While other dogs his age were bounding around using up their puppy energy, Hugo the French bulldog was already suffering from a number of medical ailments by his first birthday which were restricting his ability to breathe and walk.
His quality of life was poor, even though he was a pedigree French bulldog. His ill health was purely a consequence of his breed.
Now the RSPCA’s Northamptonshire Branch has highlighted his story to shine a spotlight on concerns that flat-faced dogs – brachycephalic breeds such as French bulldogs, British bulldogs and pugs – can suffer from terrible breathing issues and many dogs of this breed cannot live normal lives due to the way they’ve been selectively bred over the years.
The RSPCA launched its Save Our Breath campaign in March to coincide with Crufts, where flat-faced dogs were judged in front of millions of TV viewers, sparking concerns that 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 to them financially.
Jessica Twinberrow, from the RSPCA’s Northamptonshire Branch, where Hugo was looked after, said: “If you’ve ever had an asthma attack, struggled to breathe after a few steps, felt like you’re suffocating while trying to sleep, had a bad back, a dodgy hip and felt the pain of arthritis then you will know how distressing it can be. But imagine having all that at the same time – as that is what poor Hugo had to go through every day.
“We love Frenchies, we love their character and their tenacity in life – but we find it hard to love their looks because of what it brings with it.”
Hugo saw multiple vets and specialists, but the advice was always the same – the complexity and degenerative nature of the multiple conditions affecting him meant any surgery attempted would cause significant complications elsewhere, and further impair his already poor quality of life.
Jessica added: “As a team, and after much guidance from specialists, we came to the devastating decision that we couldn’t alleviate his suffering and sadly, last month he was put to rest. This took a huge emotional toll on our team, his foster carer and everybody who loved him.
“Hugo’s story is a heartbreaking one, but we know it must be shared in his memory to make people aware of the suffering his breed can often go through – just for the way they look.
“We hope for anyone reading about it who is considering the breed, to fully research their medical and financial implications and look to rescue, or choose an alternative breed type altogether. If you already own a flat-faced breed that you love, ask an experienced vet or us in rescues for what to look out for to help their quality of life and to push for future generations to help their physical welfare.”
The RSPCA launched its Save Our Breath campaign as research shows:
- Brachycephalic breeds have a significantly shorter lifespan than others
- French bulldogs were the number one breed being advertised for sale in the UK in 2022
- The RSPCA has seen an increase of 37% in these breeds coming into our care*
To find out more about the RSPCA’s Save Our Breath campaign, visit rspca.org.uk/saveourbreath.
