will not accept the registration of any merle Bulldog puppies.