Flat-faced dog’s fight for life left me ‘a mess,’ says Ulrika Jonsson, as she supports vets’ health warning
THEIR cute scrunched-up faces have made them some of our favourite dogs.
But would-be owners are being urged by vets to steer clear of “flat-faced” breeds such as pugs, bulldogs and shih tzus, as the extremes of selective breeding have left them prone to health problems from breathing difficulties to eye ulcers.
Former British Veterinary Association president Robin Hargreaves says: “Their nasal passages are so thin that it’s like breathing through a straw.”
Here, ULRIKA JONSSON tells of her agony when her pet fell ill, as AMY JONES and GRANT ROLLINGS list the breeds at risk.
ANYONE who tells you a dog is “just a dog” hasn’t experienced a pet’s unconditional love.
My two bulldogs — Nessie, five, and three-year-old Dexter — are my companions and both came from reputable, responsible breeders.
They are my best friends, my children and a bigger part of my life than I can respectfully concede.
But all that nearly changed three months ago when Dexter fell ill.
Normally — and unusually for a bulldog — he was exhaustingly energetic. But on that day he sat panting at the top of our stairs, refusing to move.
We took him to the vet, where he had an MRI scan.
It showed a herniated disc and we were told that although painful, it should be manageable without surgery.
But later that night the vet called us again and said: “We’re losing him. His neurological signs are diminishing.”
I remember wailing, as if someone had stabbed me in the heart.
The vet asked us what he should do — leave Dexter possibly to die or open up his spine and see what was going on, and still he might die.
There really was no decision for us to make. We had to give him every chance.
Three hours later, surgery had revealed that Dexter had contracted an infection around his spinal cord and it had been “flushed out”.
The next two weeks were horrendous.
I could barely function and I lived from hour to hour, waiting on updates from the vet.
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Bulldogs aren’t good under anaesthetic due to their short noses and often suffer from reflux.
He struggled to regulate his breathing due to stress as he recovered.
But against the odds, Dexter came home and I slept downstairs with him on the floor for the first two and a half weeks.
We needed a harness and a sling to help him get around.
Not only was it physically exhausting but he was on a regime of drugs twice a day.
It feels utterly wrong to discuss the financial implications of saving Dexter, but it was something the vet broached with us early on in a most morally responsible and respectful way.
For us, there was no choice, but the cost has been life-changing.
As is the case for so many dog owners up and down the country, we would walk on hot coals for our four-legged friends — and then some.
Three months on, Dexter still can’t walk upstairs and we rarely, if ever, leave him unattended. But we are able to give him all our love and he returns it just by being alive.
Vets, the PDSA, the Royal Veterinary College and the RSPCA are right to warn would-be dog owners to be aware of the health issues of our beloved bulldogs and other “funny looking” breeds.
But ultimately it is stupid “hoomans” who opt for a breed on which they have done no research and come unstuck when they don’t know how to look after them.
If I may, I would like to give bulldogs the highest recommendation when it comes to being loyal, loving and kind-hearted dogs.
And I hope we can try to stamp out some of the health issues by breeding better-engineered pets.
The flat pack
Pug
SERIOUS breathing difficulties can lead to fainting and excessive flatulence as they gulp and swallow air. Bulging eyes can lead to dry-eye and ulcers.
LIFESPAN: 12-15 years.
POPULARITY: 9,076 UK pups born in 2014.
PRICE: Around £950.
CELEB OWNERS: Paris Hilton, Jonathan Ross, Gerard Butler.
English bulldog
WRINKLES prone to infection unless kept clean.
Nostrils cause breathing problems. Eyes suffer irritation and pain.
LIFESPAN: 8-10 years.
POPULARITY: 5,615 pups born in 2014.
PRICE: Around £1,500.
CELEB OWNERS: The Beckhams, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Brown.
French bulldog
PRONE to joint, eye and heart diseases, spinal disorders and more.
Like pugs, they suffer excessive flatulence.
LIFESPAN: 10-12 years.
POPULARITY: 9,164 pups born in 2014.
PRICE: Around £1,400.
CELEB OWNERS: Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman, Lady Gaga.
Shih tzu
THEY can suffer serious kidney, liver, dental and eye diseases, knee problems and skin allergies.
They are also prone to choking.
LIFESPAN: 11-15 years.
POPULARITY: 3,855 pups born in 2014.
PRICE: Around £750.
CELEB OWNERS: Geri Halliwell, Bill Gates, Mariah Carey.
Cavalier King Charles spaniel
UP to 90 per cent suffer syringomyelia, where the brain is forced into the spinal cord, causing pain or partial paralysis.
LIFESPAN: 9-14 years.
POPULARITY: 4,259 born in 2014.
PRICE: Around £900.
CELEB OWNERS: Teri Hatcher, Liv Tyler.
Pekingese
A DEFORMED breed in two ways – with short legs and long back, plus their short, “pushed-in” face.
These syndromes can cause orthopaedic, respiratory and eye problems.
LIFESPAN: 10-15 years.
POPULARITY: 3,855 born in 2014.
PRICE: Around £800.
CELEB OWNER: Joe Jonas.