Sunday 14 November 2010

Gasp! Bulldogs at Discover Dogs


I'm at Discover Dogs and the above video shows two six-year-old Bulldog brothers (one called "Boss") on the Bulldog stand. They are in a dreadful state - note particularly the purple tongue, a classic sign of severe respiratory distress. The owner appeared oblivious to it, so de-sensitised are bulldog owners to the fact that many of their dogs live their entire lives in a state of hypoxia (oxygen starvation). And while these dogs were gasping for breath on the floor, members of the public ooh'd and ah'd and took pictures.  When will they learn? These dogs are suffering - really suffering.

The dogs were in such a poor state that I reported them to the show vet and showed him my footage, mentioning who I was.  "Could you hang on here a moment while I go and show this to the Kennel Club" asked Eric the vet, reaching out for my iPhone (on which I filmed the dogs). Fearing my beloved Apple portable device  might meet a sudden and untimely end once in KC paws, I said I would stay put while they fetched someone. Eric disappeared. I waited. Who would it be, I wondered. I waited some more. No one came. But of course - they would have gone straight to the Bulldog stand! I left my phone number with the veterinary nurse and hot-tailed it to the Bulldog stand just in time to see Eric the vet and KC Secretary Caroline Kisko ushering the two bulldogs and their unhappy owners off the stand. And it wasn't just for a quick vet-check either. They didn't return.



If you really want a Bulldog, avoid the KC version and go for one of the non-KC alternatives such as the Dorset or Victorian or Olde-Tyme Bullodgs. They are much less extreme and many more can mate and give birth naturally.

More from Discover Dogs shortly... Or perhaps I'll just do some shopping. Who's to tell?

14 comments:

  1. I couldn't finish watching that clip to the end, just so very, very sad :(

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  2. Shocking and I went once and it was very hot - even worse for dogs in that state/1

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  3. And another thing, why would anyone want a dog which finds breathing so hard it can hardly walk? I've met one or tow and can't understand it.

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  4. Brachycephalic breeds are overrepresented in a cancer called chemodectomas:

    http://dogzombie.blogspot.com/2010/08/veterinary-fact-of-day-chemodectomas.html

    Vet advocates leaving the trach tube in brachycephalic breeds as long as possible because “Can you imagine, they must spend so much energy every day, just to breathe. They are perfectly happy with the trach tube in. You should leave it in until the last minute, until they are almost ready to walk out the door. Nobody else tolerates the tube the way that these dogs do.”

    http://dogzombie.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-in-life-ethics-from-large-and-small.html

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  5. He, he. I bet THAT leaves a floral stain in Kisko's undies! But, of course, this is any bulldog show andywhere, and video phones are ubiquitous. We're all videographers now. The bassetts, the German Shepherds, the shaved dogs, the dyed dogs... It's all fair game now. And get a Ipod Nano -- it records good audio as well as video.

    In my opinion, Dorset, Victorian or Olde-Tyme are just as big a mess as the KC version. Most are Cesarian, and none have a function other than fantasy. Say what you want about American Pit Bulls, but they are healthy and functional.

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  6. utter cruelty...no mistake

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  7. Those poor dogs, imagine having to spend every day of your life gasping for every breath. We all know how it feels to be 'bunged up' with a bad cold, these poor beasts have to endure this torture every miserable day of their lives.
    What bloody right do we think we have to deliberately breed dogs to look like that, to deliberately breed for health problems. Of course, in the 'real world' animals like these wouldn't exist, natural selection would have ensured any deformed animals died. Quite right too!

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  8. This really hurts, how can anayone think that it is quite normal for a dog to pant and have purple tongue, it clearly shows these dogs are suffering at that hands of the breeeders again. I woudl never hae a kc breed dog, i have a gsd and she has straight back and is the older version, she is fab, my boy is a crosscollie gsd he too is solid and has straight back, why do we allow these dogs to be breed if they were children we woudlnt allow it, things need to change and they need to change now.....

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  9. We wonder Jemima why you do not make it clear these dogs had been there for several hours being petted by hundreds of people and therefore excited so would normally pant.It is interesting when watching the video that in one light the dogs tongues are red and when turned away from the light appear purple.We also understand that when the vet arrived at the stand he thought the dog had gone home as he did not dind a distressed dog ,what he found was one that was asleep!!!! That is how distressed he was.When the dogs owner became infuriated by the untrue allegation by this constnt pedigree dog basher ,It was felt it best she left before she caused mayhem. We also wonder if Jemima got the owners permission to video her dogs? Of course giving the hats does not provide for the sensation seeking publicity that distortion provides.

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  10. I helped anaesthetise a pug and a bull dog for surgery recently, having an i/v inserted and being lightly (and I mean as lightly as possible) restrained caused both dogs to start becoming hypoxic and we had to stop. Both dogs were anaesthetised with anaesthetic gas. We are even taught at veterinary school to be very careful about the anaesthesia of these dogs as after the removal of the endotracheal tube the soft palate can block the trachea causing in the worst case suffocation.

    After you've learnt about dog anatomy and you see the MRI scan of a brachycephalic dog you realise their anatomy is far from normal, and certainly far from healthy.

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  11. How can this be aloud?!
    The owners and breeders of theses bulldogs must be completely deluded to even be able to live alongside, let alone knowing and selectively breed dogs of this standard.
    A very sad example of a once noble, strong and powerful breed....
    Having said that i wouldnt recommend a Dorset or Victorian Bulldog to anyone either; When they start leading the way, and health screening their dogs then there may be a chance of the KC breeders doing the same thing.

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  12. I think it important to note that the allegation of "purple" tongues shown in this video is suspect and self-serving to say the least. The colour in the entire video (shot, apparently, by an iPhone) is by no means accurate to any degree. Furthermore the dogs turn in and out of shadows and the video tries to capture the shifts in colour by over-compensating with deeper and lighter than actual shades (common with video format). Finally, anything pink or red placed upon a green background (I.e. the artificial lawn the dogs are standing on) will automatically appear blue/purple. This is a convenient way to bash the breed. All purebred dogs - regardless of their breed - have their own inherent issues. The dogs in this video are victims of their environment rather than their genetics in this instance - they are clearly hot and tired. This is due to the owner's decision to overheat and exhaust them, and should not be used as a blanket statement that bulldogs in general suffer due to poor breeding standards. In general, and as Cesar Milan always says, "Judge the human owner and not the breed." the majority of bulldog breeders are responsible, reputable and humane, and the majority of bulldogs live healthy, active lives despite their foreshortened muzzles. The sad exception (disreputable breeders and careless owners) should not define any breed.

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  13. Yes, shot on an iPhone and the colour a little off because, mainly, of the fluorescent lighting. But I filmed it, and that tongue was most definitely purple and both dogs were struggling.

    There were other bulldogs there that were in better shape - granted (although it is totally obvious at events like these that almost all the dogs panting are the bracycephalics).

    What I found just so upsetting about these two was that the owner seemed oblivious to their distress and the worry is that they are oblivious because they have become desensitised to it through constant exposure.

    Jemima

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