A French bulldog owner was left with ‘no choice’ but to send her beloved dog, Frankie, for surgery after a 15-minute walk left him struggling to breathe. Barbara McKernan later discovered her dog actually had no nasal passage at all.
The owner noticed from when she first got him as a puppy that he struggled to breathe, and when he was one year old, she was so worried about his health that he had to have veterinary intervention so he could breathe properly.
Frankie was diagnosed with a condition called Brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BOAS), and needed surgery to widen his nostrils and shorten his soft palate to give him a better airflow.
Barbara, from Liverpool, said: “I read up on the surgery but there seemed to be so many complications, I didn’t want to put him through it. However, he was getting worse so I had no choice really.
“I noticed that his breathing was a bit laboured and that his whole stomach seemed to move when he was sleeping.I tried to manage the condition by not taking him out for long periods and not taking him out in the heat but he was getting worse - a 15-minute walk in the early morning was leaving him panting and out of breath.
“He didn’t sleep very much and usually slept with a toy bone in his mouth.”
Although apprehensive about the surgery and the potential complications, Frankie’s condition was getting worse, so Barbara made the decision to go through with the operation.
She added: “ It broke my heart to have to put him through it all, and I was so worried about it.”
After the surgery, the vet told Barbara that Frankie had virtually no nasal passage at all but had widened his nostrils as much as she could and shortened his soft palate to help with his breathing.
But now, five months on from the surgery, Frankie is thankfully doing much better.
“I’m glad he had the operation but the whole thing terrified me as I wasn’t sure he would get through it,” she said. “I still have to be careful with him in the heat and it’s just a shame that these dogs have to go through this.”
Flat-faced breeds like Frankie, as well as pugs and bulldogs, are prone to BOAS, which leaves many dogs struggling to breathe. And now, the RSPCA has called for the popular breeds to be banned at Crufts..
Ahead of the annual dog show, which takes place in Birmingham from March 9 to March 12, the RSPCA have launched a campaign that highlights concerns that brachycephalic breeds face as a result of the ‘irresponsible way they’ve been selectively bred’.
The animal charity are worried the ‘showing and celebration of such breeds’ will further popularise them and will lead people to ‘buy one without knowing the true cost both to their dogs’ lives and financially.’
RSPCA dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines explained: “We’ve long held concerns about the main element of Crufts - a dog beauty pageant which judges entrants primarily on their appearance awarding those who most closely match the standard that describes their breed.
“This sadly means numerous dogs have competed and been awarded prizes despite having visibly exaggerated features that are associated with serious health issues.
“It saddens us that each year, large numbers of flat-faced dogs such as French bulldogs and pugs qualify for the competition despite the selection for their extreme features posing risk of serious health and welfare issues.”
Brachycephalic breeds often face ‘painful, debilitating and distressing’ health issues which can incur significant vet costs for owners. Brachycephalic breeds also have a significantly shorter lifespan than others.
Samantha continued: “Last year, despite less exaggerated versions presented in other classes in the competition, we still saw a more exaggerated bulldog coming first place in the best of breed - so judges thought he was the ‘best’ example of his breed, but at what cost to his health?
“Every year Crufts awards these types of dogs with certificates for best of breed with the potential for one to be named best in show. While some changes have been made to the breed standards, it is far from sufficient and there remains an urgent need to protect these dogs.
“The Kennel Club has the power to inform real change, and has an incredible influence. They get to decide what a Crufts ‘winner’ looks like, and by taking a stand against brachycephaly - and ending the involvement of French bulldogs, British bulldogs and pugs from competitions until these breeds are returned to health - they can help protect future generations of these dogs.”
The charity reported that French bulldogs were the number one breed being advertised for sale in the UK in 2022, but their rescue centres also saw an increase of 37 per cent in these breeds coming into their care.
New research by the RSPCA has shown that people across the North West generally agree that these breeds should not be allowed to compete at Crufts - with 53 per cent responding that the British bulldog, French bulldog and pugs should be banned from the show.
In addition, 80 per cent support mandatory health testing for brachycephalic animals in order to compete at Crufts, while 83 per cent think that Crufts has a responsibility to show only healthy dogs.
Emma Slawinski, campaign director at the RSPCA, said: “Featuring brachycephalics at Crufts legitimises their exaggerated features and increases their popularity amongst the public.
“This year we are campaigning to have French bulldogs, pugs and bulldogs removed from the show as we do not believe their extreme physical features and associated health and welfare issues are a cause for celebration.
“We love all dogs, regardless of breeds, and we campaign on this because we want to save them from more suffering. With bulldogs as an example, we have campaigned throughout our history to save them from bull baiting and we work tirelessly to break up dog fighting rings.
“We completely understand why there is so much love out there for these breeds, but breeding for features which compromise their basic health and welfare is wrong. We need to change the general view that these dogs are ‘cute’ and that the symptoms of their health problems are ‘funny’, ‘cute’ or normal for the breed.
“If you are keen to have a French bulldog, British bulldog or a pug, please look at adopting from a rescue instead of buying, as buying from a breeder encourages more over-breeding.”
However, The Kennel Club - who organise Crufts - say a ban would be 'completely counterproductive'.
Bill Lambert, a spokesperson The Kennel Club, commented: “Far from creating demand for a ‘must have’ pet, Crufts actually educates people about important issues around dog ownership and health, which is why a ban from this important education platform would be completely counterproductive.
“The reality is that media and celebrity culture sadly drives demand for a particularly exaggerated look, which can lead to health issues – by contrast less than one per cent of all dogs take part in dog shows, which assess dogs against moderate guidelines that, alongside show vet checks, explicitly call for visibly healthy dogs and the avoidance of unhealthy extremes.
“To improve and protect the health of future generations, The Kennel Club has been the only organisation to harness the power of health testing and to co-develop with Cambridge University, the Respiratory Function Grading scheme – something we offer for free to those at Crufts, and which assesses the future likelihood of a dog developing the respiratory disease known as BOAS (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome), which affects between 2.4 and 6.6 per cent of French Bulldogs, Pugs and Bulldogs. Crufts plays an important part in urging people to ‘stop and think’ before buying a brachycephalic dog and ensuring that they are armed with the information that they need to make a responsible decision.
“A ban from Crufts, which is a forum for working together to promote improved health and moderation, could very well be a precursor to calls to ban them in the UK – a move that we think will do nothing to dent their popularity and lead to a surge of brachycephalic breeds, pure or crossbreed, being bred underground, away from any influence.”
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