French bulldogs dogged by canine health crisis and dodgy breeders

They are the high-priced dog of choice for hipsters and celebrities but French bulldogs come with a dark secret — nearly half of them need expensive surgery just to breathe. And dodgy backyard breeders chasing the big bucks are a major part of the problem.

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They are the high-priced dog of choice for hipsters and celebrities but French bulldogs come with a dark secret — nearly half of them need expensive surgery just to breathe.

The RSPCA and the Australian Veterinary Association are calling on all french bulldog breeders to alter the standard to reduce the incidence of this serious health problem that can kill them in hot weather and leaves some even unable to sleep properly.

Meanwhile the Australian National Kennel Club is blaming the dramatic increase in dogs with breathing issues on greedy backyard breeders looking to make a quick buck by pumping out as many pups as possible from animals unsuitable for breeding.

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French bulldogs were the 16th-most popular dog in 2013 but jumped to third in 2018 (behind labrador retrievers and Staffordshire terriers) as most-popular dog according to the ANKC.

Because the pups can sell for as much as $19,000 — with an average price of $4000 — plenty see a quick dollar to be made. On Gumtree this week there were 271 ads selling puppies.

Bruno the French Bulldog with owners Neil and Kristina Maccabee. Bruno died en route from Townsville to Sydney after the airline allegedly left Bruno on the tarmac in the sun. Picture: Supplied

But French bulldogs are part of the brachycephalic, or short-nosed, breed of dogs, which includes pugs, boxers and British bulldogs. The squished-in face that makes French bulldogs so cute can seriously compromise their ability to breathe. Worse, as dogs pant to cool down, this compromised breathing can have serious health effects during hot spells.

The Sunday Telegraph recently reported on the death of a french bulldog after he was left on a hot airport runway in January.

“We are trying to work with breeders to change the standard of the breed,” AVA president Dr Paula Parker said.

“People think they look cute, but the smooched-in face they are attracted to is a dysfunctional, they have difficulty breathing.”

Every week in summer Dr Parker will admit a french bulldog to her Brisbane clinic for heat stress and not all survive.

“These breeds are less efficient in their panting which causes swelling in the tissues of the throat and mouth. I work in emergency care and this time of year it’s very common, rarely a day goes by without seeing one come in,” she said.

One dog named Diego died in her clinic after he came in with heat stress.

“The owners had walked home from the coffee shop on a 31 degree day and that was enough to make Diego overheat and he collapsed, he could not get enough air into his airways.

“We tried to get a tube in but all of his organs had started to cook from the inside,” Dr Parker said.

At the Animal Referral Hospital in Homebush, emergency vet Dr James Carroll said he’d seen more than 20 cases of heat stroke in the month of January during Sydney’s record heatwave.

“They are mostly severe when they get to us. They can’t cool themselves, they are panting to get rid of excess heat but their airway is not efficient and they overheat and cause damage to their organs,” Dr Carroll said.

Ralph, the three-year-old french bulldog was one of them. Ruth Hooper was taking her son’s dog for a walk at 7am in Terrigal before the heat set in on December 30 but Ralph collapsed and needed an emergency tracheotomy and surgery.

Ralph the French bulldog collapsed in the heat and needed an emergency tracheotomy and surgery. Picture: Supplied

Ralph with his owner Matt Hooper. Picture: Supplied

Matt Hooper, Ralph’s owner said he was well aware of the breed’s issues and had bought him from a reputable and registered breeder.

“We are vigilant and know all the issues with the breed but it was early and before the heat was out. He wasn’t given good odds for survival but thankfully he’s still with us today,” Mr Hooper, 33, said.

Ralph’s vet bill was more than $15,000 and, while Mr Hooper had pet insurance, he said “a lot of people don’t understand them or how to look after them”.

“It’s scary how popular they have become but because they are popular, breeders are breeding them poorly,” Mr Hooper said.

Dr Bronwyn Orr from the RSPCA said many French bulldogs also suffer chronic sleep deprivation.

“Because of the way they have been bred to look, it leaves them open to a condition call brachiocephalic obstructive airway syndrome. A lot can’t even go to sleep properly,” Dr Orr said.

“The popularity of the breed and the money they can get is leading to an increase in breeding.”

But Hugh Gent from the ANKC blamed backyard breeders for the poor health of the dogs.

“There are a lot of unregistered breeders. If our breeders are breeding unhealthy dogs we can do something about it but those outside the ANKC are not responsible,” Mr Gent said.

He said 85 per cent of all puppies bred come from unregistered breeders.

“In 2016, ANKC breeders produced 71,361 puppies (all breeds) but 408,639 puppies came from unregistered breeders,” Mr Gent said.

The ANKC claims it was knocked back after a request for information from veterinarians, to check if dogs came from registered breeders.

“We would like to work with the AVA to check up on breeders when a dog comes into the vet sick, but they said they could not provide the dog’s number due to confidentiality,” Mr Gent said.

“People are exploiting these dogs. I saw one on Gumtree for sale for $19,000, so the public are a bit gullible,” Mr Gent said.

ANKC chairman Karen Hedberg with her French Bulldogs Beaches and Tosca. Picture: Toby Zerna

Veterinarian and registered french bulldog breeder with the French Bulldog Club of NSW Karen Hedberg agreed backyard breeders were producing too many unhealthy pups.

She surgically corrects up to six dogs a week to help them breathe better.

“You can’t control them and there is a glut and overproduction of poorly-bred dogs,” she said.

Ms Hedberg said she had recently purchased a machine that checks for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome. The machine can measure the breathing capacity of the dogs and grade them from normal to grade three.

She said statistics from the UK show 50 per cent fall in the normal or grade 1 category and do not have breathing issues. These dogs are suitable for breeding.

Grade two may need surgery and represent around 40 per cent of dogs. These should only be bred with extreme caution. Grade three will require need surgery to help them breath properly and should never be bred. About 8 per cent are grade three, according to UK figures.

“What we want to do is cull the bad ones out,” Ms Hedberg said.