Poorly puppy now happy and healthy

A poorly French bulldog puppy is on the mend and in a loving home, thanks to Blue Cross.

Little Snowy arrived at our Lewknor rehoming centre in Oxfordshire a week after being bought by a family who had underestimated the time a young puppy demands and knew she needed far more than they could give.

We’re so grateful that they did the best they could for Snowy in contacting Blue Cross for help, as many other puppies like her sadly end up advertised online and can fall into irresponsible hands.

As a French bulldog, Snowy is a flat-faced, or brachycephalic, breed. Unfortunately, this means that she may never breathe as well as other dogs not bred to look this way. 

But when she came into our care, she had also started to suffer with an infection which had left her wheezing and needing urgent vet treatment to avoid any complications.

Hannah Owen, Rehoming Supervisor, said: “We noticed she was very snuffly and a vet check showed that she had an upper respiratory infection. She was then put on meds to help get her better.

“I took her home to foster her and give her the love she needed while she waited for a home. She would sometimes wake herself up due to her blocked nose, and she has a typical Frenchie snore.”

Despite this, Snowy was a happy pup who was soon able to start her search for a new home – with Hannah and the foster carers she went to after ensuring that she continued to get all the socialisation she needed to grow into a confident dog.

“She’s an absolute sweetheart and we all loved her to bits straightaway,” said Hannah.

Due to the ongoing difficulties flat-faced dogs can potentially have, it was important to the centre team to rehome Snowy to someone who had knowledge of the breed and their specific needs.

In extreme cases of bad breeding – which, Blue Cross is sadly seeing more of – brachycephalic dogs need surgery to enable them to breathe comfortably enough for a good quality of life.

But after a month in our care, during which time Snowy went from strength to strength, she found a loving home where she is now thriving.

Are you considering buying a brachycephalic dog? Read this advice first.