Why the flat face? Tuna the dog has surgery to correct over-breeding
‘It’s wrong that we’re breeding for and buying because of features which compromise the health, behaviour and welfare of these breeds’
A BULLDOG puppy has been given a face-lift after extreme over-breeding left it with excess skin that rubbed and got infected.
Tuna, a one-year-old English bulldog, had excess rolls of flesh around its nose removed by RSPCA veterinarians by a process called facial-fold resection surgery – a canine face-lift of sorts.
Tuna also had an operation to remove part of its eyelid, to correct a defect which led to the eyelashes rubbing against its eyeball.
Katherine Maling, a veterinary nurse at the RSPCA’S Blackberry Farm Animal Centre in Aylesbury, Bucks, took Tuna in. She said: “The ‘rope’ – or the roll of excess skin – around her nose was causing her a lot of issues, like sore skin and hot spots that often led to infections.
“The weight of it also pulled her eyelids down, which made her eyes weep.”
Canine face-lifts are not a new phenomenon, but are becoming increasingly common as the popularity of flat-faced dogs continues to grow.
Tuna’s surgeries have already cost thousands of pounds and the dog has another operation planned to improve its breathing.
It currently snores and sleeps on a pillow due to severe airway obstruction, a trait all too common in shortnosed, or brachycephalic, dogs.
This health issue, known as brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, is what makes flat-faced dogs pant and snore as their short snout stops them breathing properly.
Flat faces are a by-product of intense breeding of dogs to enhance certain cosmetic features.
Charities, vets and dog lovers are attempting to stop people buying flatfaced breeds and are raising awareness of the health issues they face, such as being more likely to die before old age and being twice as likely to get heat stroke.
Ms Maling said that it is “disgusting” that Tuna “even has to undergo these surgeries in order to be able to breathe and live her daily life”. She added: “I can’t believe people are deliberately breeding dogs to be this way.
“It is not okay and we should be fighting against how this has become normal for these breeds.”
Dr Samantha Gaines, RSPCA dog welfare expert, said: “Our focus on dogs’ appearance and a desire for ‘cute’ squishy faces has led to breeders selecting dogs with increasingly flatter faces which has caused a whole generation of certain breeds who struggle to breathe.
“Unfortunately, some of these dogs also face other health problems, like serious skin infections and allergies due to their folds of fur, as well as eye problems, and painful back conditions caused by corkscrew tails.
“We understand why there is so much love out there for these breeds.
“But it’s wrong that we’re knowingly breeding for and buying because of features which compromise their health, behaviour and welfare; and it’s time we put a stop to this.”