The Downfall of Designer Breeds

Meet Mac, Hank and Frank, three bulldogs we took in September 2019 after their owner sadly passed away.

These boys at first look adorable, they are everything people like, cute, cuddly, and wrinkly. Once the novelty wears off the fact that yes, they are cute, you start to look or should I say, hear that these dogs have a lot of health issues.

It was hard to miss the sheer level of noise that came from these three boys, the longer you were with them, even doing the gentlest of activities, the louder they got and the more they struggled to breathe. A simple gentle walk had these boys throwing up.

Bulldogs are a breed of deformed dogs, full of man-made health issues.

Here at PACT we get hundreds of dogs through our gate, from pedigree to crossbreed. All are wonderful, all have so much to give, it’s hard to understand why dogs like Mac, Hank and Frank are so sought after. The medical side alone should be enough to set people running yet seeing their squished back faces and oddly shaped bodies seems to do the opposite, its truly mind boggling how people would want such dogs with such unfortunate health issues, who can’t even breathe properly.

Under all these health issues are three wonderful dogs, with great personalities, who walk wonderfully to your side and are extremely loving.

So, what did we do to help these three lads lead a more comfortable life?

All three boys have had operations to shorten the soft palate, widened the nostrils and remove the excess skin from above their noses as well as neutering them and treating their poor skin condition.

A quote from our head vet

“Very short nosed breeds such as British bulldogs, pugs and Frenchie’s are amongst a group of dogs known as brachycephalic aka short nosed dogs. Over the years they have become increasingly more fashionable with many people finding their squished faces, wrinkles and snorting cute. Behind these appealing traits however is a more sinister truth of suffering caused by them. Many of these dogs suffer from one or multiple deformities known as BOAS (brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome) which makes a simple task like breathing a tricky chore for them. It is not normal to be able to hear a dog breathing unless they are being exercised or hot. In addition, they are prone to painful eye problems, ulcers and infections in their wrinkles, skin allergies, hip and knee problems. The females can rarely give birth naturally.

When Hank, Frank and Big Mac came into our care it was obvious that all was not well. Their breathing was incredibly noisy and laboured, they had infected wrinkles, eyelashes growing on the inside of the eyelids so rubbing on the eyes and they regurgitated if they got excited or hot.

While it is not possible to correct all the genetic problems our veterinary team has corrected as many as we can which will enhance their quality of life greatly. We have shortened the soft palate, widened the nostrils and removed the excess skin from above their noses as well as neutering them and treating their skin.”

Please help us cover these lovely boys veterinary costs.