A French bulldog owner had to send her beloved dog, Frankie, for surgery after just a 15-minute walk left him struggling to breathe. Barbara McKernan later found out her dog actually had no nasal passage at all.
When she first got him as a puppy she noticed he struggled to breathe. When he was one year old, she was so worried about his health, 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 better airflow reports the MEN. 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.” 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 almost 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 - five months on from the surgery, Frankie is 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. The RSPCA has called for the popular breeds to be banned at Crufts.
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Ahead of the annual dog show, which takes place in Birmingham from March 9 to March 12, the RSPCA launched a campaign highlighting concerns brachycephalic breeds face as a result of the ‘irresponsible way they’ve been selectively bred’. The animal charity is 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 said: “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.”
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.
However, The Kennel Club - who organise Crufts - say a ban would be 'completely counterproductive'. Bill Lambert, a spokesperson for The Kennel Club, said: “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.”
